During World War II, the Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina flying boat became famous for its long-endurance missions over the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean against enemy ships and submarines. Only very few aircraft are still left today in flying condition. One is located not far away from its former wartime base Norfolk, Virgina, at the Military Aviation Museum just South of Virgina Beach. It represents one of the museum's collection jewels, and stands out not only due to its fully documented history.
The Junkers Ju-52 is an aviation legend, and "F-AZJU" is a true piece of jewelry for the French Amicale Jean Baptiste Salis. The aircraft is based at the Amicale’s homebase La Ferté-Alais in the South of Paris. This ‚Tante Ju‘ is the biggest aircraft in the collection of the AJBS, and currently also Europe’s sole airworthy Junkers Ju-52.
The 75th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy also brought some highlights for the aviation enthusiast. Nearly two dozen Dakotas made their way from Duxford in England over the English Channel to the Caen region to drop parachutists over Northern France just as in the morning hours of 6 June 1944, and numerous L-Birds gathered at St. André de l’Eure, close to Evreux.
Swiss Tigers are facing their extinction! 110 have originally been ordered by the Swiss Air Force. Nowadays their number is down to only 27. Apart from the F/A-18 Hornets, the F-5s are the Swiss Air Forces only other jet type, and are today only flown by reserve pilots. With the referendum for a future jet fighter on the horizon, their near future is becoming even more uncertain. They are indeed a rare breed - time to go to stunning Meiringen airbase and catch them!
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II had a remarkable 50 year long lasting career in Japan. This is a personal review of Phantom encounters in the Land of the Rising Sun. It covers the final 16 years of JASDF F-4EJ operations and stretches from Chitose in Japan’s cold North down to the tropical Naha on Okinawa.
One week of aviation photography can be easily spend around central Honshu, Japan‘s main island. This article focuses on a selection of major military airfields around Tokyo that are within the reach of a one-day drive.
The thundering noise of a Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18C fighter jet astonished the visitors of the 2019 airshow at Omaka. That is no wonder, as fighter jets are a rare view in New Zealand since 2001, when the RNZAF disbanded its last A-4 Skyhawks. The secret star of the show, which focuses on propeller-driven aircraft, was however once again the FlugWerk FW190. It celebrated a new maiden flight after its landing accident four years ago. This warbird dominated a highly diverse flying program.
With thundering afterburners four F-35A Lightning II soar into the clear blue sky of the Negev desert. They are followed by another four F-15 "Baz" of the Israeli Air Force. The jets are the vanguard of the "Blue Force" and have to protect the territory of the "Falcon State". With a fight over water and other natural resources, it is threatened by the aggressive neighboring country "Nowhereland". This can become a realistic scenario in this part of the world and was certainly not chosen by chance as a theme for the high-value exercise "Blue Flag 2019" at Ovda Air Force Base in southern Israel.
The “Air Power over Hampton Roads” airshow at the Joint Base Langley-Eustis was held on 19-20 May, 2018. It is one of the rare chances to visit an airshow at a base being home of…Read More
After the farewell cermony for the Starfighter last year in Pratica di mare another area came to its end this year in May. On May, 21st the Czech Air Force held on open day at…Read More
A formation of a MiG-29, F-4F, Tornado and Eurofighter - quite an uncommon sight today in 2007. But nearly everyday business back in 2002 at Germany's Flight Test Centre WTD 61 (Wehrtechnische Dienststelle) in Manching.
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The COVID-19 outbreak affects us all. It affects and restricts our daily life, and along with that also our leisure time activities. It currently seems like like pulling the throttle from full power back to…Read More
Barely touching the earth’s surface a pair of helicopters follows the terrain on the approach to its target. The flight route has been selected in way to remain undiscovered up to the very last possible…Read More
Doing air-air with classic aircraft from the 1930s is always a pleasure, even more so if it is an immaculately restored Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister on a nice autumn Sunday morning. The Jungmeister D-EMKP “LG+07”…Read More
The Polikarpov I-16 Rata is a rare bird. Only a dozen of originally more than 8500 produced aircraft exist, including seven that have been re-build for Sir Tim Wallis' Alpine Fighter Collection in the 1990s.…Read More
The DG Flugzeugbau DG-800S is a high performance single-seat glider with an impressive wingspan of 18m and a maximum glide ratio of 51,5 with winglets installed. As for comparable gliders it becomes obvious from a…Read More
