The Early Years
Sir George Cayley - His passenger-carrying glider flew more than 50 years before the Wright brothers’.
Who really was the First to Fly? - The Wright deniers make their case
Charlie Taylor and the Wright Bros - the essential supporter of the Wrights. He built their first engine.
John Dunne’s Uncapsizable Aeroplanes - His clever design was the first aeroplane bought by the War Office, the US Signal Corps and the Canadian military.
Howard Pixton - Britain’s First Test Pilot - principal support for A V Roe’s early aeroplanes, tested and sold Bristols and won the 1914 Schneider Trophy race.
Sir George Cayley - His passenger-carrying glider flew more than 50 years before the Wright brothers’.
Who really was the First to Fly? - The Wright deniers make their case
Charlie Taylor and the Wright Bros - the essential supporter of the Wrights. He built their first engine.
John Dunne’s Uncapsizable Aeroplanes - His clever design was the first aeroplane bought by the War Office, the US Signal Corps and the Canadian military.
Howard Pixton - Britain’s First Test Pilot - principal support for A V Roe’s early aeroplanes, tested and sold Bristols and won the 1914 Schneider Trophy race.
Bleriot's Channel Centenary - Bleriot's Centenary Bleriot’s earlier aeroplanes and the successful Mk XI.
Who Won the Channel Prize? The rich reward that Bleriot couldn’t claim.
Harriet Quimby - The first American woman to become a licensed pilot and the first woman pilot to fly across the English Channel. Just three months later she died in a tragic accident in Boston.
Australia's First - Who was the first to fly in Australia?
Who Won the Channel Prize? The rich reward that Bleriot couldn’t claim.
Harriet Quimby - The first American woman to become a licensed pilot and the first woman pilot to fly across the English Channel. Just three months later she died in a tragic accident in Boston.
Australia's First - Who was the first to fly in Australia?
Balloon Bail-out - the early parachute jumps and the girl whose deliberate jumps didn’t always go well.
World War I (includes the life stories of careers which began in WWI)
The RNAS in Belgium - They attacked Zeppelins and submarines and introduced triplanes to the air war.
Sidney Cotton - His extra-ordinary achievements, mostly unauthorised.
Frank T Courtney - He learned to fly with Graham White and despite having to wear spectacles, flew in WWI and became a life-long test pilot, in Europe and the USA.
Igor Sikorsky - A brief look at his designs, helicopter, 4-engined bomber, flying boat, helicopter.
Louis Arbon Strange - His action-packed career in two world wars
Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor - Navigator of the Southern Oceans - WWI fighter pilot, self-taught navigator, he made many pioneering flights over the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Louis Arbon Strange - His action-packed career in two world wars
Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor - Navigator of the Southern Oceans - WWI fighter pilot, self-taught navigator, he made many pioneering flights over the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Between the Wars
The Double Crossing of the R34 (1919) A tremendous achievement which seemed to embarrass the Air Ministry.
The RAF in Somalia - (1920) The action which saved the RAF
Fokker Goes Gliding - and his factory manager’s 'lightweight' portable glider.
Airlift from Sulamania - (1922) 'Organise an evacuation - tomorrow’ was the order. And he did.
The Double Crossing of the R34 (1919) A tremendous achievement which seemed to embarrass the Air Ministry.
The RAF in Somalia - (1920) The action which saved the RAF
Fokker Goes Gliding - and his factory manager’s 'lightweight' portable glider.
Airlift from Sulamania - (1922) 'Organise an evacuation - tomorrow’ was the order. And he did.
The Roaring (Early) Twenties - Powering the smallest aeroplane with the biggest engine doesn’t necessarily produce the winner.
The 1923 Light Aeroplane Competition - The winner of one of the prizes still flies at Shuttleworth.
The 1924 Two Seater Aeroplane Competition - one of the entrants and a replica of another are Shuttleworth fliers.
Polar Flights of Amundsen and Byrd - The first flights over the Poles - both North and South.
The 1923 Light Aeroplane Competition - The winner of one of the prizes still flies at Shuttleworth.
The 1924 Two Seater Aeroplane Competition - one of the entrants and a replica of another are Shuttleworth fliers.
Polar Flights of Amundsen and Byrd - The first flights over the Poles - both North and South.
The Dole Air Race - (1927) The challenge to be first to fly from California to Hawaii ended tragically for many entrants.
Airlift from Kabul - (1928) There've been many retreats from Kabul. This one worked out rather well.
