A-10 Pilot Tells Why Flying the Hog without Earplugs Is Like Attending the Biggest Heavy Metal Concert in the World
U.S. Air Force A‑10 pilots rely on the Attenuating Custom Communication Earpiece System (ACCES) to block cockpit noise that can exceed 125 decibels. Pilot Lynn Taylor recounted a rare lapse when he flew without the custom‑molded earplugs, describing the experience as akin to standing at the front row of a massive heavy‑metal concert. The episode highlighted how quickly unprotected exposure can cause intense pain and temporary hearing loss. Taylor’s story underscores that proper hearing protection is essential for both comfort and mission‑critical communication in the Warthog’s unforgiving acoustic environment.
F-104 Pilot Recalls when He Nearly Intercepted a CIA U-2 and Caused the Replacement of ANG Starfighters with F-102 Delta...
The F‑104 Starfighter, once a record‑breaking supersonic fighter, was used by the Air National Guard as a short‑term interceptor in the early 1960s. In 1963, a South Carolina ANG pilot, Maj Gen Stan Hood, was scrambled to intercept an unidentified high‑altitude aircraft...
Video of US Navy Super Hornet Close Call with Iranian MANPADS
A video released on March 26 shows a U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet narrowly avoiding a missile launch, likely an Iranian MANPADS, during a strafing run near Chabahar Port in Operation Epic Fury. The missile detonated behind the aircraft, but the pilot...
USAF KC-46 Dislodged Asphalt at Alaska Airport During Engine Test
A U.S. Air Force KC-46A Pegasus tanker created a 25‑foot‑wide hole in Fairbanks International Airport’s runway during high‑power engine runs in July 2025, flinging asphalt debris up to 100 feet away. The mishap, caused by exhaust heat degrading the asphalt sealant,...
US Navy Returns Historic VH-3A “Marine One” To the Skies for Egyptian Air Force
The U.S. Navy’s PMA‑226 program has completed a full modernization of the VH‑3A Sea King helicopter, originally Marine One, and returned it to the Egyptian Air Force. The upgrade adds a glass‑panel avionics suite, new electrical systems, and a custom...
The Cuban Air Force Pilot Who Defected to the US with His MiG-23, Borrowed a Cessna 310, Flew Back to...
On March 20, 1991 Cuban Air Force pilot Orestes Lorenzo Perez flew his MiG‑23 to NAS Key West, seeking political asylum in the United States. After months of diplomatic deadlock, he raised $30,000 to purchase a 1961 Cessna 310 and,...
When Soviets Faked a Flyby of 28 Myasishchev M-4s to Pretend They Had a Credible Fleet of Bombers, the US...
In July 1955 the Soviet Union staged a fly‑by of Myasishchev M‑4 bombers, looping ten aircraft and re‑using eight to give the illusion of a 28‑plane fleet. Western observers, convinced the USSR now fielded a credible intercontinental bomber, pressed Congress...
Blue Angels CO Tells Why the Team Chose the A-4 over the F-14 and A-7 to Replace the F-4
After a series of F-4J Phantom II accidents and high fuel consumption, the Blue Angels were ordered to replace their aircraft in the mid‑1970s. Program manager Ken Wallace evaluated the F‑14 and A‑7 but rejected them due to cost and...
That Time Clint Eastwood Almost Drowned After Crashing in a US Navy Skyraider Off the Coast of Northern California
In September 1951 a US Navy AD‑1 Skyraider ran out of fuel and was forced to ditch off Point Reyes, Northern California. The aircraft’s pilot, Lt. F.C. Anderson, and his passenger, a 21‑year‑old Army private named Clint Eastwood, survived the...
Video Shows NATO Fighter Jets Soaring Through the “Greek Mach Loop” During Exercise Iniochos 2026
During Exercise Iniochos 2026, NATO fighter jets—including French Mirage 2000s, Greek F‑4 Phantoms, Slovenian PC‑9s and Hellenic F‑16s—flew low‑level through the famed Greek Mach Loop. The multinational air drill, hosted at Andravida Air Base from 2 March to 23 March, featured a full...
