MAGNIFICENT MACHINES—AND TALES TOO
IT’S AS though a bunch of aeroplane enthusiasts got together to make a comedy flick—and spin off a wonderful book. The full title, Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines … Continue reading
THE LIFE AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY OF ARMAND DEPERDUSSIN
ARMAND DEPERDUSSIN, pioneer French airplane manufacturer, was larger than life. He had been a traveling salesman, a cabaret singer and a silk tycoon. His aeroplanes were the world’s first to … Continue reading
LLOYD STEARMAN, WICHITA AIRMAN
THIS TITLE may sound as though I’m channeling a Glen Campbell song, but indeed I’m celebrating an aviation great who played a role in earning Wichita, Kansas, the title “Air … Continue reading
GRUMMAN’S (AND MAUREEN O’HARA’S) GOOSE
THE GRUMMAN Goose sure did ok for itself. Designed in 1936 for well-heeled Long Island commuters, this amphibious aircraft was Grumman’s first monoplane, its first with twin engines and its … Continue reading
THE HAMMOND AIRPLANE—AND GORE VIDAL’S FATHER
THE FLIVVER Movement aspired to put America aloft in the 1930s, just as, two decades before, Ford’s Model T flivver had put America on the road. One of the contenders … Continue reading
THE WRIGHT ART
REPORTS OF the first powered, heavier-than-air, controlled flight encouraged artists around the world to incorporate the Wright Brothers’ craft in their work. Even today, the Wright Flyer is the subject … Continue reading
DE HAVILLAND “MOZZIE”
THE DE HAVILLAND 98 Mosquito was one of the most versatile aircraft of World War II. No other aircraft served so many roles as a day and night fighter, bomber, … Continue reading
JANE’S ALL THE WORLD’S AIRCRAFT—1913
WHEN I was a lad, I thought it was cool that a girl named Jane knew all about aircraft. It wasn’t until later that I learned the name was Fred … Continue reading
PILOT’S VIEW, THE EARLY TRANSPORT OFFICE
IN AN aircraft transporting passengers and cargo, the pilot’s environment became an office, no longer just a cockpit. This fourth in a series of Pilot’s View looks at two aerial … Continue reading
1928 SANTA ANA MONOPLANE
HOME FIELD for my Microsoft Flight Simulator is Santa Ana, California; formally SNA. (See http://wp.me/p2ETap-20s.) And, sure enough, in the late 1920s there was a Santa Ana Aircraft Company designing … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 