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The Russians made their first cosmonaut a hero. Did they really know him?
In the Arctic, the Royal Canadian Mounties swap their twin-engine de Havilland Otters for Pilatus PC-12s.
If the Russians can’t supply the space station service module, the U.S. Navy has an off-the-shelf backup.
Ernest Allison didn’t care about politics—he just wanted to run an airline.
Some pilots want as little as possible between them and the sky.
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In the early years of the cold war, enter Kelly Johnson and an clean sheet of paper—long enough to accommodate an 80-foot wingspan.
The fierce temperatures and extreme pressures required of the space shuttle main engine gave its engineers it a devil of a time
Independence, Kansas, is growing a new crop: the light airplane.
What I Learned at Kitplane Camp
Forget leather wallets and potholders. At this camp, the crfts project is really a keeper.
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In the remote highlands of Laos, U.S. Air Force pilots fought a secret war
Designing a spacesuit for Mars begins with one small step for man—and a whole bunch of little steps for a guy in a spacesuit.
Whose Planes Are They, Anyway?
With so many parties lusting after the Navy’s old warbirds, custody battles are flaring up everywhere.
The airplane that hovers like a helicopter.
The U.S. Marine Corps’ sword gets a brand-new edge.
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Alan Barlett Shepard Jr., 1923-1998
Oldies and Oddities: The President’s Plane is Missing
Oldies and Oddities: The President’s Plane is Missing
Why cosmonauts returning from space face a chilly reception.
The latest X-plane, the X-38, is an unmanned prototype of the space station crew’s rescue vehicle. The biggest challenge? To get a lifing body to land gently in case injured astronauts are onboard.
The Rescue of Eddie Rickenbacker
Lost, then found, during the second world war, the Ace of Aces gave war-weary Americans something to cheer about.
The de Havilland Chipmunk once trained British military pilots. Now its fan club includes civilians—and Americans—as well.
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