Latest from Key.Aero
Explore the latest news and features by our world-class aviation journalists. Stay up to date on the latest military aviation developments, commercial airline news, historic restoration projects, flight simulation releases and much more.
Trending Topics
Israel-Hamas War Boeing 747 RAF Concorde Vulcan Ukraine Russia War
Historic
Historic Aviation Quiz – The Bristol 188 edition
With April 14, 2023, marking the 59th anniversary of the Bristol Aeroplane Company’s radical looking 188 supersonic research aeroplane, we dedicate this week’s Historic Aviation Quiz to a type affectionately dubbed the ‘Flaming Pencil’…
How five German F-86 Sabres were saved from the scrapheap
The January 1980 issue of Aeroplane Monthly featured the second part of an article on the Haydon-Baillie Aircraft & Naval Collection, this time focusing on its efforts to recover five Sabre VIs from Germany.
Stratocruiser memorial unveiled in California
Passengers and crew of Stratocruiser 'Clipper Romance Of The Skies' which crashed in 1957 have been remembered at a newly revealed memorial
How eight forgotten Spitfires were recovered from Indian military airfields
In 1977/8 a team of Haydon-Baillie Aircraft & Naval Collection volunteers retrieved eight ex-Indian Air Force Spitfires from five widely-separated locations in India. The aircraft had been abandoned on military airfields, where they had served as decoys for many years. In an interview featured in the December 1979 issue of Aeroplane Monthly, Wensley Haydon-Baillie, co-founder of the collection, explained to the Editor some of the problems of retrieving these forgotten aircraft.
Test pilot Neville Duke on Hawker Hunter flight testing
To commemorate the Hawker Hunter’s 25 years in service, the September 1976 issue of Aeroplane Monthly offered a portfolio of classic Hunter pictures, and Sqn Ldr Neville Duke recalled some of the problems encountered and over-come during the flight testing of the first of the breed, the P.1067 WB188.
Military
USAF seeks to fly unmanned aircraft from RAF Fairford from 2024
In late July, British media channels reported that the USAF had applied to the UK’s aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, to change its airspace rules in order to allow RQ-4B Global Hawk HALE UAVs and MQ-9A Reaper MALE UCAVs to fly from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire
USAF plots U-2S Dragon Lady retirement for 2026
The USAF has confirmed that it plans to retire its fleet of U-2S Dragon Lady high-altitude surveillance aircraft in 2026, after the air arm’s FY24 budget documents noted that expectations were for “protective [National Defense Authorization Act] language to be waived… allowing the USAF to move forward with U-2 divestment in FY26”
UAE’s EDGE signs engine agreement with Brazilian developer
The UAE’s advanced military technology and defence group, EDGE, signed a strategic agreement with Turbomachine, one of Brazil’s foremost turbine engine developers, on August 11
Commercial
QUIZ: The ultimate Etihad A380 quiz!
It's a incredible early Christmas present for fans of the A380 – Etihad has just confirmed it will be bringing back the super jumbo next year! To celebrate the news, here's a special edition of our commercial aviation quiz. Good luck!
Etihad’s A380 is back: here’s everything you need to know
After months of speculation, Etihad Airways has today (December 9) officially confirmed that it will be flying the Airbus A380 once again. While some details are still to be finalised, Key Aero has gathered everything you need to know about the return of the iconic super jumbo.
Aviation sustainability: Why United Airlines is very optimistic
From eVTOLs to the supersonic Boom aircraft: United Airlines has no shortage of pioneering projects in the pipeline. Richard Schuurman catches up with Lauren Riley, its chief sustainability officer, to learn more.
Top American airline executives on 2023 outlook
It’s no secret that it’s been a bumpy few years for aviation, but what might 2023 have in store? Tom Batchelor travels to Las Vegas to gauge the views of top executives from some of the biggest carriers in North America.
Flight Simulation
Exploring London Heathrow
This time, we fly to London Heathrow Airport and take a closer look at iniScene’s rendition of the primary gateway to the UK.
Just Flight’s FS Traffic review
We take a look at FS Traffic from Just Flight, a package that provides high-quality replacement aircraft models for the default AI traffic in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Hong Kong for X-Plane out now
Scenery developer, TaiModels has announced Hong Kong International Airport for X-Plane 11 and 12 is now available.
