To read The History of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Part 1: WWI, click here. Post-WWI: Target and Assault Drones Interwar Years After World War I, the aviation industry advanced exponentially. These advancements (particularly within the air transport sector) hindered the testing and operation of unmanned systems. As post-war hostilities decreased, so did military interest in unmanned flight; [...]
When we think of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it’s easy to limit our thought to present-day UAVs—after all, drones have been receiving a lot of media attention lately. While modern drones and remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) have become critical to the US Military due to their advancements, the development of such vehicles is, like so [...]
The Bell X-1, piloted by Chuck Yeager, was the first manned airplane to exceed the speed of sound in level flight. In 1942, the UK's Ministry of Aviation began working on a super top secret project with Miles Aircraft to develop the world's first aircraft to break the sound barrier. While working on the project, they developed [...]
If you use a flight tracker to view live air traffic (such as flightradar24) or another type of map outlining flights across the world, it can seem a bit congested. With some exceptions , it appears that airplanes either touch (or at the very least cross over) almost the entire world. Using flightradar 24, the following image [...]
Bob Hoover is among the elite of the aviation world. Although this American icon of heroism and aviation prowess passed away Tuesday, October 25, he legacy will certainly live on. Robert Anderson “Bob” Hoover was born January 24, 1922. At 15, he began flying at Nashville’s Berry Field while working at a local grocery store [...]
It might seem reasonable to assume that aerial warfare didn’t begin until the 20th century—after all, that’s when the Wright Bros invented and flew the first successful airplane (The Wright Flyer). In a way, this is completely valid. However, technically speaking, the history of aerial warfare is an ancient one. Lowe in his balloon "Intrepid" on [...]
The MiG-31 Foxhound is one of the fastest combat jets in the world. The Mikoyan MiG-31 (NATO codename Foxhound) was developed by Soviet Air Forces to replace the MiG-25 "Foxbat." Introduced in 1970, the Foxbat was among the fastest military aircraft ever developed. But it had its fair share of issues; while the Foxbat was [...]
Smoky: the Little Dog that Could Wynne and Smoky (William A. Wynne via National Geographic) Corporal Bill Wynne first met Smoky in the beginning of 1944 when he was stationed with the U.S. Army Air Corps in Nadzab, New Guinea. She was a small thing—a little Yorkshire Terrier weighing only 4 pounds and standing [...]
Technically, the application and color of paint on an aircraft goes beyond mere aesthetics. A plane's paint job affects the weight of the aircraft and protects the integrity of the airframe. A topcoat finish is applied to protect the exposed surfaces and prevent corrosion and deterioration. A properly painted aircraft is also much easier to clean and maintain [...]
Don't let the ashtrays fool you--inflight smoking is banned on U.S. airliners If you've flown in a commercial airplane any time in the past, say 25 years, you've definitely encountered one of these: The universal signal for no smoking in an airplane (found on most airlines worldwide). No Smoking Allowed Inflight smoking is banned by almost all [...]