The Golden Age of Air Racing - (1929) US style racing, huge engines powering tiny, dangerous planes.
The Gugnunc - Handley Page was furious when his proof-of-concept design didn’t win the competition.
Airlift from Kabul - (1928) There've been many retreats from Kabul. This one worked out rather well.
The Golden Age of Air Racing - (1929) US style racing, huge engines powering tiny, dangerous planes.
The Gugnunc - Handley Page was furious when his proof-of-concept design didn’t win the competition.
Comper Swift (1930) An ‘absolutely excellent’ design with strong Shuttleworth connections.
How the Schneider Trophy was Won - The government couldn’t afford it but Lady Houston saved the day and the Trophy was won outright.
Piaggio PC-7 - An innovative design that could have won the Schneider Trophy
Sir Francis Chichester - His island-hopping flight from New Zealand to Australia in 1931 was interrupted by having to rebuild his Moth.
How the Schneider Trophy was Won - The government couldn’t afford it but Lady Houston saved the day and the Trophy was won outright.
Piaggio PC-7 - An innovative design that could have won the Schneider Trophy
Sir Francis Chichester - His island-hopping flight from New Zealand to Australia in 1931 was interrupted by having to rebuild his Moth.
Wiley Post - (1931) Despite losing an eye he became a qualified pilot, flew around the world twice and developed a pressure suit for flying high.
First Flight over Everest - (1933) They had to do it twice to get decent pictures.
Balbo - Chicago Bound - 1933 -He flew from Italy to the International Exhibition with 24 flying boats.
Jean Batten - (1934-37) Her long distance flights and her unusual lifestyle
1935 - 80th Anniversary - First flights, last flights, records and radios, all these and other odd events which took place as the pages of the 1935 calendar turned.
Arthur Edmond Clouston 1908 - 1984 - He came from New Zealand to join the RAF, and in 1935 became a test pilot.
The Ghost of Speke - (1936) -Tom Campbell Black - The accident that killed the MacRobertson Trophy winner,
RAF's Distance Records - (1933, 1938) Cranwell to Walvis Bay, Ismailia to Darwin.
Arthur Edmond Clouston 1908 - 1984 - He came from New Zealand to join the RAF, and in 1935 became a test pilot.
The Ghost of Speke - (1936) -Tom Campbell Black - The accident that killed the MacRobertson Trophy winner,
RAF's Distance Records - (1933, 1938) Cranwell to Walvis Bay, Ismailia to Darwin.
Steaming Through the Skies - Sir Hiram Maxim couldn’t make it work. The Besler brothers did.
Bail Out Bail Out - 1937 Sometimes, the aeroplane doesn’t want you to leave.
Croydon - Its Timor Terminus (1936) The prototype airliner abandoned on a reef in the Timor Sea.
The Flying Flea - Although the original model was banned in many countries, multiple variations live on.
Bail Out Bail Out - 1937 Sometimes, the aeroplane doesn’t want you to leave.
Croydon - Its Timor Terminus (1936) The prototype airliner abandoned on a reef in the Timor Sea.
The Flying Flea - Although the original model was banned in many countries, multiple variations live on.
Amelia Earhart - She leapt to fame as a passenger on a trans-Atlantic flight, went on to pilot her own long-distance and record flights, finally to disappear in the Pacific ocean.
Arthur Clouston and the Comet - In 1937 he found the wrecked Comet, had it rebuilt and flew, adventurously, to Damascus, South Africa and New Zealand.
Passengers in Wings - not the usual place to seat paying passengers.
‘Wrong Way’ Corrigan and the Compass Conundrum - (1938) Did he deliberately ‘mis-read his compass’ when he flew the Atlantic?
Alex Henshaw - his gruelling record flight to South Africa and back stood for 70 years.
Corsair Down (1939) The difficult recovery of the flying boat which came down in a little river in the African jungle.
Blackburn B20 A revolutionary and unique design for a flying boat
The Helping Hand - Add-a-wing to get off the ground or fly further.
World War II
Corsair Down (1939) The difficult recovery of the flying boat which came down in a little river in the African jungle.
Blackburn B20 A revolutionary and unique design for a flying boat
The Helping Hand - Add-a-wing to get off the ground or fly further.
World War II
The Plots Thicken - Aircraft Recognition and The Battle of Barking Creek
A Sideways Look at the Battle of Britain - The significant action in the North East
Tiger Tales - When the seemingly innocent Tiger flexed its claws and prepared for war.
