Jets of World War Two We mark the 70th anniversary of the first jet-engined military aircraft taking flight, with a special section looking at these pioneering machines, and the men behind their development.
Toppling ‘Doodlebugs’
Air Cdre Graham Pitchfork charts the RAF’s first Gloster Meteor ‘ops’.
Swept-Wing Future
Chris Goss presents a portfolio featuring the Luftwaffe’s most famous jet fighter of World War Two – the Me 262.
‘People’s Fighter’
Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown was one of very few Allied pilots to fly Heinkel’s jet interceptor; the He 162. He describes his experiences.
Dark Horse
Germany’s twin-jet Arado Ar 234 in profile.
Pushing Boundaries
America caught up quickly in the ‘jet race’, producing an array of designs. Warren Thompson describes the successes – and the failures.
Sting in the tail
The USSR lagged behind the UK, Germany and the USA in the race for jet-powered aircraft. Nikolay Yakubovich looks at two of the nation’s early efforts.
Dedication
A tribute to the UK’s jet founding father, Sir Frank Whittle.
Features
Not Much of a ‘Rest’
A spell as a flight instructor was considered to be a rest tour during World War Two, but it was highly dangerous work. Tom Docherty talks to a group of pilots about their experiences.
Russian Radials
Richard Paver profiles a smart pair of UK-based Yak C-11 warbirds.
Return of the Eagles
Details of a new UK display team are revealed by the team’s operations manager, Rachel Morris.
Alone, Unarmed and Unafraid
Former RAF Group Captain and one-time RF-101 pilot Nigel Walpole examines the dangerous work of Voodoo recce pilots in Southeast Asia.
FlyPast Spotlight - Messerschmitt Bf 109
Origin and History
Germany’s most numerous World War Two fighter, the Bf 109 was a fearsome adversary. We look at its history.
Men Behind the Bf 109
Chris Goss describes the service careers of three 4/JG 2 Messerschmitt pilots, all of whom survived the war.
Contemporaries Compared
We compare the Bf 109 to two of its closes rivals – the Spitfire and the Mustang.
Messerschmitt in profile
Three-view artwork of Oblt Ulrich Steinhilper’s Bf 109E by Pete West.
In Combat
Wilhelm Balthasar was one of the highest scoring ‘aces’ of the war’s early years, but has largely been forgotten. Chris Goss tells of the airman’s combat career.
Warriors
Snapshots of the Bf 109 in service.
Regulars
From the Workshop
Tony Edlin describes the work of Indestructible Paint Ltd, a company with a passion for helping restoration projects.
Pilot’s Perspective
Well-known display pilot John Beattie talks about flying the jewel in Kennet Aviation’s crown – the Seafire XVII.
Glory Days
Evocative images of the US Army Air Force at Duxford in World War Two from the Imperial War Museum archives.
Museums – Oregon
Rick Brown presents a driving tour of selected aviation museums in an American state rich in heritage.
Story Behind the Painting
Graham Henderson kicks off a new series on aviation art by talking about his new P-38 Lightning print.
FlyPost and ‘Ops’ Board
Readers’ letters, airshow dates, and dates for your diary.
Finals
Air-to-air with the Collings Foundation's Messerschmitt Me 262B-1C.
NEWS
B-17 Fortress on the move
Good news for Dumfries museum
Biggin Hill Spitfires
Catalina to leave UK
P-51C Duxford-bound
Hellcat back in the air
