Why the F-4 Phantom II was designed without a gun, how Vietnam forced gun pods onto it, and how the F-4E finally got an internal M61 Vulcan.
Hardened Aircraft Shelters: Why Air Forces Put Fighters in Concrete
Why air forces build hardened aircraft shelters, how they work, how the Gulf War defeated them, and what Ukraine, Iran and China show about them now.
Carrier Barricade Explained: The Nylon Net That Catches Jets
How the aircraft carrier barricade works, when the Navy rigs it, how it evolved from straight-deck barriers, and the tests that keep it ready.
Crash Axe Explained: Why Every Airliner Carries One in the Cockpit
What the cockpit crash axe is really for, what FAA and EASA rules require, how it is built and stowed, and why flydubai FZ1073 put it in the spotlight.
Two-Person Cockpit Rule Explained: Germanwings, EASA and What Changed
Why Europe put two crew in the cockpit at all times after Germanwings Flight 9525, why EASA and German airlines stepped back, and what replaced it.
Operation Enduring Freedom at 25: The First Night of Air Strikes on Afghanistan
On 7 October 2001 B-2s, B-52s, B-1Bs, carrier-based Tomcats, cruise missiles and an armed Predator opened Operation Enduring Freedom. The story of the first night, 25 years on.
Eugene Hasenfus: The C-123 Shootdown That Exposed Iran-Contra
On 5 October 1986 a Sandinista SA-7 brought down a covert C-123K over Nicaragua. The sole survivor, cargo kicker Eugene Hasenfus, pulled the first thread of the Iran-Contra affair.
ValuJet 592 to Power Banks: What You Cannot Take on a Plane
Share this story The shipping ticket said "Oxy Cannisters — 'Empty'." The spelling was wrong and so was the word in quotation marks. There were five cardboard boxes, each weighing 45 to 50 pounds, and they were loaded into the forward hold of a DC-9 at Miami on...
El Al Flight 1862: The 747 That Lost Two Engines Over Amsterdam
On 4 October 1992 El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 freighter, lost both right-wing engines after take-off from Schiphol and crashed into Bijlmermeer flats in Amsterdam, killing at least 47.
Two US F-15E Strike Eagles Divert to Shannon After Fuel Emergency
Two Seymour Johnson F-15E Strike Eagles heading home from the Middle East diverted to Shannon Airport on 3 October 2026 after one developed a fuel issue over the Atlantic.
FAA Rules Boeing 737 MAX Software Glitch Is Not a Safety Concern
The FAA’s review board ruled on 2 October 2026 that the 737 MAX go-around VNAV software glitch is not a safety concern, clearing a hurdle for the MAX 10.
London City and Key West: What Fits on a 5,000-Foot Runway
Share this story Key West International sits three feet above the Atlantic. Its single runway, 09/27, is 5,076 feet long and 100 feet wide, and there is an engineered arrestor bed at each end because there is nowhere else for an aeroplane to go. Airliners land there...
Spitfire MK356 Crash: RAF Inquiry Blames Decades-Old Carburettor Debris
The MoD inquiry into the 2024 crash of BBMF Spitfire MK356, which killed Sqn Ldr Mark Long, found decades-old debris in the carburettor starved the Merlin of fuel 56 seconds after take-off.
P1-SUN JetKiller: Ukrainian Interceptor Drone Downs a Second Geran-5
Ukraine’s SkyFall says its P1-SUN JetKiller interceptor drone has destroyed a second Russian Geran-5 jet-powered cruise missile, using a head-on intercept to catch a faster target.
Air Serbia A320 Clipped by easyJet Sharklet at Paris CDG
An easyJet Airbus clipped the wingtip of a stationary Air Serbia A320, YU-APS, at Paris Charles de Gaulle on 2 October 2026. No one was hurt, but passengers waited almost two hours on board.
Poland’s FA-50GF Fighters Enter Combat Duty After Three Unarmed Years
Poland’s twelve FA-50GF light fighters, bought without weapons in 2022, have entered combat duty on the eastern border, a day after the ninth Polish F-35A, the first built in Italy, reached Łask.
IAF Chief A.P. Singh: India Needs 36 to 40 New Fighters a Year
In his last press conference before retiring, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh said the Indian Air Force needs 36 to 40 new fighters a year and that Tejas delays are going to hurt.