The One Who Did Get Away - A Czech defects with a Hurricane.
Gliders at War - From Eben Emael, via Crete, Sicily, and Normandy to the Rhine, with a few interesting diversions.
A Sideways Look at the Battle of Britain - The significant action in the North East
Tiger Tales - When the seemingly innocent Tiger flexed its claws and prepared for war.
The One Who Did Get Away - A Czech defects with a Hurricane.
Gliders at War - From Eben Emael, via Crete, Sicily, and Normandy to the Rhine, with a few interesting diversions.
Hornet Moth to Freedom - A daring flight to deliver vital secrets to Britain.
A French Fighter Ace - He fought the Germans and Italians in France, the British in Syria then flew - and died with the Americans in Algeria.
Grrr-umman Wildcat - Designs from the ‘Iron Works’ are notoriously strong. This Wildcat dramatically justified that reputation.
Wulf-pack Disintegrates - A formation of four Focke-Wulf 190s falls apart
Beau Flies the Flag - and drops it over the Arc de Triomphe.
Mental DR to Morocco - The navigator left his maps behind, all English airfields were closed and there was nowhere else to go.
Signora essere buona - Italian for ‘Lady Be Good’. They also lost a bomber in the desert.
Don Berlin's Bitsa The hastily-designed fighter that failed to impress.
Mental DR to Morocco - The navigator left his maps behind, all English airfields were closed and there was nowhere else to go.
Signora essere buona - Italian for ‘Lady Be Good’. They also lost a bomber in the desert.
Don Berlin's Bitsa The hastily-designed fighter that failed to impress.
Spitfire over Scapa - A Spitfire VII shoots down a high-flying Bf 109.
Might-Have-Beens - The Spitfire Twin and Vickers 4-engined bomber, for instance.
Surreptitiously to Sweden - The under-the-radar ‘airline’
Supermarine Stranraer - R J Mitchell’s flying boat. Was the RAF Museum’s Stranraer really flown by Hughie Green?
Trans-Atlantic Tow - They did it successfully, but it’s not clear why.
Frank Tilley - 617 Sqn Frank’s crew bombed the Tirpitz, twice. His last op. ended in a crash in fog.
Runway in the Sky - No airfield, no carrier needed by these land-on-wire aircraft.
Subaeronautical Tales -Submarine aircraft carriers.
Might-Have-Beens - The Spitfire Twin and Vickers 4-engined bomber, for instance.
Surreptitiously to Sweden - The under-the-radar ‘airline’
Supermarine Stranraer - R J Mitchell’s flying boat. Was the RAF Museum’s Stranraer really flown by Hughie Green?
Trans-Atlantic Tow - They did it successfully, but it’s not clear why.
Frank Tilley - 617 Sqn Frank’s crew bombed the Tirpitz, twice. His last op. ended in a crash in fog.
Runway in the Sky - No airfield, no carrier needed by these land-on-wire aircraft.
Subaeronautical Tales -Submarine aircraft carriers.
Pathfinder’s Memorial - Intensive operations - 45 of them - with the Light Night Striking Force,
Experiences of a PR Pilot He flew every mark of PR Spitfire, his last op. on the last day of the war,
RAF Spilsby in 1945 - A South African's experience with a famous squadron.
Shoo Shoo (Shoo) Baby The many lives of a B-17. Has it one ‘Shoo’ too many?
Aleut Alert The bitter war against the Japanese and the weather in the North Pacific
Experiences of a PR Pilot He flew every mark of PR Spitfire, his last op. on the last day of the war,
RAF Spilsby in 1945 - A South African's experience with a famous squadron.
Shoo Shoo (Shoo) Baby The many lives of a B-17. Has it one ‘Shoo’ too many?
Aleut Alert The bitter war against the Japanese and the weather in the North Pacific
Post WWII
.Bob Hoover - aerobatic pilot extra-ordinaire.
Derek Piggott - test pilot, gliding guru and legendary film flier.
Empire State Encounter - The B-25 pilot turned right at the wrong bridge.
Early Days at Heathrow - The RAF helps out in the London smogs.
.Bob Hoover - aerobatic pilot extra-ordinaire.
Derek Piggott - test pilot, gliding guru and legendary film flier.
Empire State Encounter - The B-25 pilot turned right at the wrong bridge.
Early Days at Heathrow - The RAF helps out in the London smogs.
