Fill your life with what you love If you consider yourself an avgeek, you probably love all things aviation. I mean, that’s why you read The Flight Blog, right? To immerse yourself in the wonderful world of aviation and its rich history. Given the chance, I’m sure you’d much rather be up in the air [...]
How one man's journey changed the world. Charles Lindbergh made his historic transatlantic flight in May of 1927. The feat, which took 33.5 hours, was the first time anyone flew nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. When he succeeded in flying from New York to Paris, Lindbergh was greeted by a groundbreaking (and well-deserved) level of [...]
The Martin B-26 Marauder was introduced in 1941 for use during the course of World War II. The twin-engined medium bomber served first in the Pacific Theater in 1942 and was later used in the Mediterranean Theater as well as Western Europe. The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) issued Circular Proposal 39-640 on March 11, 1939, [...]
When going up in the air, we all hope that, in the end, we reach our destinations safely. We cross our fingers for "textbook" takeoffs and landings. Most of the time, we get our wish--flying is easy peasy. But sometimes our finger crossing isn't enough and things don't go by the book. In the event that [...]
In 2016, 3.8 billion people traveled by air, and IATA expects that number to double over the course of 20 years. This isn't unreasonable, considering that the 4 billion passengers expected to fly commercially this year is double what it was just 12 years ago. Suffice it to say, commercial air travel is common these days. [...]
In the years immediately following WWII, the aviation industry experienced massive growth. In the United States alone, the end of the war turned the country into the world's largest industrial manufacturer. And as aviation developed at a rapid pace, the need for bigger, better, and more modern commercial aircraft emerged. The result was tremendous advances [...]
If not for Poppy Houston, the Battle of Britain might have ended very differently. Fanny Lucy Radmall was born on April 8, 1857, to Thomas Radmall, a woolen warehouseman and draper, and Maria Isabella Clark. The 9th of 10 children, "Poppy," as she was affectionately known, was nothing short of inquisitive, vivacious, and adventurous. At 16, Poppy became [...]
…and the horses and the cats. Traveling with pets can be ruff. And incredibly stressful (to both those on two legs and four). Every so often we hear the occasional high-profile horror stories about dogs who died after being on flights. And regardless of whether the airline is at fault or it was simply the [...]
World War I marks the first major conflict where the use of aircraft really took off. Unlike WWII, however, these early military planes were primarily used for reconnaissance. From Racer to Recon In January 1914, French Naval officer, engineer, and businessman Gustave Delange joined the Société Anonyme des Etablissements Nieuport (A French airplane company) and started working [...]
When it comes to having siblings, it tends to be a love/hate situation--sometimes a little more of one than the other (I can say that I know this from experience). And if there's anything more challenging than simply having siblings, working with them can be a completely different matter altogether. Some siblings, however, have made [...]
