NORTH TO ALASKA—BY AERO
IT WAS the idea of Brig. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell, father of the U.S. Air Force and, already in 1920, a firm believer in the importance of air power: Have … Continue reading
VICKERS VIMY
WHO MADE the first non-stop transatlantic flight? Not Lindbergh; his 1927 achievement was the first solo performance of this feat. Not the Navy-Curtiss NC-4 and its May 1919 flight from … Continue reading
NAVY-CURTISS NC-4
WHO FIRST flew the Atlantic? A quick answer is Charles Lindbergh. His stunning achievement on May 20-21, 1927, was the first solo flight from New York to Paris. But eight … Continue reading
BLÉRIOT TYPE XI TECHNICALITIES
IT WAS fun celebrating Louis Blériot and his epic flight crossing the English Channel in his Type XI (www.wp.me/p2ETap-M7). Just as they extended the celebration back in 1909, let’s continue it today, … Continue reading
BLÉRIOT XI
LET’S CELEBRATE Louis Blériot, his Type XI and its historic flight across the English Channel. The “Type Onze” generated great excitement with this July 25, 1909 flight, in no small … Continue reading
THE ART OF EARLY FLIGHT
FLYING WOULD have seemed magical to that earliest generation of viewers—including artists. Here’s a sampling of several books that display this. Each is listed at either http://www.amazon.com or http://www.abebooks.com. This … Continue reading
JENNY LORE
THE CURTISS JN4-D “Jenny” was the iconic biplane of the Twenties, the aeroplane of choice for an entire generation of barnstormers including Charles Lindbergh. If it was good enough for … Continue reading
FLYING 1918
WHEN LAST we encountered our intrepid—albeit only virtual—aviator, he/I had studied flying, 1909 style (http://wp.me/p2ETap-GO). I can now report that the Blériot has been good fun. Building the Blériot for … Continue reading
LEARN TO FLY
A SHOW of hands, please, of all who have ever wanted to learn how to fly. I thought so. And, like me, maybe, what with one thing and another, you’ve … Continue reading
SPITFIRES IN RANGOON
AIRCRAFT HUNTERS hope to find as many as 36 Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft that were buried next to a Burma airfield at the end of World War II. According to … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 