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 [...]
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 [...]
When it comes to aviation, I can’t help but think of Orville and Wilbur Wright. After all, they paved the way for aviation as it exists today. Without their historic flight on December 17th, 1903, who’s to say where aviation would currently be. The Wright Brothers achieved this feat using their “Wright Flyer” aircraft, which [...]
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 [...]
1 if by land, 2 if by sea, 3 if by air, 4 if...all of the above. The Albatross is a special plane...or it's a very special boat (really, it's both). How? Because this craft is not just an aircraft: it's a large twin-radial engine amphibious flying boat. Really. Operational History The Grumman HU-16 Albatross was an improvement [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