B-58 Navigator Recalls Being on Nuclear Alert During Cuban Missile Crisis, Doing More Bomb Runs than Anyone in the Hustler...
Former B-58 Hustler navigator Richard “Butch” Sheffield recounts his service during the early 1960s, highlighting a record‑breaking mission in which his crew performed the most bomb runs in a single flight by refueling from multiple KC‑135 tankers and extending flight...
The Dogfight Where a Luftwaffe Ju 88 Outmaneuvered 2 RAF Spitfires and Shot One Down
In May 1941 a Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88C night‑fighter, piloted by Oberfeldwebel Hans Hahn, engaged two RAF Spitfires over Norfolk and shot down Plt Off Bernard Klee’s aircraft. The Ju 88’s unexpected agility allowed it to weave, evade and position...
5 KC-135s Damaged in Iranian Attack Saudi Air Base, Pro-Iran Militia Claims Stratotanker Shooting Down on Mar. 12
Iranian missiles struck Prince Sultan Air Base on March 13, damaging five USAF KC-135 Stratotankers, the primary aerial refueling platform for Operation Epic Fury. President Donald Trump reported that four of the aircraft sustained only minor damage and are already...
Here’s Why Early F/A-18 Pilots Routinely Lost 1v1 Dogfight Against an F-14
The F/A‑18 Hornet proved its strike capability in Desert Storm, shooting down MiG‑21s and surviving surface‑to‑air hits, yet early Navy pilots struggled in air‑to‑air combat. Most of those pilots transitioned from A‑7 attack aircraft and were taught to view the...
Sikorsky Ramps Up Production of S-92A+, Latest Variant of Its Flagship Helicopter
Sikorsky announced the start of its first production batch of the S‑92A+ helicopter, the newest iteration of its heavy‑lift platform. The company will assemble five aircraft – two for a newly‑added head‑of‑state customer and three additional units – while maintaining...
More than 5 Hours Above Mach 3.0: SR-71 Pilot Recalls 11.13 Hours Mission During the Yom Kippur War
On October 13, 1973, SR‑71 pilots Jim Shelton and Gary Coleman completed an 11.13‑hour sortie from Griffiss AFB, flying over five hours above Mach 3.0 and refueling six times to gather critical photo intelligence over the Yom Kippur War theater. The...
Rare Boeing 747 (Operated by IRIAF) Cargo Aircraft Targeted and Destroyed at Mehrabad Airport
A U.S. and Israeli strike on March 7 destroyed the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force's rare Boeing 747 cargo aircraft at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport. The aircraft, a modified 747‑100 used for long‑range logistics and previously spotted delivering military supplies...
B-58 Navigator Recalls Dropping Mark-53 Nuclear Bomb (without Plutonium Pit) While Flying at 500 Feet and at 628 Knots, Dinner...
Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield recounts his B‑58 Hustler service, highlighting ultra‑low‑level, supersonic training at 500 feet and 628 knots and a secret reconnaissance role kept from adversaries. He describes the Dual Exhaust program where his crew dropped a Mark‑53 nuclear bomb without...
The Man Who Bought All the Spare B-2 Windshields and Used Them in His Daughter’s Tree House. USAF Had to...
The U.S. Air Force discovered that its only spare B‑2 Spirit stealth bomber windshields had been sold as surplus to a private individual. After a goose strike caused a hairline crack, the squadron had to locate the owner and buy...
The RF-4C Crew Chief Who Stole Parts From an F-4 to Get His Aircraft Airborne After It Developed a Fuel...
The RF‑4C tactical reconnaissance aircraft entered service in 1964, with 499 units built for the USAF. During the 1965 deployment to Vietnam, crew chief SSgt Edgar M. Mays faced a fuel‑system failure that would have grounded the aircraft for weeks....
