Air & Space Magazine | Smithsonian Magazine

Above & Beyond: Stealing the Show

May 2001

When Bad Things Happen to Good Drones

What could go wrong with an F6F drone? You had to ask.

May 2001

Moments and Milestones: Proteus Maximus

May 2001

Terra Cognita

A new generation of satellites zooms in on a familiar planet.

March 2001

A 1/4-scale F-16 flutter model tested numerous "stores" configurations--bombs, missiles, fuel tanks--in the world's premier flutter testing facility, the Transonic Dynamic Tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia.

The Hammer

For every airplane, there’s a region of the flight envelope into which it dare not fly.

March 2001

The frigid and oxygen-poor water of Norway's Kilsfjord preserved a rare Junkers Ju 88, which salvagers hoisted last August.

Restoration: Desperate Journey

A Junkers Ju 88 is pulled from a Norwegian lake.

March 2001

Baikonur

It ain’t pretty, but it sure does work.

March 2001

Commentary: Metric Mayhem

Practically the entire world uses the metric system. Is it time for the United States to follow suit?

March 2001

High Tension

Helicopter pilots play chicken with high-voltage power lines so crews can work on live wires.

March 2001

Alexander Graham Bell was infatuated with the tetrahedral, or four-sided, cell, but only one of his tetrahedral kites flew.

What Were They Thinking?

The wonderful, unworkable world of airplane design in the years before the Wright brothers.

March 2001

View, from slightly above, of several Boeing B-29 Superfortresses flying in formation, 1945.

Made in the U.S.S.R.

Of course they copied it. The two airplanes could have been twins. But was the Soviets’ Tu-4 truly an exact duplicate of the Boeing B-29?

March 2001

During the summer of 1942, this Macchi Folgore fighter was operating out of Libya as part of 4 Stormo, 10 Gruppo, 90 Squadriglia. Formed in 1940, the 4 Stormo was credited with 500 victories. The fighter's camouflage pattern of light sand with green splotches is duplicated on the National Air and Space Museum's Folgore.

In the Museum: Italian Lighting

March 2001

On a cool day, with a bit of wind and a light load, the Kellett jump giro could leap straight up some 15 feet, gain forward speed, and climb out. But in hot weather and still air, with a full load of fuel and a passenger, it merely lurched upward, relying on its straining engine and propeller to pull it out.

Above & Beyond: Jump Ship

March 2001

Oldies and Oddities: Body by Erco

Oldies & Oddities: Body by Erco

March 2001

Moments and Milestones: Tiger Beat

March 2001

Norwegian troops (in rearmost rank) took over sponsorship of the First Kosovar Scouts, local school-age kids, when the Canadians returned home.

Memories of Kosovo

A helicopter pilot recalls his peacekeeping tour of duty over one of the world’s most strife-torn regions.

January 2001

Beat Up and Beautiful

In praise of the well-worn airplane.

January 2001

Test Drivers

Behind the glamour boys in X-planes is an entire profession making sure your Cessna has its wings on straight.

January 2001

Commentary: Why Airline Crashes Aren’t Criminal

Airline accidents are usually the results of tragic mistakes, and prosecuting those responsible doesn’t benefit anyone.

January 2001

Soaring on Silk

Dixon White teaches students how to use parachutes to go up as well as down.

January 2001