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Historic

A presentation in front of the two Comets at Hatfield. From left to right: A&AEE public relations officer Sqn Ldr John Taylor, DH88 project co-ordinator Ron Paine, BAe Hatfield general manager Tony Saint, A&AEE Mission Systems Division superintendant Brian Close, and pilots Stewart Waring and Sqn Ldr Mic Edwards. ADRIAN M. BALCH Feature Premium

Meeting of the Comets

Only once did the two Comets, DH88 and DH106, fly together — and it was 30 years ago this year

Having achieved what some considered impossible, Comet 4 XV814 approaches to land back at Farnborough in August 1992 after its global circumnavigation. VIA ROGER BEAZLEY Feature Premium

Round the World in a Comet in 1992

Some said it couldn’t be done — that this old aircraft would fail somewhere along the way. However, the Defence Research Agency’s Comet 4 XV814 defied the doubters and, in the summer of 1992, made it round the world. The then head of experimental flying at Farnborough recalled a memorable trip in the May 2016 issue of ‘Aeroplane’

Comet under construction. Feature Premium

First ever colour photos of the Comet

‘The Aeroplane’ scored a world exclusive when it published the first colour photos of the Comet in its July 29, 1949 issue. The piece also explored the design of this revolutionary aircraft

A tidy and relatively simple control cabin layout is especially essential in the case of a jet transport, in which, at critical stages of a flight, a great deal must be done in a short time. This more restful occasion in the Comet's control cabin was pictured while Capt. A. M. A. Majendie, M.A., was pointing out the features to Lord Ogmore, lately Minister of Civil Aviation. Capt. Majendie has done a greater part of the flying and operational development work for the Comet Unit. ‘Aeroplane’ photograph Feature Premium

BOAC Comet Captain insights

CAPT. M. R. ALDERSON, who was in charge of B.O.A.C.’s Comet unit, spoke to H. A. TAYLOR for the January 11, 1952 issue of ‘The Aeroplane’ and gave an outline of some of the more interesting features in jet transport operation after six months of preliminary route-proving trials

BBMF Hawker Hurricane returns home

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Hawker Hurricane IIc LF363 arrived back at its Coningsby base in the hands of Sqn Ldr Mark Sugden, officer commanding the BBMF, on April 21 following a ‘major’ overhaul in the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar.

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Military

Aero Vodochody contracted to overhaul and modernize Bulgaria’s fleet of L-39ZA Albatros

Aero Vodochody has been awarded a four-year contract to upgrade and overhaul the L-39ZA Albatros fleet of the Bulgarian Air Force

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Why is the USAF rapidly moving to withdraw its F-15C/D Eagles from Kadena?

Barely a month after the USAF announced that Kadena Air Base in Japan would lose its F-15C/D Eagles, they are now heading home. Combat Aircraft Journal reports

UK MOD claims Russia has been using Su-57 in Ukraine conflict

The UK Ministry of Defence has claimed that the Russian Aerospace Forces have “almost certainly” been using fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 multi-role fighters in combat missions against Ukraine for at least seven months

More from Military

Commercial

Scilly zero-carbon flights bid progresses

Three companies have signed a letter of intent to bring hydrogen-powered flights to the UK’s Isles of Scilly

SITA solution supports EPL standardisation

Travel IT specialist SITA has developed a blockchain-based solution enabling the verification of an electronic personnel license without network connectivity

Airlines burning 40% less fuel

Cirium has published its Global Aircraft Emissions Monitor

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Behind the scenes of Lufthansa's Boeing 747-8i Palma flights

The easing of lockdown restrictions prompted thousands of Germans to reach for their beach towels and head to Palma de Mallorca. But with demand far exceeding narrowbody supply, there was only one tool for the job, as Vasco Garcia discovers

Airbus demonstrates formation flying

Airbus has performed the first long-haul demonstration of formation flight in general air traffic (GAT) regulated transatlantic airspace with two A350 aircraft

More from Commercial

Flight Simulation

X-Plane 12 by Austin Meyer – Part 1 Feature Premium

X-Plane 12 by Austin Meyer – Part 1

Since 1995, a major version of X-Plane has been released every few years. While updates have been coming fast and furious, the user interface has barely been good enough and the testing has been at a minimum. But with X-Plane 12 on the horizon, everything is different. X-Plane’s creator Austin Meyer explains why.

Just Flight Mallorca Airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator Review Premium

Just Flight’s Mallorca Airport

This is the latest release from Just Flight is developed by a small team of airline pilots who are based at the actual airport.

vSkyLabs’ C-47 Skytrain/DC-3 Review Premium

vSkyLabs’ C-47 Skytrain/DC-3

vSkyLabs Aerospace Simulations has been producing X-Plane aircraft since version 9. This time around we fly the most recent incarnation from its C-47 Skytrain Flying Lab Project.

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Upcoming Events

MCAS Cherry Point Air Show

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Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, United States

US Marine Corps airshow

Duxford Flying Day: 19 Squadron

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Cambridge, United Kingdom

The event webpage states: "Uncover the story of the legendary 19 Squadron, the fighter pilots who made Spitfire history at Dunkirk and throughout the Battle of Britain at Flying Days: 19 Squadron. Enjoy a special themed display, providing an afternoon of over an hour of scheduled flying, on top of your great day out at IWM Duxford."

Light Aircraft Association Rally

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Leicester, United Kingdom

Light aircraft event

Hollomon Airshow 2024 Legacy of Liberty

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Holloman AFB, United States

US Air Force airshow

Royal International Air Tattoo

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Fairford, United Kingdom

The themes this year for RIAT are '50 Years F-16', 'NATO 75th Anniversary', '100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force' and 'Pushing the boundaries in Air and Space'. Regarding the final one in the list the RIAT website states: "Our main theme will highlight the important work of Flight Test & Evaluation in modern aviation, looking back at 100 years of British military test flying. We hope to display specialised, modified and instrumented test flight aircraft from organisations from around the world dedicated to Flight Test, Evaluation and Scientific Research."

NAS Jacksonville - NAS Jax Air Show

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Jacksonville, United States

US Navy airshow