The Legendary Lockheed Vega and Gatty & Post’s Record-Breaking Eight-Day Around-the-World Flight The Lockheed Vega was one of the most famous aircraft of its time, a true pioneer in the world of aviation that broke numerous records and helped push the boundaries of long-distance air travel. Designed in the late 1920s, the Vega quickly earned…
The Early Prototype of the Boeing 247: A New Era in Aviation In March 1933, the skies above Los Angeles witnessed a revolutionary moment in aviation history. A sleek, modern transport liner took to the skies for its first flight, showcasing cutting-edge technology that would redefine air travel. This groundbreaking aircraft was the Boeing 247,…
The airship in the newspaper clipping from my father’s scrapbook is the USS Macon (ZRS-5), a rigid airship built for the United States Navy. It was constructed in the early 1930s by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation and served as a flying aircraft carrier, capable of launching and recovering small scout planes. The Tragic End of the…
This newspaper clipping in Tony’s scrapbook, dated May 1933, holds significant historical value for the airplane and the people credited. It’s a sensitive subject, but unfortunately, it’s a part of history, and I mean no disrespect to anyone reading this post. It depicts the christening of a Junkers aircraft named in honor of Field…
The newspaper clipping above shows an illustration from 1933 of a German “Aero-Auto,” which appears to be a concept vehicle designed for both road and air travel. The text beneath the image reads: “The German’ Aero-Auto’ Which Travels Equally Well on Roads and in the Air. On Land the Rotor Blades Fold Back Like a…
This newspaper clipping above shows a Curtiss Condor, a biplane primarily used for civilian and military purposes during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Based on the clipping information, this model is a new version of the Condor, equipped with 700-horsepower Cyclone engines. Aircraft Overview: In the early 1930s, airplanes like the Curtiss Condor were…
This newspaper clipping from Tony’s scrapbook shows an odd-looking aircraft. At first, I didn’t give it much thought, but if it’s in my father’s scrapbook, it must have some meaning. It is the Stipa-Caproni, an experimental Italian aircraft from the early 1930s. Engineer Luigi Stipa designed it, and Caproni, a prominent Italian aircraft manufacturer, built…
This clipping captures a moment in military aviation history when air forces were beginning to modernize and adopt new technologies that would become crucial during World War II. The emphasis on camouflage and bomber capability reflects the evolving strategies in military aviation. The training flight route between Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Dayton, Ohio, suggests demonstrating…
The Fairey Hendon was designed in response to an Air Ministry specification for a long-range, all-metal night bomber. It was Fairey’s first monoplane bomber design and one of the first all-metal monoplanes built for the Royal Air Force. The prototype flew in 1930, and the aircraft entered service in the mid-1930s. The Fairey Hendon was…
The Eighth Annual Aircraft Engineering Research Conference held at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) facility at Langley Field, Virginia, in May 1933, was a significant event in the early development of aeronautical research in the United States. This conference was part of a series of annual meetings organized by NACA, which brought together…
