The English Electric Lightning was the first British jet aircraft to enter service, and like all early jets it suffered from severe airframe buffeting. This was caused by the shockwaves produced as the air rushing past the rear of the aircraft created a ‘wake’, or disturbance in the airflow behind the aircraft. The Lightning was also highly fuel inefficient.
Despite these disadvantages it was a very capable aircraft. It had excellent range, payload and climb rate, and could operate from short,...
In December of 1942, the infamous Victor Bomber was flown by a team of engineers from Bell Aircraft to an Air Force base at Clinton Field in North Carolina. The aircraft was built for the US Army Air Forces as a transport plane, but it was never mass-produced. Instead, it was used mostly by the Army Air Forces’ 456th Bomb Group during World War II. Unlike most bombers of its time, the Victor bomber was designed to be flown by...
General Dynamics F-16 – The Rebirth of the Dogfighter | PlaneHistoria
Do you know the General Dynamics F-16 – the rebirth of the dogfighter? This is the fighter that took air combat to the next level. This is the fighter that redefined the art of the possible. This is the fighter that made you king of the skies. The F-16 was the product of a group of maverick pilots and engineers who were unafraid to think outside the box. They were...
Tupolev ANT-20 Maxim Gorky – Once the Largest Aircraft in the World
By the early 1930s, the question of how to build an aircraft that could fly faster than the speed of sound was a pressing one. It was especially important for both military and commercial aviation because it would make it possible for aircraft to travel long distances in a short amount of time.
In October 1929, Tupolev presented its ANT-20 to the Soviet government. This was an improved version of...
The Junkers G.38 was a workhorse transport aircraft of the Second World War that saw heavy use in paratrooper and glider roles. It was used by Hitler’s elite forces, including the SS, as well as by the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe in general. The G.38 was developed to meet a need for a transport aircraft that could be used for long-range and heavy-lifting operations.
The G.38 was designed and built by Junkers Flugzeugwerke from 1935-1937. It had...
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird – The Plane Designed to Leak | PlaneHistoria
Do you know about the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird – the Plane Designed to Leak? PlaneHistoria provides the history of the SR-71 Blackbird aircraft, which was designed and built by Lockheed from 1964 to 1989. An all-black aircraft, it was used for reconnaissance missions over the Soviet Union, North Vietnam, and other areas of interest around the globe.
Moreover, it was built to withstand extreme pressure and heat. And it did just...
