Lightning for sale
Electrifying ads For a generation of jet jocks, it was the ultimate ride – a seat you didn’t say ‘no’ to: The English Electric Lightning was a thundering, twin-Avon brute of a point defence fighter, designed around the single-minded mission brief of reaching high-flying hostile bombers before they could harm the UK’s vital airfields and other infrastructure… It was an echo of the Battle of Britain, re-imagined … Continue reading Lightning for sale
50,000 ft/min
A good day at the office To tell the truth, it’s been so long (see the fabulous Bird On A Wire) since I did a post like this I’ve almost forgotten the drill. At least the idea is simple: There are so many great photos languishing out there; let’s share them. Today’s offering dates from Exercise Cope North in 2010 – specifically February 15th, 2010. … Continue reading 50,000 ft/min
May 24th every day
The power to fly I guess I’m as guilty as anyone: I’ve written a few things about the Wright Brothers over the years and, most memorably, about the North Carolina Surfmen who helped them make their historic flights at Kitty Hawk. But, for all that, I’ve missed the man who did more than any other to make their place in history possible, and became the template … Continue reading May 24th every day
Dying to fly
War Birds: The Diary of a Great War Pilot Elliott White Springs Annotated by Lieutenant Horace Fulford. Introduced by Mark Hillier. Published by Frontline Books, 2016. ISBN 978-1-47387-959-1 I imagine most Great War aviation enthusiasts are more or less familiar with Elliott White Springs’ War Birds – Diary of an Unknown Aviator. If it isn’t actually out of copyright, the internet is doing a grand … Continue reading Dying to fly
Down On The Water
Over the years, the age of the giant flying boats has been romanticised into a gilded memory of glamorous, spacious and luxurious air transport that finally conquered the world’s greatest oceans. But if the era was really so fabulous, why was a gifted aircraft designer (and experienced air traveller) like Dr. Beverley Shenstone convinced that it had to end as quickly as possible? And why … Continue reading Down On The Water
addio, Spillone
Italian F-104S It’s been a long while since I indulged my affection for the US ‘Century Series’ fighters, and Kelly Johnson’s superb ‘Zipper’ in particular. Time to address that now, with a long look at the last of the line. F-104 Starfighter: History of a myth This is the English-language release of Aeronautica Militare’s F-104 Starfighter: Storia di un mito. The translation is fairly obvious, but I’d … Continue reading addio, Spillone
Look back in amazement
African Aerospace – Part 2 Okay, it took a little longer than we anticipated, but I’m pleased to present the second batch of photos from last September’s Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2016 exhibition in South Africa, courtesy of local photographer Niel Swart. The best of the rest Africa’s pre-eminent aviation event, AAD2016 was held at the SAAF base at Waterkloof, between Pretoria and Johannesburg. … Continue reading Look back in amazement
In memory of an F.22
Malloch’s Spitfire by Nick Meikle ISBN 978-1-61200-252-1 In as much as this review is, literally I guess, a bookend for airscape’s Spitfire Month, I hope by now you have a burning passion for one of history’s greatest fighter aircraft. And assuming you have, let me begin by recommending Malloch’s Spitfire as a must-have book – even a foundation one – for your Spitfire library. It’s … Continue reading In memory of an F.22
On Spitfires (Part Two)
Welcome back Following on from Part One, we rejoin Indicator’s tour of the Spitfire family with some handling notes and personal memories, a brief look at the later Griffon-engined stable, and some final thoughts on the long evolution of history’s most iconic fighter… Joy flying By way of relief from the old original pressure-cabin types of the Mark VI and VII, the Mark XI PRU … Continue reading On Spitfires (Part Two)
On Spitfires (Part One)
‘Indicator’ tells all ‘Indicator’ filed a long series of impressions of Allied aircraft for Flight magazine in the years after World War 2. While Flight didn’t give his identity away (most likely because he was still in uniform) he was definitely a test pilot – probably at the RAF’s Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down. Mind you, he also seems to have done some … Continue reading On Spitfires (Part One)
