When the US 101st Airborne* were besieged in Bastogne during the ‘Battle of the Bulge’ in Dec 1944, they were re-supplied from the air, not just by parachute but by gliders too. Until Dr Peter Caddick-Adams mentioned it in his excellent online lecture** on ‘The Battle of...
On a coastline dotted with D-Day museums, it’s easy to assume that the America Gold Beach Museum in Ver-sur-Mer, Normandy, is dedicated to the events on June 6 1944… but it isn’t, exclusively. Musée America Gold Beach reminds us that before the British Army’s XXX Corps landed...
British Airways are looking at ways that 3D printing technology could improve punctuality and reduce carbon emissions by bypassing the need to fly spare parts out to its fleet around the world. The thinking is that 3D printers located at airports around the world, could be used...
You’ve gotta love it! What a spectacular piece of engineering the Napier Sabre is! At least, what a spectacular engineering concept. Sadly its early iterations at the start of WW2 weren’t always the finest examples of engineering quality control when they went into production. So they weren’t...
Boeing and Porsche have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the premium urban air mobility market and the extension of urban traffic into airspace. The plan is, to start by studying the future of premium personal urban air vehicles. The companies will create an international team...
I came across this statue of French aviator, Hubert Latham, a couple of days ago on the French coast just outside Sangatte. He’s an interesting guy and so nearly was the first pilot to fly across the English Channel. He was certainly the first to try! Latham...
Heathrow’s expansion plan forms the basis for a 12-week statutory consultation starting today on the airport’s proposed expansion, including the new runway and other airport infrastructure such as a new Terminal 6, and road access. The public will also be able to have their say on plans...
The newly renovated Army Flying Museum held its official re-opening yesterday with their patron, HRH Prince Michael of Kent as guest of honour. I wrote about the changes in March, but this event gave me a chance to actually see the new facilities and exhibits… and there’s...
The USA’s National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, has released its very own customised version of Monopoly. You gotta love it! National Naval Aviation Museum–Opoly (it just rolls off the tongue!) is full of aircraft, exhibits, history and a trip through the largest Naval Aviation museum...
The Horten name and flying wing concept was on show last week at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany. Seventy-five years after the Horten brothers designed a flying wing in response to Herman Goering’s demand for a bomber that could carry a 1,000 kg bomb load for...
The Army Flying Museum in Hampshire will be re-opening its doors on the 1st April after a four month, £2.59 million makeover. The museum’s collection, which features fixed & rotary wing Army aircraft from WW1 to the present, is now supplemented with new exhibits, better lighting, a...
Saturday 2nd March will mark 50 years since the maiden voyage of Concorde from Toulouse, south-west France. Concorde was manufactured jointly by French firm, Aerospatiale in Toulouse and the British Aircraft Corporation in Filton (near Bristol), but it was in Toulouse that Concorde 001 took to the...
So where do old Boeing 747 Jumbos go to die?¹ Well, most of them wind up in the aircraft “boneyards” scattered around the world, some are cannibalised for parts, and a few end up as ornaments, attractions or exhibits. Yesterday, I reported on one that is destined...
As part of its 100th anniversary¹ celebrations, British Airways (BA) has announced it will be painting a Boeing 747 in the much-admired design of its predecessor British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). The livery from the 1964 – 1974 BOAC era will adorn a B747, reg: G-BYGC. The...
This is a niche blog about technically-minded travel. It reflects my own interests in the mechanical, technical, historical, engineering, transport and military world.
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