African Aerospace – Part One

As promised, Niel Swart braved difficult conditions to share last month’s Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2016 exhibition with airscape. Held at the SAAF’s AFB Waterkloof, between Pretoria and Johannesburg, this biennial event is the continent’s major aerospace and defence show. This year it brought together over 500 trade exhibitors, and representation from 105 different countries. Incredibly diverse AAD 2016 ran from Wednesday the 14th … Continue reading African Aerospace – Part One

airscapemagOctober 18, 2016March 5, 20183 Comments

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Under African skies

airscape now has a resident pair of eyes in Africa, in the form of photographer Niel Swart. Based near Johannesburg, Niel has agreed to be our man on the flight line for South African aviation events so I’m looking forward to sharing his images from that part of the world with you. Here’s a taste of Niel’s talents… South Africa has a surprisingly rich aviation … Continue reading Under African skies

airscapemagSeptember 6, 2016March 5, 20182 Comments

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Bang!

I came across an amazing image when I was preparing an earlier post, Without A Trace. Even then, I knew I wouldn’t be able to let it rest with a 20 word caption. It was of a Mosquito – a truly great aircraft that is familiar fare for airscape. But much as I’ve studied the DH98 – the ‘Wooden Wonder’; the ‘Timber Terror’ – I’d … Continue reading Bang!

airscapemagMarch 24, 2016September 11, 20236 Comments

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The airshow

Back in March 2014 (yeah, where has THAT time gone??) I attended the Centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force at Point Cook, armed with nothing more than my iPhone. Surprisingly for some, it was a calculated move. I knew I’d be frustrated, then disappointed, by the performance of my entry-level DSLR – especially the tendency of my zoom lens to go ‘soft’ in the … Continue reading The airshow

airscapemagFebruary 11, 2016September 4, 20163 Comments

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Seattle centennial

In case you didn’t know, Boeing is turning 100 in 2016, and the big plane maker is already lighting up the figurative birthday candles. That seemed like a perfect excuse to share this wonderful panorama of Boeing’s Wing Room, taken on August 26th, 1922 – a Saturday, as it happens – which I’ve been sitting on for well over a year. Make sure you click … Continue reading Seattle centennial

airscapemagSeptember 19, 2015September 5, 2016Leave a comment

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Close Call

Early on the morning of September 27th, 1943, the distinctive baritone thunder of a Merlin engine rose over the base of No.410 Night Fighter Squadron RCAF, at Coleby Grange, Lincolnshire. This was a Mosquito base, so the sound of a single Merlin was nearly always bad news. A Mosquito was difficult enough to land with both turning. But the crew of this particular … Continue reading Close Call

airscapemagJuly 22, 2015November 9, 201620 Comments

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Works of art, too

Andreas Feininger . . . a sequel to the previous article, Works of Art Another of Alfred T Palmer’s superb staff photographers at the United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a young freelancer with a very bright future – Andreas Feininger (1906 – 1999). Over his lifetime, Feininger created an enormous portfolio of famous images, including many iconic photos of New York City in the 1950s and 60s, … Continue reading Works of art, too

airscapemagJuly 8, 2015September 5, 20168 Comments

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Works of Art

Featured image: Library of Congress P&P, LC-USW36-24 The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was essentially a propaganda agency, promulgated by Franklin D Roosevelt on June 13th, 1942 as a unification of several domestic information agencies. Many Americans were bewildered by their rapid progression from Great Depression, to Arsenal of Democracy, to co-belligerent in a global conflict. So Roosevelt charged the OWI with using … Continue reading Works of Art

airscapemagJune 3, 2015September 5, 20168 Comments

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Big Pig

While it’s easy to be unkind about the big, heavy and expensive F-111 Aardvark, it was definitely a multi-tonne Mach 2 marvel for its time. So as a special treat, here’s a bit of a walk-around of the Royal Australian Air Force’s A8-134, now thoroughly ‘de-fanged’ and permanently retired. #134 (cn D1-10) is a General Dynamics F-111C on long term loan from the RAAF to the … Continue reading Big Pig

airscapemagApril 30, 2015September 8, 20162 Comments

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Missing …reprise

People are still moved by the loss of VH-UMF ‘Southern Cloud’ in 1931 – with all eight souls aboard – and especially the agonising 27-year wait to discover their fate. Following my March 21st article on the crash, airscape was contacted by Ken Watson who is affiliated with Australia’s Civil Aviation Historical Society and Airways Museum at Essendon, Victoria. As the repository of our civil airways and … Continue reading Missing …reprise

airscapemagApril 9, 2015September 8, 2016Leave a comment