The F-4 Constructed initially as a high-altitude interceptor, the F-4 Phantom II soon proved to be a unique aircraft, setting more than a dozen world records for speed, altitude, and…
P-3 NFO tells the story of when his Orion had to fly a 13-hour anti-submarine patrol and shut down 2 engines
The P-3 Orion Ten men focus on instrument panels, scopes, and detection devices as their P-3 Orion flies an ASW search pattern, far from land, skimming over rough seas whose…
RAF Lightning pilot landed safely after experiencing a double engine failure on take-off
The English Electric Lightning Designed as a Mach 2 interceptor with an unrivaled rate of climb, the English Electric Lightning was frequently referred to as “a pilot sitting on two…
The USAF RB-66 that strayed into East German airspace and was shot down by Soviet MiG-19s
The hottest ‘battlefield’ of the Cold War Germany was the most heated “battlefield” of the Cold War, remaining divided for decades between the late 1940s and the early 1990s. According…
B-52 Bombardier-Radar Navigator survived a hit by a SAM during Operation Linebacker II but was unable to eject
Ejection seat An ejection seat is a mechanism installed in an aircraft that is intended to save the pilot or other crew members in the event of an emergency. Most…
Why Deuce drivers always wore oxygen masks during takeoffs and landings
Why the oxygen mask? Fighter pilots consistently wear a mask and helmet. Fighter jocks at high altitudes need oxygen masks in order to prevent hypoxia and maintain the brain’s oxygen…
A US Navy A-7 pilot recalls that during a Corsair II 5-ship TRANSPAC flight, they would refuel from USAF KC-135s every 30-40 minutes
TRANSPAC flight An aircraft traveling across the Pacific Ocean from Australasia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia to North America, Latin America, or vice versa is called a transpacific (TRANSPAC) flight.…
A Blackbird buzzed Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp after protest women threw paint on that very same SR-71
RAF Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp Angered by the UK’s decision to station cruise missiles, (guided nuclear missiles), a group of women planned a protest march in 1981 that started…
A Taiwanese U-2 pilot flamed out at 70,000 feet over the Rocky Mountains and made a tumultuous landing
The U-2 The U-2 is still considered today to be one of the most technologically advanced aircraft ever built. Since its primary role was strategic reconnaissance, its development in 1954…
After a combat mission, a US Navy F-4 pilot remembers getting into a fist fight with his RIO
The RIO or Radar Intercept Officer Any fighter aircraft’s normal mission is to intercept an airborne target. Finding a target on the radar is the first step in intercepting it.…