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
I ♥ AVIATRICES
CALL THEM aviatrices, female flyers or airwomen (this last term making its debut in the 1910 Oxford English Dictionary). Women active in aviation hold a special place in its history. … Continue reading
A PILOT’S VIEW, EPISODE 3
THE FIRST airline passengers were as hearty as their pilots, both residing in open cockpits. But maybe wind in the face wasn’t a necessary part of the experience. And before … Continue reading
TRANSPORT MEMORABILIA, 1995 (AND TIMELESS)
I LOVE auction catalogs. They contain a wealth of information. Printed on fine stock, they are typically a bibliophile’s delight. Christie’s catalog for a Transport Memorabilia and Models auction is … Continue reading
A PILOT’S VIEW, EPISODE 2
THE FIRST pilots moved levers forward and aft, wiggled their hips or shoulders this way or that and gripped wheels, only some of which steered. (See http://wp.me/p2ETap-2aF.) Before long, however, controls … Continue reading
THE PILOT’S VIEW, EPISODE 1
THE EARLIEST aeroplanes were less than open-cockpit, for they had no cockpits at all. Orville or Wilbur Wright initially lay prone on a padded cradle on the bottom wing of … Continue reading
MONOSPAR WINS 1934 KING’S CUP
IT MAY have been only a handicap race appealing to club pilots flying any old aircraft, but the King’s Cup originated by His Majesty George V in 1922 brought forth … Continue reading
