The bearcat, also known as the binturong, is a viverrine mammal from Southeast Asia—it is closely related to neither bears nor cats. The Grumman F8F Bearcat, on the other hand, is a single-engine carrier-based fighter aircraft that was introduced late into WWII. The Bearcat aircraft concept was conceived when Battle of Midway veteran F4F Wildcat [...]
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in the hopes that Saint Nick soon would be there… in his totally incredible flying machine!!! Powered by the tug of nine magic reindeer, one with a shiny red nose. Coated In pearlescent red high-gloss special edition paint, Santa’s sleigh is sure to turn heads while [...]
The Shoo Shoo baby is a B-17 Flying Fortress that fought on the Allied side in World War II, but its story doesn’t end there. The aircraft was given to Sweden for use as a 17-passenger airliner once the war had culminated – yet, out of respect for the USA, Sweden eventually gave the gift [...]
The P-51 Mustang was designed by North American Aviation in response to a British specification requirement to build a fighter under a Royal Air Force (RAF) license. They wanted a new design—not something from another company. So, North American Aviation created a more modern design and produced the first P-51 Mustang for test flights in [...]
The Fokker Dr.I triplane was introduced in 1917 by Dutch aircraft manufacturer, Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The WWI fighter aircraft saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. The Fokker Dr.I became famous through Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (the Red Baron), who used it during his last 19 victories. It was also the aircraft in which he was killed on [...]
A CNN article touts it as the "most historic plane in the world." The Air Force One of JFK. It's the SAM 26000, and its a beauty. "This ain't just ANY Air Force One. SAM 26000 saw more historic events than any other -- ranging from the tragic to the hilarious. A national treasure, the [...]
The Douglas DC-3 is one of the most revolutionary transport aircraft of the 1930s and 40s… or perhaps of all time. The Propeller driven DC-3 is a twin-engine monoplane, powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S1C3G Twin Wasp piston engines. The DC-3, Then known as the DST or Douglas Sleeper Transport took its [...]
Is it a plane? Is it a helicopter? Is it both?! The Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA) X-Wing, produced by Sikorsky Aircraft, is certainly an odd bird. First produced in in the 1980s, this plane was an experimental hybrid of both a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft. Only two were built by the Sikorsky Aircraft [...]
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 [...]
The aging SAAB JAS-39 Gripen is a veteran member of several of the world’s most powerful air fleets – certainly not only because it is fairly priced, but also because it is functional; not to mention, the JAS-39 is known for its execution: nearly any flight mission can be carried out by the Swedish masterpiece [...]
