Aviation Articles

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Valiant: The first V-Bomber

Overshadowed by the Vulcan and Victor, the Valiant was the only one of the V-bombers to drop a nuclear bomb, the first to see combat and the RAF’s initial operational tanker. However, its career was cut short by structural problems, as Stephen Skinner describes

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Concorde – the greatest feat in aviation?

Flying on the edge of space, faster than a rifle bullet, Concorde was a cliché queen. The epitome of Anglo-French collaboration, it was unlike anything that had come before it and required an unprecedented level of technological innovation – as Stephen Skinner discovers…

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How did the BAC One-Eleven help pave safer air travel?

A debt owed: The BAC One-Eleven was one of the brilliant successes of British aviation – but its journey into service was marred by the loss of the prototype and its crew on October 22, 1963. Stephen Skinner recounts that dark day

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Concorde – how the supersonic airliner was tested and certified

Considered by many to be as demanding as the US space programme, Stephen Skinner chronicled the testing and certification of Concorde in a special Key Publishing magazine on the legendary aircraft. It was a colossal challenge taking almost seven years and more than 5,000 flying hours – twice that of the Airbus A380.

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Air France Concordes – from triumph to tragedy

In the May 2015 issue of Aviation News, Stephen Skinner traced the highs and lows of Air France’s Concorde operations.

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The disastrous mid-air collision of a Boeing 727 and Cessna 172

Some aviation accidents seem inexplicable. How could a Boeing 727 collide with a Cessna 172, both flown by experienced crews, in excellent visibility, on approach to an airport with apparently good ATC and even a collision alert system? Stephen Skinner investigates

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Reflecting on the British Aerospace ATP after European ops end

It is no more, it has ceased to be, it is bereft of life, it rests in peace… This is an ex-parrot. Well, in Europe at least... Stephen Skinner looks back at the the budgie’s big brother – the British Aerospace ATP

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The miracle landing of Aloha Airlines Flight 243

The story of Aloha Airlines Flight 243 is one of the most incredible in the history of commercial aviation. Stephen Skinner examines the events which led to a critical fuselage failure on a Boeing 737, before considering the legacy of the accident

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The Short Skyvan's use in Argentina's 'Dirty War'

Stephen Skinner details the Short Skyvan’s involvement in Argentina’s ‘Dirty War’ and what is being done to ensure the country never forgets a particularly dark chapter in its history

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Fire on the runway: How British Airtours Flight 28M changed aviation forever

In the latest of a special series of reports, Stephen Skinner recalls how tragic events at Manchester Airport in August 1985 became a watershed moment in improving safety standards throughout the global aviation industry