The Bungee - a Contraction Contraption - a free and easy, if occasionally perilous glider launcher.
Slingsby - its Arrows of Fortune - Britain’s major glider builder from 1934 to 1968. Went on to build powered aircraft, underwater vehicles and specialised drones.
Under the Bridge Fliers - Not just aeroplanes and not always for the thrill.
Blind Landing - The Skyraider pilot was blinded by flak but landed safely.
Picking up the Pieces - Recovering crashed aircraft from the Zuyder Zee
Chuteless Survivors - Some astonishing tales of those who fell to earth - and lived.
Tom Hayhow - In 1952 he set multiple records in a little Auster.
The 1952 King's Cup - A well run race - and an interesting accompanying display
Chuteless Survivors - Some astonishing tales of those who fell to earth - and lived.
Tom Hayhow - In 1952 he set multiple records in a little Auster.
The 1952 King's Cup - A well run race - and an interesting accompanying display
Lockheed U-2 - It all began as an F-104 fitted with a glider’s wing. . .
Boeing Stratocruiser - (1956) Luxury airliner whose troublesome engines caused accidents, including a ‘perfectly handled’ ditching in the Pacific.
Boeing Stratotanker - (1956) A remarkable recovery in the Greenland night after fuel flooded into the fuselage.
Brunswick LF-1 Zaunkönig Was the ‘safe, easy-to-fly’ mini-Storch really fool-proof?
DC-4 Incident Report - The airline captain really upset his passengers - literally.
Caspian Sea Monster (1956) and all the other strange wing-in-ground-effect designs which followed
Convair Sea Dart (1954) A supersonic seaplane.
Convair's Mighty B-36 (1956) and its ‘short’ landing at Boscombe Down.
Caspian Sea Monster (1956) and all the other strange wing-in-ground-effect designs which followed
Convair Sea Dart (1954) A supersonic seaplane.
Convair's Mighty B-36 (1956) and its ‘short’ landing at Boscombe Down.
The Canard - Its Rise and Fall and Rise
Rutan Branch - Burt's approach to Aircraft Design
The Forgotten Air Race (1969) Too many entrants and too many prizes to remember the winner(s).
The Magnificent Hercules - The ubiquitous Herc has fulfilled many roles, magnificently, and survived one very unusual event.
Rutan Branch - Burt's approach to Aircraft Design
The Forgotten Air Race (1969) Too many entrants and too many prizes to remember the winner(s).
The Magnificent Hercules - The ubiquitous Herc has fulfilled many roles, magnificently, and survived one very unusual event.
Gordon Vette - He cleverly rescued a pilot lost over the Pacific and later fought a years long battle against Air NZ to remove the stigma of ‘pilot error’ after an accident in Antarctica.
50th Anniversary of Humanpowered Flight - A lot of progress has been made since the first pedalled prototype flew.
A Dip into my Photograph Album - A wander round the light aeroplane rallies of the Nineties.
Inflatable Aviation - Not balloons - aeroplanes with inflated wings.
50th Anniversary of Humanpowered Flight - A lot of progress has been made since the first pedalled prototype flew.
A Dip into my Photograph Album - A wander round the light aeroplane rallies of the Nineties.
Inflatable Aviation - Not balloons - aeroplanes with inflated wings.
Low, slow and Don’t Know - Unforecasted bad weather seriously challenges Brian’s navigational skills.
Animals in Aviation - More than Brabazon’s ‘flying pig’ demonstration.
Zeppelin - Zeppelins weren’t all killed off by the fire at Lakehurst NJ. You can get a flight in one.
Brainfade over Brazil- They were precisely on the centre line of the airway but . . .
Animals in Aviation - More than Brabazon’s ‘flying pig’ demonstration.
Zeppelin - Zeppelins weren’t all killed off by the fire at Lakehurst NJ. You can get a flight in one.
Brainfade over Brazil- They were precisely on the centre line of the airway but . . .
Looping ad Nauseam - Pegoud set the trend and multiple loops became commonplace. Parachutists do it best - 100s of times.
Strage del Cermis - Massacre at Cermis - A Prowler cuts down a cable car, killing 22 people
Soaring to the Stratosphere - The exploitation of lee waves is tempting gliders pilots to fly ever higher.
Strage del Cermis - Massacre at Cermis - A Prowler cuts down a cable car, killing 22 people
Soaring to the Stratosphere - The exploitation of lee waves is tempting gliders pilots to fly ever higher.