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Historic
Aviation in the DDR's dying days: planespotting behind the Iron Curtain
As the Berlin Wall fell, opportunities arose. Peter R Foster details several visits to the former German Democratic Republic shortly after the reunification of Germany
BBMF to commemorate 80th anniversary of Dams Raid…
Did you know the BBMF will commemorate the 'DamBusters' on May 16? Here is how and where...
The hunt for a BOAC airliner that crashed in the Sahara in 1952
Over 70 years ago a BOAC airliner crash-landed, 1,300 miles off course, in the sandy wastes of the Western Sahara. In January 2002, Aeroplane Assistant Editor Tony Harmsworth went to find it
Historic Aviation Quiz: The ‘Red Baron’
With April 20, 2023 marking the 105th anniversary of Germany’s Manfred von Ricthofen’s final two ‘kills’ before falling in combat himself the following day, we dedicate this week’s historic aviation quiz to the man known as the ‘Red Baron’…
‘Yankee Lady’ grounded… could other B-17s follow?
It was announced on April 16 that the Yankee Air Museum had opted to “proactively cease flight operations of the B-17G Flying Fortress
Military
How a unique aircraft paved the way for the Eurofighter Typhoon
A distant 30-plus years ago, Eurofighter – or European Fighter Aircraft (EFA) – was just a dream. But a technological demonstrator, known as the Experimental Aircraft Programme (EAP), was being designed. This is the story.
Archer Aviation to supply Midnight eVTOLs to the USAF
California-based start-up Archer Aviation Inc has entered into contracts worth up to $142m with the US Department of Defense that includes the supply of up to six Midnight electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to the USAF
Russian Ka-52Ms join battle for Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine
Upgraded Kamov Ka-52M Hokum-B attack helicopters are being used by the Russian Aerospace Forces for the first time as part of a response to Ukraine’s armoured counteroffensive in the nation’s Zaporizhzhia region
Commercial
Arizona's aircraft boneyards: the incredible view from above
Airlines around the world may well be building up their fleets once more following the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting global downturn, but America’s desert boneyards remain full of aircraft waiting to make their return to service or potentially early retirement and the scrapman’s axe. Javier Rodríguez shares some of the highlights from his recent visit to Arizona
Looking back at 50 years of Bombardier Challenger development
As Bombardier begins to deliver its latest Challenger – the 3500 – Paul E Eden looks back on almost half-a-century of business jet development
HeliOps: Sea Kings, SAR and much more
An exciting new era in rotary operations is under way on the UK’s south coast, as Ian Harding and Kevin Wills discovered when visiting one of its premier specialist helicopter providers
Upgrading 80-year-old Douglas DC-3s with turboprop engines: how it’s done
Few aircraft have proven their versatility and durability like the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Today, one company continues to capitalise on the type’s popularity by modernising these 80-year-old veterans to make them capable of operating in some of the Earth’s most unforgiving environments. Andreas Spaeth visits Basler Turbo Conversions to find out more
Behind the scenes with France's fleet of calibrator aircraft
Jean-Philippe Rokacz goes behind the scenes to find out how France’s fleet of calibrator aircraft are used to test and maintain the nation’s navigational aids
Flight Simulation
Aerobask’s Epic Victory review
Many X-Plane pilots will be familiar with the Aerobask team. In this review, we fly their Very Light Jet – the Epic Victory for X-Plane 12.
Air Combat Simulation - Part 1
Welcome to the start of a new series on aerial combat. Over the next few lessons, we will cover subjects including fighter aircraft types, situational awareness, tactics and aerial gunnery. For this first instalment, we focus on a topic that is seldom discussed: the psychology of air combat.
Noorduyn Norseman takes flight in MSFS
Big Radials has announced the Noorduyn Norseman for Microsoft Flight Simulator is out now.