When I think of Soviet Cold War era helicopters, the Mil Mi-24 Hind assault helicopter gunship first springs to mind. Brutish and sinister, bristling with weaponry from the flexible 12.7 mm Yakushev-Borzov Yak-B Gatling gun (or 23mm/30mm fixed cannons on some models) to underwing rockets, bombs, gun pods and anti-tank missiles, it can pack a… Read More Mil Mi-24 Hind – Soviet Era Beast From The East!
The Bell P-63 Kingcobra first flew in December 1942 and was the successor to the Bell P-39 Airacobra. The Kingcobra featured significant improvements in design and performance but visually the most notable difference is the larger airframe and tail fin, along with the big four bladed propeller. The Bell P-39 Airacobra and P-63 Kingcobra both… Read More The Bell P-63 Kingcobra – All Hail The King!
The German Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow) was the first operational jet fighter and appeared in air combat towards the end of World War Two. The Me 262 has always been one of my favourite World War Two era aircraft. It wasn’t the best jet to ever grace the skies but I have always… Read More The Survivors: Messerschmitt Me 262 – Germany’s Jet Fighter
In 1972 the USAF Lightweight Fighter (LWF) Program was launched to develop a smaller, highly maneuverable, lower cost air combat fighter to complement and conduct roles not suitable for the highly capable but expensive McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle air superiority fighter. This program ultimately pitted two contenders in a fly off, the General Dynamics YF-16… Read More The Survivors: Northrop YF-17 Cobra – The Unwanted Fighter with Quite a Legacy!
For a small nation, Sweden has a proud and successful domestic aviation industry and the aircraft produced by Saab AB have defended the nation for decades. From their first jet fighter in 1945, through to the modern-day, Saab have developed a series of unique and highly capable jet fighter aircraft for the Swedish Air Force… Read More Saab Jet Fighters – Sweden’s Finest
Any (North American) Rockwell OV-10 Bronco fans out there? It is one of my favourite aircraft. I like the styling of the Bronco and it was a great success story for Rockwell as a light attack and observation aircraft. 360 OV-10 aircraft were produced between 1965 and 1986. OV-10 US Military Service The OV-10 first… Read More Rockwell OV-10 Bronco: The Observation and Counter Insurgency Specialist
During the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019 (March 1st to 3rd) there was also a Friday night show. The glorious sunset made a great backdrop for the twilight flying displays and then the night program featured massive flare drops, aircraft pyrotechnics and yes, even unplanned grass fires! A crowd favourite was a single pass by a… Read More Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019 Night Show
RAAF McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A/B Hornet multi-role fighters have graced Australian skies since 1985 and more recently have seen plenty of combat service in the Middle East but are coming to the end of their service life. It will be sad to see the “Classic Hornets” go in the next few years as they are replaced by… Read More Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019 Hornets Nest!
It was windy, dusty and hot, very hot, at Avalon this year! Temperatures pushed upwards of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and it was not for the feint hearted – heat stroke was apparently a problem in the crowd on the public days (March 1st to 3rd)! I have been to many scorching shows in… Read More Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019
Wouldn’t you know it but after weeks of relatively dry days, the weather god’s decided to play some fun and games with storm fronts all over New Zealand right on the weekend of the Wings Over Wairarapa Air Festival 2019 at Hood Aerodrome, Masterton (February 22nd to 24th)! Heavy rains were predicted and rain did… Read More Wings Over Wairarapa Air Festival 2019
Aces Flying High 