Sun ‘n Fun is off to a great start, and while a Tuesday kickoff usually guarantees a gradual start to the show–with bands of severe weather keeping south-going planes stranded up north—this year’s Tuesday couldn’t have gone much better. The new head of the show, Gene Conrad, has made changes galore around the grounds, all …
Declassified Video Shows How B-52 Crews Would Conduct Nuclear Strikes During Cold War
Screenshots from the video showing the B-52 during the fictional nuclear strike and a B-57 bomber navigating near a nuclear explosion. A 1960 Strategic Air Command training video familiarized B-52 crews with the devastating effects of nuclear weapons and how to navigate through a nuclear battlefield. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) recently …
Italy One Step Closer To Convert Two ‘Green’ G-550s to EC-37B Compass Call Configuration
Main image: a G550 CAEW. The EC-37B is externally quite similar to the CAEW (Image credit: David Cenciotti); in the left box: EC-37B (USAF); right: green G550 (Giovanni Maduli) Two “green” Gulfstreams will be equipped with the Compass Call mission system as part of the Joint Airborne Multi-Mission Multi-Sensor System program. Italy is about to …
We Proudly Announce the Winners of the 2023 Your Flying World Photo Contest!
Our latest Plane & Pilot Your Flying World Photo Contest has wrapped up, and we have chosen the winners. Coming out on top was Philip Johnson for his “Jolley Roger in the Sky,” a brilliant shot of a North American F-86 Sabre, flown by Steve Hinton. Taking home second prize was Adrien Penhoet, for their …
First Four Slovak MiG-29 Jets Have Been Transferred To Ukraine
One of the first four MiG-29s that have been transferred to Ukraine. (Image credit: screenshot from Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic YT channel) The four MiG-29 Fulcrum jets have been handed over to the Ukrainian Air Force. First four of 13 MiG-29 fighters retired from active service by the Slovak Air Force have be …
NTSB Finds Cause of Mooney Structural Failure Crash
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on the August 7, 2021, crash of a Mooney M20 in Victoria, Minnesota, that killed three. The plane was on an instrument approach when it went out of control and crashed, killing all three aboard, including the 72-year-old pilot and 40-year-old student pilot/passenger along …
U.S. RC-135 Intelligence Gathering Jet Flying Unprecedented Mission Inside Finland’s Airspace
A U.S. Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Taylor Crul) Operating from the Finnish airspace, the U.S. ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) aircraft can spy on the Russian forces near the border with Finland. Flying as JAKE 11, the Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint #62-4131 aircraft is currently flying a …
Prototype Of AW249 Attack Helicopter In Combat Livery Flies For The First time
The prototype of the AW249 during its first flight on Mar. 19, 2023. (Reader’s submission) Another AW249 NEES has flown. This one sports the standard olive drab paint scheme used by the Italian Army helicopters. A new Leonardo AW249 NEES (Nuovo Elicottero da Esplorazione e Scorta / New Exploration and Escort Helicopter), has carried out its …
A Beech Crash-Lands on the Beach
In what was certainly a terrible St. Patrick’s Day event, a Beechcraft V-35 Bonanza crash-landed on a beach in northeastern Long Island. The two onboard both walked and/or waded away with minor injuries, according to reports. The mishap was recorded by a person walking their dog on the beach. [embedded content] The sequence started with …
Another Navion Survival Story: Arizona Midair Leaves Aviation World Stunned
In Arizona on Friday, two planes collided in midair during a practice formation flight, with one of them, a Ryan Navion, landing safely despite being nearly cut in half. The other plane, a Yak-52, made it back to the runway at Falcon Field, and both occupants survived with minor injuries. Photos of the bare metal …
