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!
Reportedly dubbed “Whispering Death” by Japanese ground forces due to its quiet engines (courtesy of engine sleeve valves), fast and powerful Bristol Beaufighter heavy fighters were flown by Allied pilots to strike Axis shipping and ground targets in the European, North African, Mediterranean and South West Pacific theatres of World War Two. I can picture… Read More The Survivors: Bristol Beaufighter – The “Whispering Death” of the Pacific and Beyond!
The Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah has an incredible collection of USAAF/USAF aircraft. One of the more amusing sights within the Hadley Gallery of the museum is the nose art for “Short Bier“, a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress bomber sporting the markings of the 493rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) of the… Read More Hill Aerospace Museum – Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress “Short Bier”
Lets now take a look at more of the warbirds that flew at the Kyneton Air Show on Sunday April 23rd, 2017. Seeing these historic combat aircraft up close and flying is always a highlight of any air show and this was no exception. Warbirds TBM Avenger The warbirds that took to the sky at… Read More Kyneton Air Show 2017 – Part IV: Warbirds and the 1944 “Flack Incident”
Aviation Nation 2016 celebrated “75 Years of Airpower” at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. In addition to all the modern flying tech of today (please see my previous post) the Nellis Heritage Parade component of the air show included various warbirds from World War Two and the Korean War era, accompanied with plenty of pyrotechnics!… Read More Aviation Nation 2016: 75 Years of Airpower – Part IV
The Saturday of the Joint Base Lewis McChord – JBLM Airshow & Warrior Expo 2016 (August 27th-28th, 2016) was plagued by strong dusty winds. This meant that some of the warbird flying displays just could not go ahead. Regardless the show went on and we still got to see some great World War Two and Cold War… Read More JBLM Airshow & Warrior Expo 2016 – The Warbirds
This years FHC Skyfair was another great one. This was the third annual air and ground show put on by the Flying Heritage Collection at Paine Field in Everett, Washington (my second attendance having gone to the first in 2014). This years theme was to commemorate the upcoming 75 years since the beginning of the Pacific War in December… Read More FHC Skyfair 2016
Following a lengthy restoration by the Museum of Flight in Seattle in 2012 they had nowhere to display the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber “T-Square 54” (Serial Number 44-69729 on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force) without it being exposed to the elements. As such this 1945 veteran of 37 bombing… Read More Boeing 100: Boeing Bombers at the Museum of Flight
This weekends Flying Heritage Collection Famous Fighters Flying Day held much promise. As part of US Fathers Day weekend celebrations it featured father and son teams Steve and Steven Hinton, along with Bud and Ross Granley, who were to fly some incredible and original World War Two Allied and Axis aircraft: A Republic P-47D Thunderbolt (USAAF),… Read More FHC Famous Fighters Flying Day 2016
On December 7th, 1941 the Imperial Japanese Navy conducted a surprise attack on Pearl Harbour in Hawaii which was intended to cripple the US Navy Pacific Fleet and ultimately started the Pacific War. The stunning and brazen attack saw the entry of the United States into World War Two and very quickly Japanese forces had overrun or attacked US, British Commonwealth and Dutch forces… Read More The Battle of Midway 1942: US Navy Flying Legends
Aces Flying High 