There is only one aircraft type where I have always used the definite article when writing about it: The Antonov An-225. The An-225 is a one-of-a-kind cargo aircraft designed by Antonov Design in then-Soviet Ukraine. The aircraft’s name is Mriya, literally “Dream” in Ukrainian (Мрія). This massive aircraft with six turbofan engines is capable of…
Read more… 4 Mar 22
My first aviation publication went something like this: “You don’t need a real license,” Tom said. The stern-faced ex-RAF instructor had already chided me for dressing inappropriately in my short skirt and open-toed sandals. Now I realized he wanted to get rid of me. He continued. “You want a wife’s license. Forget the technical mumbo-jumbo.…
Read more… 25 Feb 22
I think it is time for another edition of Questions and Answers for discussion in the comments. We had some great conversations last time and a few more questions have come up that we might enjoy looking at. If you have an aviation question that you would like to ask, please post in the comments.…
Read more… 18 Feb 22
Last week, we discussed the Antonov An-12 crash on approach to Lviv. I’m going to assume you’ve read that article (and the comments, which highlight some of the key aspects that jumped out at other readers). This means we can pick up the sequence from the final report again at the point when the Antonov…
Read more… 11 Feb 22
On the 4th of October in 2019, an Antonov An-12 crashed 1,117 metres from the runway threshold at Lviv Aerodrome in Ukraine, killing five of the eight crew on board. The Antonov An-12 is a four-engine turboprop transport aircraft, the military version of the An-10 although a little bit smaller (and a lot smaller than…
Read more… 4 Feb 22
On Monday, the 24th of January, the US Naval Institute News released that there had been a landing mishap on the deck of USS Carl Vinson when a landing F-35C fell off the flight deck. The USS Carl Vinson is a Nimitz-class super carrier named after a congressman from Georgia who was known as “the…
Read more… 28 Jan 22
On the 12th of August in 2024, a pilot fatally crashed a Robinson R44 into the top of a hotel building in Cairns, Australia. The pilot held a commercial helicopter…
On the 4th of June 2023, a Cessna Citation 560 aircraft crashed in Montebello, Virginia, killing the pilot and three passengers. The NTSB released their report on the 14th of…
This is not an article that I ever thought I would feel compelled to write! However, given the confusion over a photograph chosen in a regional English paper, apparently it’s…
There are a number of reasons why you might need to quickly point out the differences between a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and a Eurofighter EF2000 Typhoon. You might…
This video of a mid-air wheel exchange goes viral once a year or so, but I never get tired of watching it. Last week, it showed up on Reddit and…
This week, we have a guest post by J.B. Rivard who wrote an article for the American Aviation Historical Society (AAHS) and used one of my articles as a reference.…
It seems a good time for something a bit more lighthearted. After weeks of analyzing serious incidents and technical failures, I thought I could a moment to appreciate aviation humuor…
I’m going to admit that I’m not a great fan of April Fools’ pranks, especially not attempts to trick people into believing something and then pulling the rug out from…