Articles from the latest issue in digital format
How Britain was involved in SR-71 and U-2 intelligence-gathering
The Cold War presence at British bases of US SR-71 and U-2 reconnaissance aircraft has been well-documented. Less so, however, is the UK’s direct involvement in their intelligence-gathering efforts
Atomic Allies: The origins of UK-US nuclear target co-operation
Had nuclear war broken out in Europe prior to 1958, it’s possible US Air Force Strategic Air Command and RAF Bomber Command might have ended up attacking the same Soviet targets with their atomic weapons. Then, sensibly, a new era of co-operation was ushered in. Ben Dunnell examines the origins of this partnership.
Letters home reveal US Navy pilot's First World War exploits in the UK
It must have been quite a culture shock for US Navy pilot Benjamin Lee 2nd, moving from his homeland to first rural Cornwall and then the Humber estuary as part of his service’s contribution to the First World War’s fight against German U-boats. This talented aviator’s letters home paint a picture of life at these two outposts
Nuclear F-105 Thunderchiefs in Europe
Best-remembered for its performance as a conventional fighter-bomber during the war in South-east Asia, the Republic F-105 Thunderchief, or ‘Thud’, was originally designed with one primary mission in mind: to deliver a tactical nuclear weapon. For that purpose, it served on the front line of the Cold War with USAFE
1967 flashback: Yak-40 insights from Yakovlev’s deputy chief designer
Yakovlev’s deputy chief designer Ye G Adler gave ‘Aeroplane’ readers of the May 3, 1967 issue detailed insights into the construction and capabilities of the new Yak-40 regional jet, which at the time was undergoing flight tests
The pre-war luxury aircraft that no one wanted
Advanced for its time, the 1935 Heston Phoenix carried five people in luxury on only 205hp, and had a retractable undercarriage. Mike Hooks discovers why the Phoenix failed to rise
RAF Hawker Demons of No 64 Squadron
When during the mid-1930s trouble flared in Abyssinia, the most potent fighters the RAF could muster in potential defence of British interests were Hawker Demons. On the type No 64 Squadron re-formed to join those forces ready to tackle Italian aggression — today, this unit and its Demons are recalled by the sole airworthy example, itself a veteran of 64, and soon to take to the air again
Spectacular Longhorn project breaks cover
The reproduction of a Maurice Farman Longhorn S7 being built by Old Warden-based Flying Restorations was shown in public for the first time at the Shuttleworth Collection’s Fly Navy airshow on July 3.
“Aladdin's cave of aviation riches”: Capt Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown on test flying seized German jets
The most famous naval test pilot, Capt Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown, marvelled at the German aviation technology he discovered at the end of World War Two. In one of his last interviews before his death in early 2016, he reflected to Aeroplane on his impressions of these incredible machines
