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…
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…
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 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…
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 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…
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.…
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…
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…
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.…