Articles from the latest issue in digital format
Sweden’s Spitfires in the Cold War
Of all aspects of the Spitfire’s service, its post-war use as a photo-reconnaissance platform by the Swedish Air Force is one of the least well-known — especially as regards clandestine overflights of the Soviet Union
How the ‘Duxford Eagles’ learned to love the Mustang
In late 1944, the men of the Duxford-based 78th Fighter Group faced a new challenge. Since 1943 they had run the gauntlet of German fighters and anti-aircraft fire in that tremendously dependable platform, the P-47 Thunderbolt. Now the ‘Duxford Eagles’ were converting to the P-51 Mustang — and some of them weren’t best pleased. With extracts from unit records, this is the story of the 78th’s transition
New Zealand Bristol 170 Freighters Excel
An article in the January 12, 1967 issue of ‘Aeroplane’ looked at the expanding workload of New Zealand’s Straits Air Freight Express (SAFE) and its growing fleet of Bristol 170 freighters
The Italian poet-pilot and his propaganda raid
A controversial figure in Italian history, Gabriele D'Annunzio was part of the tradition of the soldier-poet. It was in the air that D’Annunzio fought, and among his exploits was a propaganda raid against Vienna that goes down as one of the First World War’s most daring flying feats
Why did Germany launch the Blitz?
Think of the Blitz, and the Luftwaffe’s heavy, sustained bombardment of British cities and industrial objectives that began in September 1940 springs to mind first. But that was just part of Germany’s series of bombing offensives against the British Isles, right up to the V1 and V2 campaigns. What were the strategic objectives underpinning them, and how effective did they prove?
How a war veteran FG-1D Corsair was restored
The restoration of an FG-1D Corsair for the Warbird Heritage Foundation recalls not the type’s combat career, but its role in training new US Navy carrier pilots. David Leininger reports
Stunning colour airliners from Heathrow’s golden age
Visits to the operational areas of London Airport allowed Ian James to capture some beautiful commercial classics of the late ’50s and early ’60s
Legendary ace Robin Olds in Vietnam
“The most courageous leader I ever knew”: What were the qualities that caused a Vietnam War comrade of the late Brig Gen Robin Olds to say that of his former commander? The success of Operation ‘Bolo’, the momentous aerial engagement between US Air Force F-4 Phantom IIs led by Olds and North Vietnamese MiG-21s on the second day of 1967, provides ample evidence
The wartime trainer nobody wanted
Not only did Heston’s T1/37 trainer look faintly outsized for its role, but the requirement to which it was built seems to have been taken less than seriously by the Air Ministry
BOAC Chairman’s Comet insights
The Chairman of BOAC gave his view from the top on the first jetliner as the Comet entered commercial service in this article he penned for ‘The Aeroplane’s’ May 2, 1952 issue
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