Aeroplane Archive

The Key.Aero team have delved for treasure in the archive of Aeroplane Magazine dating back to 1911. Aviation history brought to life by the editors of the period.

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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

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Behind the scenes of Aeroplane's Battle of Britain film day

In the December 1999 issue of Aeroplane Monthly, Tony Harmsworth reports on a reader event at Duxford which was a memorable celebration of the 30th anniversary of the famous film’s launch in 1969

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The daring 1,800-mile journey of three Tiger Moths across Africa

The concept was in the madcap class, the execution seemingly impossible: to fly three 50-year-old de Havilland Tiger Moths from Johannesburg, South Africa, to the remote reaches of Botswana’s Okavango Swamps, more than 1,800 miles away. In the August 1988 issue of Aeroplane Monthly, Dave Hanson recounts the adventure

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Former RAF pilot's secret 1958 arms mission in battered B-17

In the April 1988 issue of Aeroplane Monthly, former RAF and Israeli Air Force pilot Gordon Levett recalled a secret 1958 attempt to fly arms from Israel to the West Indies in an ageing B-17

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Meet the woman who ferried 222 Halifax bombers during World War Two

During World War Two Lettice Curtis ferried 222 Handley Page Halifax bombers, usually with just an ATC cadet to assist her. In the September 1981 issue of Aeroplane Monthly, she recalled how she became the first woman licensed to fly four-engined RAF aircraft

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The miniature Hurricane replica built by a United Airlines pilot

The story of Fred Sindlinger and his miniature Hawker Hurricane was told in the October 1973 issue of Aeroplane Monthly.

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Inside Bristow's 1960s North Sea oil rig helicopter service

From the February 16, 1967 issue of Aeroplane, Raymond Hankin describes Bristow Helicopters’ support service for rigs drilling off the east coast of the UK for oil and natural gas

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Farnborough Airshow insights from TV’s Raymond Baxter

For many years the distinctive voice of Raymond Baxter was synonymous with Farnborough Airshow, due to him presenting the BBC’s coverage of the aeronautical extravaganza. In this October 1978 article in ‘Aeroplane Monthly’ he gives a personal take on the famous airshow 

Twin Pioneer G-AOEO at Davos, Switzerland, where passengers were taken by horse-drawn sledge from aircraft to hotel or ski-lift. AEROPLANE Feature Premium

Twin Pioneer Demo Tours

When Scottish Aviation sent its new Twin Pioneer on demonstration tours, it really put the aircraft through its paces
By David Dorman

No 203 AFS at Driffield, Yorkshire, trained many National Service pilots. It put up this formation of three Meteor T7s during 1949. AEROPLANE Feature Premium

When conscripts flew RAF fighters

The days when National Service pilots flew RAF jet fighters are understandably long gone, but memories remain strong – not least amongst those who piloted Meteors