NASA F-15 Completes First Flight of Laminar Flow Scaled Wing Design
NASA successfully completed the first flight of its 40‑inch Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) wing model mounted on an F‑15B research jet at Armstrong Flight Research Center. The 75‑minute sortie demonstrated safe maneuverability with the wing attached and captured...
The F-14 Pilot Grounded After Leaving an EA-6B Unescorted to Strafe an Iraqi Ground Target During Desert Storm
During Operation Desert Storm, F‑14 Tomcats struggled to engage Iraqi aircraft because older A/B models lacked modern IFF and relied heavily on AWACS. Frustrated pilots turned to ground‑attack missions, and one VF‑14 crew abandoned an EA‑6B Prowler escort to strafe...
A-4 Pilot Recalls when His Skyhawk Cabin Pressurization Failed at 40000 + Feet During a Test Flight
A Navy A‑4 Skyhawk maintenance test pilot climbed above 40,000 feet to verify the aircraft’s pressure‑breathing cabin system. During the test the pressurization failed, causing a sudden influx of pure liquid oxygen, cockpit flooding and even a watch explosion. The pilot...
Navy Declares IOC for SDB II on Super Hornet
The U.S. Navy has declared initial operational capability for the GBU‑53/B Small Diameter Bomb II on its F/A‑18E/F Super Hornet, completing a transition that began with limited use in 2025. The StormBreaker’s tri‑mode seeker—infrared, millimeter‑wave radar and semi‑active laser—enables all‑weather,...
The F-117 Test Pilot Who Successfully Landed His Nighthawk After Its Nose Wheel Fell Off upon Take Off
In January 1982, Lockheed test pilot Tom Morgenfeld experienced a nose‑wheel loss moments after taking off the third YF‑117A prototype from Area 51. Rather than eject, he continued the flight, burned off fuel, and used the aircraft’s drag chute to execute...
The F-15E Crew that Pulled 10.5g to Evade Iraqi SAMs and Other Operation Desert Storm Eagle’s Tales
During Operation Desert Storm, F‑15E Strike Eagle crews faced intense Iraqi SAM fire, with some missions encountering up to 17 SA‑2 and SA‑3 missiles. To survive, pilots jettisoned fuel tanks, expelled most of their chaff, and performed extreme evasive maneuvers...
B-58 Navigator Recalls Nose-High Stall During Night Training Mach 2 Bomb Run over Dallas. His Hustler Pilot Turned in His...
Richard “Butch” Sheffield, a B‑58 Hustler navigator, recounts a night Mach‑2 training run over Dallas that ended in a nose‑high stall when the altitude‑hold was left on. The stall caused a loss of power, autopilot lock‑out, and a rapid descent,...
The Bristol Beaufighter TF.X: The Definitive WWII Torpedo-Fighter Variant of the British “Torbeau”
In 1941 RAF Coastal Command introduced the Bristol Beaufighter TF.X, the definitive torpedo‑fighter derived from the Beaufort bomber’s wing and tail assemblies. The TF.X replaced the interim Mk VIC “Torbeau” with 60 conversions and featured the low‑level Hercules XVII engines, a torpedo...
The A-6’s Worst Day of the Vietnam War and the Story of the Two US Navy Intruders Shot Down by...
On August 21, 1967, VA‑196’s A‑6 Intruder squadron suffered its worst day of the Vietnam War when four aircraft attacked the Duc Noi railway yard under heavy clouds and intense SAM/AAA fire. Two planes were hit by surface‑to‑air missiles and three...
V-22 Readiness Rates Decline as Mishaps Increase, Osprey Congressional Hearing Reveals
Congressional hearings on Feb. 9, 2026 highlighted a steep decline in V‑22 Osprey readiness, with mission‑capable rates hovering between 40 % and 50 % across the Marine, Navy and Air Force fleets. Accident rates have surged to nearly 90 % above historical averages, resulting in...