Aviation History

How the Speed Spitfire’s Racing Merlin led to the development of the Merlin III powered by 100-octane fuel, the engine fitted to Spitfires and Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain – The Aviation Geek Club

The Merlin version which was being developed that would have taken advantage of 100-octane fuel was the Merlin III, which would be fitted to most Spitfires and Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain. Conceived to capture the world speed record just before the outbreak of World War II, the “Speed Spitfire” originated from a standard …

How the Speed Spitfire’s Racing Merlin led to the development of the Merlin III powered by 100-octane fuel, the engine fitted to Spitfires and Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

“Lone Wolf,” the F-117 that dropped the first bomb in Desert Storm, to arrive at Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum ahead of multi-year restoration – The Aviation Geek Club

The tail number of this F-117 is 85-0816, and it has the unique nickname the “Lone Wolf.” The Lone Wolf was credited as dropping the first bomb in Desert Storm. On Nov. 11, 2023 the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, welcomes the highly-anticipated arrival of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the famed stealth …

“Lone Wolf,” the F-117 that dropped the first bomb in Desert Storm, to arrive at Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum ahead of multi-year restoration – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

The story of when US Navy F-14s and Italian F-104s Clashed Over Egyptian Boeing 737 Carrying Achille Lauro Cruise Ship Hijackers – The Aviation Geek Club

When the Boeing 737-F-104 formation approached Rome, it suddenly sighted shadows of two F-14 Tomcat fighters approaching through the darkness from the rear… Advertise On Oct. 1, 1985 Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-15 fighter-bombers destroyed the PLO HQ in Tunisia during Operation Wooden Leg. While the PLO restrained from exacting revenge, one of its offshoots …

The story of when US Navy F-14s and Italian F-104s Clashed Over Egyptian Boeing 737 Carrying Achille Lauro Cruise Ship Hijackers – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

Israeli Air Force F-4 Navigator recalls when he and his pilot attacked an Egyptian warship with an AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile during the Yom Kippur War – The Aviation Geek Club

“The missile hit the water some ten to fifteen miles from the ship; maybe we scared a shark, but the ship panicked, or maybe not, and turned away, so we felt like heroes and started to pursue the ship, strafing it from long range,” Israeli Air Force F-4 Kurnass navigator Micha Oren. Despite the ability …

Israeli Air Force F-4 Navigator recalls when he and his pilot attacked an Egyptian warship with an AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile during the Yom Kippur War – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

‘When the Valkyrie flies at Mach 3 it loses pieces that are bigger than the Blackbird, but the XB-70 flies less Mach 3 time than the YF-12.’ The Mach 3 rivalry between the YF-12 and XB-70. – The Aviation Geek Club

Blackbird Vs Valkyrie: YF-12 test pilots often flew at Mach 3 more often than the XB-70 would do in a lifetime. CLICK HERE to see The Aviation Geek Club contributor Linda Sheffield’s T-shirt designs! Linda has a personal relationship with the SR-71 because her father Butch Sheffield flew the Blackbird from test flight in 1965 until 1973. …

‘When the Valkyrie flies at Mach 3 it loses pieces that are bigger than the Blackbird, but the XB-70 flies less Mach 3 time than the YF-12.’ The Mach 3 rivalry between the YF-12 and XB-70. – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

[Video] VMFAT-101 F/A-18 Hornets “Fly the Barn” 18 Ship Formation to honor SharpShooters legacy on the day of the Squadron Deactivation – The Aviation Geek Club

Since October 2019, VMFAT-101 SharpShooters has trained Navy and Marine Corps aviators as the only remaining F/A-18 Hornet Fleet Replacement Squadron in the Department of the Navy. The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) deactivated Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 101, a historic F/A-18 Hornet training squadron, at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., on …

[Video] VMFAT-101 F/A-18 Hornets “Fly the Barn” 18 Ship Formation to honor SharpShooters legacy on the day of the Squadron Deactivation – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

‘Masters of the Air,’ the New Apple TV+ Series About ‘Mighty Eighth’ Air Force in WWII, to premiere globally Friday, Jan. 26, 2024 – The Aviation Geek Club

‘Masters of the Air’ is a salute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force, who, through their courage and brotherhood, helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II. On Oct. 5, 2023 Apple TV+ unveiled the first images from its upcoming World War II drama, “Masters of the Air,” and announced that the …

‘Masters of the Air,’ the New Apple TV+ Series About ‘Mighty Eighth’ Air Force in WWII, to premiere globally Friday, Jan. 26, 2024 – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

Call Sign Vodka: the US Army UH-60 Pilot who played a prank on Bagram Tower when by using heavy Russian accent he pretended to be a Russian Mi-8 pilot requesting to land – The Aviation Geek Club

‘It became instant radio folklore, with enough copycat Vodkas calling international control towers with worse and worse accent,’ Joshua Havill, US Army UH-60 Blackhawk pilot. The book War and Coffee by US Army UH-60 Blackhawk pilot Joshua Havill is a first-person account of being deployed to Afghanistan as a helicopter pilot with the “Screaming Eagles” …

Call Sign Vodka: the US Army UH-60 Pilot who played a prank on Bagram Tower when by using heavy Russian accent he pretended to be a Russian Mi-8 pilot requesting to land – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

The English Electric Canberra P.12: the story of the RAF all-weather fighter that never was – The Aviation Geek Club

The P.12 fighter retained the Canberra Mk.8 pilot canopy with accommodation being provided for a radar operator within the fuselage. The Canberra was the first jet-powered bomber to enter service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was unarmed and relied on high speed to escape enemy fighters. As the Cold War deepened in the …

The English Electric Canberra P.12: the story of the RAF all-weather fighter that never was – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

The story of Walter Beckham, the P-47 Thunderbolt pilot and Eighth Air Force’s Leading Ace shot down while pioneering Airfield Strafing Tactics against Luftwaffe Aircraft – The Aviation Geek Club

The fighter groups – especially the P-47 Thunderbolt-equipped units – took the war to the enemy by “beating them up on the ground on the way home.” Advertise In his “New Year’s Message,” USAAF commanding general Henry “Hap” Arnold ordered Eighth AF to “Destroy the Enemy Air Force wherever you find them, in the air, …

The story of Walter Beckham, the P-47 Thunderbolt pilot and Eighth Air Force’s Leading Ace shot down while pioneering Airfield Strafing Tactics against Luftwaffe Aircraft – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

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