Twin Tails, Twin Fates: The parallel paths of America’s trainer aircraft program

For over four decades, the United States Air Force has struggled to replace its aging trainer aircraft fleet. A new article by Tony R. Landis of the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command History Office reveals how management failures doomed the T-46A program while the T-7A faces similar challenges but different circumstances in its quest to finally modernize pilot training.

An air-to-air left front view of a T-46A aircraft - DPLA - e29d26313f3ec327249bd6ac817d31f5
National Archives at College Park – Still Pictures, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Congressman Introduces Bill to Allow Medal of Honor for 100-Year-Old Korean War Pilot

U.S. Representative Darrell Issa has introduced legislation that would make a 100-year-old Korean War veteran eligible for the Congressional Medal of Honor more than seven decades after his classified combat actions that military historians consider among the most extraordinary in American aviation history.

SAN DIEGO (Jan. 20, 2023) — Retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams receives a Navy Cross for his actions during the Korean War Jan. 20.

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50th anniversary of the Mitsubishi F-1 maiden flight

The Mitsubishi F-1 fighter made its maiden flight 50 years ago on this day. The Japanese indigenous fighter holds a distinguished place in the annals of Japanese aviation history, representing a remarkable triumph in design and engineering. Developed in the 1960s, this iconic aircraft became a pioneering force for Japan’s defense capabilities.

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Historic first flight of restored A6M3 Zero Model 32

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.


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Last Battle of Britain pilot, John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, dies aged 105

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.

Group Captain John Allman Paddy Hemingway (cropped)
See page for author, OGL 3, via Wikimedia Commons
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