That New Black Magic
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 Ultralight Tribe
Some pilots want as little as possible between them and the sky.
Allie’s Choice
Ernest Allison didn’t care about politics—he just wanted to run an airline.
Understudy
If the Russians can’t supply the space station service module, the U.S. Navy has an off-the-shelf backup.
FrigidAir
In the Arctic, the Royal Canadian Mounties swap their twin-engine de Havilland Otters for Pilatus PC-12s.
Saint Yuri
The Russians made their first cosmonaut a hero. Did they really know him?
Birth of the Cool
Alan Barlett Shepard Jr., 1923-1998
Extreme Machine
The U.S. Marine Corps’ sword gets a brand-new edge.
Osprey
The airplane that hovers like a helicopter.
Whose Planes Are They, Anyway?
With so many parties lusting after the Navy’s old warbirds, custody battles are flaring up everywhere.
Walk This Way
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.
Ravens of Long Tieng
In the remote highlands of Laos, U.S. Air Force pilots fought a secret war
What I Learned at Kitplane Camp
Forget leather wallets and potholders. At this camp, the crfts project is really a keeper.
Back on the Line
Independence, Kansas, is growing a new crop: the light airplane.
27,000 Seconds in Hell
The fierce temperatures and extreme pressures required of the space shuttle main engine gave its engineers it a devil of a time
Counterpunch
Flying Wild Weasel missions involved a variety of airframes but just one philosophy: Do unto SAMS before they do unto you.
Live, from the Chopper!
What kind of scoops await TV reporters in the air over Manhattan?
Flying the Gusmobile
It didn’t look remotely like a fighter plane. So why did astronauts who flew the Gemini spacecraft compare it to one?
Lifeboat
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.
Aiming for Arkalyk
Why cosmonauts returning from space face a chilly reception.
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