Aviation News
After decades of painstaking restoration work, the Military Aviation Museum’s Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero took to the skies on May 5. The aircraft, flown by the museum’s chief pilot Mike Spalding, lifted off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, as a small group of museum personnel and the restoration team from Legend Flyers watched from the ground.
Continue reading “Historic first flight of restored A6M3 Zero Model 32”
John “Paddy” Hemingway, the last surviving pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain, has passed away peacefully at the age of 105. The Royal Air Force (RAF) confirmed the death of Hemingway, who was a distinguished member of “the Few” that defended Britain’s skies during the Second World War.
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See page for author, OGL 3, via Wikimedia Commons
Continue reading “Last Battle of Britain pilot, John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, dies aged 105”
A former Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) pilot, identified as Huang Yang Te in a recent interview, has revealed details of an unusual exchange that saw him fly a French Air Force Mirage 2000B during the 1996 Asian Aerospace airshow in Singapore. The pilot, a former F-16 instructor and also an instructor in the Fighter Weapon School, detailed his unexpected opportunity to fly the French delta-wing fighter, which was serving as a back-up to the Rafale prototype demonstrator that was flying at the show.
Israeli forces operating in southern Syria have recovered a key component of an Israeli Air Force (IAF) helicopter that crashed more than half a century ago. The discovery, announced on Dec. 23, brings a sense of closure to a tragic incident from the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The recovered part is the rotor head of an SA 321 Super Frelon helicopter, known in the IAF as the “Wasp”. This particular aircraft, designated number 17 in the IAF’s 114th Squadron, was involved in a deadly crash on Apr. 27, 1974, during a rescue mission.
Photo: Israel Defense Forces
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GE Aerospace’s F110 engine is celebrating 40 years of continuous production, a remarkable achievement for a powerplant born from what some call the “Great Engine War” of the 1980s. This war saw GE challenge Pratt & Whitney’s dominance in supplying engines for the US Air Force’s F-15 and F-16 fighter jets. The F110 ultimately emerged as a champion, powering these aircraft for the US military and 16 other nations.
Continue reading “The GE F110: A Forty-Year Legacy of Power and Innovation”