When it comes to supersonic spy planes, the SR-71 Blackbird may be the most notable. This Lockheed black project was championed by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, who was the head of Lockheed's Skunk-works division. During its Air Force service life from 1964 to 1998, 32 of these planes were built, 12 of which [...]
Not your average flying fish A large, wide-bodied cargo aircraft, the Super Guppy refers to either of two variants: the first Super Guppy (SG), or the second “Super Guppy Turbine” (SGT). The aircraft was a successor to the Pregnant Guppy which got its name from its resemblance to (surprise, surprise) a pregnant guppy. Much like Frankenstein’s [...]
Imagine soaring through our skies, powered entirely by the rays of the sun. Seems pretty incredible, doesn’t it? Well, it is actually happening, the Solar Impulse project is pioneering efficiency and clean, powered flight. Solar Impulse 2, the current plane in service is gunning to set the record as the first plane to circumnavigate the [...]
“But when I looked at it – when I saw what had taken place, and I saw the city covered, and what appeared to be going on…I knew that I just hadn’t even come close to imagining what the effect was.” Colonel Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. had seen combat; he’d seen a war-devastated Germany and [...]
Why did the airplane cross the globe? To set some pretty impressive records. What does it take to circumnavigate the globe? In the case of Solar Impulse 2 (which we talked about here), it takes a bit of sunshine and a lot of patience. But what does it take to circumnavigate the globe without stopping or refueling? For [...]
With the Independence Day weekend upon us, I decided to choose a plane somewhat synonymous with my childhood memories of patriotism. I can vividly remember as a child going to the local airshow every year at some point in July, eager to see the Blue Angels flying at lightning speeds in front of a cheering [...]
What's cooler than being cool? The South Pole. Compared to the large amount of diversity on our good old planet Earth (there are more than 1.5 million different species of living things, FYI), few can survive the extreme cold of Antarctica. And just as not every bird can be an Emperor Penguin and chill on sea [...]
Recently, A few of us here at The Flight Blog got the chance to head to a World War II reenactment event in Reading Pennsylvania to meet up with Tim Chopp of the Berlin Airlift Foundation to talk with him about his project. While interviewing with him, we had the pleasure of getting a personal [...]
Q: What does a spaceplane and a Dodo bird have in common? A: Neither flew before their demise (but I’m sure now, given the chance, both the X-20 and the extinct Dodo would be pros at some R. Kelly karaoke…but that’s just a hunch). And sure, there are probably more differences between a bird and [...]
Airship or airplane? This one is a bit of both. Lockheed Martin took inspiration from both forms of aircraft when they designed their P-791. This aircraft is supported by both aerostatic and aerodynamic lift. Aerostatic lift is lift that is generated from the buoyancy of air surrounding the craft, like in a balloon or blimp. Aerodynamic [...]
