Paul Glenshaw

Paul Glenshaw is a frequent Air & Space contributor who writes from Silver Spring, Maryland. He created education programs for the Wright Experience and Discovery of Flight foundation, and is the co-writer and co-director of the documentary The Lafayette Escadrille.

The route between Buenos Aires and Darwin Australia is 220 miles shorter on the great circle, but QF14 diverged to hug the Antarctic coast to meet regulations for maximum distance from an alternate airfield if one engine fails.

Qantas Airways' Longest-Ever Commercial Flight

The flight odyssey went from Argentina to Australia.

The mood was celebratory aboard the Japanese ship Izumo last October when U.S. Marines landed and took off again. After the cross-deck exercise, Japanese sailors and airmen cheered along with U.S. Marines of Fighter Squadron 242.

U.S. Marines on a Japanese Carrier

The F-35B test represents the first landing on a Japanese carrier by a U.S. fixed-wing aircraft since World War II.

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Moon Crater Spudis

A lunar landmark gets a new name to honor a distinguished scientist.

Ian Simpson’s fellow planespotter Matt Smart also photographed the sparks from the F-15E Strike Eagle.

How an F-15 Pilot’s Life Was Saved by a Photographer

When danger is more apparent from far away.

A Pipistrel Taurus G4 won an all-electric race in Santa Rosa, California in 2011, but has not yet entered the 2022 Pulitzer race.

And the Pulitzer Goes to....the Fastest Electric Airplane

A century-old prize is revived for a new age.

Six years after Wilbur Wright wowed the crowds at LeMans, Henri Salmet pilots his Blériot XI-2, The Daily Mail, along the scenic beaches of Nice in 1914. Though by that time airplanes were beginning to be more common, they still made people stop and stare.

The Airplane Changed Our Idea of the World

The invention of the airplane shook the globe, and it never looked the same again.

Yeager in the seat of the Bell X-1, which propelled him past the speed of sound on October 14, 1947.

Chuck Yeager 1923-2020

The most famous pilot of his generation epitomized the “right stuff.”

Kitty Hawk Kites founder John Harris flying the Lilienthal glider in December 2019.

More Than a Century Later, Lilienthal and Wright Gliders Fly Together for the First Time at Kitty Hawk

Reproductions of two of history’s most famous aircraft share the sky in North Carolina.

The call of the sky is strong in Kitty Hawk. Not far from where the Wright brothers first flew, student Hannah Zobel glides over sand dunes after a lesson with Luke Robinson (running) of Kitty Hawk Kites hang gliding school.

Born in the 1960s, The Sport of Hang Gliding Still Hangs On

It may not be as popular as it once was, but its fans say it is still the purest form of flight.

That’s All, Brother was within weeks of being torn apart when it was identified as the C-47 that led the D-Day invasion. Now the airplane is headed to England to once again lead a squadron of C-47s across the Channel for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

That’s All, Brother

A last-minute reprieve for a D-Day veteran.

Blanche Stuart Scott at the controls of a Curtiss Model D, circa 1910. Scott was the first woman taught to fly by Glenn Curtiss.

Fabulist of the Air

The first American woman to fly achieved many distinctions...but not as many as she said.

In 2012, more than 100 years after it was originally built, the restored VanDersarl Blériot flew with Javier Arango at the controls.

Javier Arango's Extraordinary Gifts

Two recent arrivals to the National Air and Space Museum.

Dragons and fish are traditional subjects for Chinese kite makers.

The Splendor of Chinese Kites

The first flying objects crafted by human hands.

On September 13, 1985, Major Doug Pearson made history when he destroyed a satellite with a missile launched from his F-15.

The First Space Ace

F-15 vs. Satellite

The PBY4 Privateer and other aircraft used for “ferret” flights carried crews on espionage missions; many didn’t return.

Secret Casualties of the Cold War

Gary Powers wasn’t the only one. More than 200 airmen were shot down while spying on the Soviet Union.

Guillaume de Ramel flying his SNJ over the Virginia countryside.

WWI Pilot’s Portrait Gets a Special Viewing

For Guillaume de Ramel, a heritage flight last week in Virginia had particular meaning.

The Ilya Muromets model on final approach at the Long Island Skyhawks Model Club airfield in October 2016.

This Model of a WWI Bomber Is Nearly as Awesome as the Original

A famous Sikorsky airplane is reconstructed in loving (one-sixth scale) detail.

The Patrouille de France team over Melbourne, Florida last weekend.

The French Are Coming!

The Patrouille de France performance team graces American skies this airshow season.

Lab rats triumphant: System leads and mission managers at the University of Buffalo campus cheer after learning that the nanosat lab got the go-ahead for three projects.

Inside the Nanosat Lab

Tiny satellites, big ambitions.

The USS Arizona Memorial floats above the ship’s sunken hull. Battleships burn in the aftermath of the attack; the Arizona is at far right.

On the <i>Arizona</i> and After

Navy Quartermaster Lou Conter survived the attack on Pearl Harbor to fly and fight another day.

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