Dave Southwood’s impressions of flying Bell P-39 Airacobra ‘Brooklyn Bum 2nd’, a warbird that stands out as unique amongst the many Second World War fighters he’s flown. Read more
Memories of P-39 Airacobra ‘Brooklyn BUM 2nd’
Pilot's Notes
Paul Bonhomme on flying Spitfire FR XIVe MV293
Paul Bonhomme offers his detailed impressions of flying Spitfire FR XIVe MV293, a perennial favourite of Europe’s historic aviation aficionados. Read more
The Wren: Flying English Electric’s 1923 Ultralight
Recounting the history of the Shuttleworth Collection’s Wren, the sole surviving example of English Electric’s attempt at designing an economical single-seat ultralight. Read more
Bringing through the BBMF’s modern day Bomber Crews
Exploring the intricate process that takes a frontline RAF pilot and prepares them for life in the Lancaster captain’s seat Read more
Mark Hanna – Pt.5 – The Stars Look Down
The landmark five-part series concludes with reflections on Mark’s enduring legacy. Read more
Mark Hanna – Pt.4 – The Truly Great
“Mark wasn’t just a display pilot. That does him an injustice. He was a visionary.” The fourth part of our Mark Hanna anthology takes us through the 1990s, exploring the “passion and emotion” that made him such a special character. Read more
Mark Hanna – Pt.3 – A Knight of the Air
Mark’s friends and peers reflect on the qualities that made him “one of the most accomplished warbird display pilots who ever lived”. Read more
Mark Hanna – Pt.2 – Born of the Sun
The next chapter of our five-part series reflects on a remarkable decade of film and airshow flying that saw Mark become “part of the Hanna family flying legend” by the late 1980s. Read more
Mark Hanna – Pt.1 – Dawn of a Golden Era
Charting the formative years of the “Hanna flying legend” through to Mark Hanna’s first flight in the family Spitfire and his co-founding of the Old Flying Machine Company. Read more
Richard Grace: “I’ve never had a want to do anything else”
Richard Grace reflects on his meteoric rise to becoming one of the historic aviation scene’s most prominent purveyors of vintage aeroplanes. Read more
Yak-3: Flying one of the most potent piston fighters
Will Greenwood’s reflections on his custodianship of Yakovlev Yak-3 G-OLEG, a wonderful five years spent learning and mastering the intricacies of this superior Soviet fighter. Read more
Flying the Dewoitine D.26: An interwar beauty as rare as Edelweiss
Paul Misteli flies the delightful Dewoitine D.26, one of the last airworthy parasol types from the interwar Swiss Air Force. Read more
Adventures in the Historic Aircraft Collection’s Hurricane
Dave Harvey recounts his many international trips in this most well-travelled of Hawker Hurricanes. Together, man and machine have flown across Europe and as far afield as Moscow. This is their unique story. Read more
“Unlearn what you know about conventional flight”: Mikael Carlson on flying the Blériot XI
Mikael Carlson draws on 30 years’ Blériot XI experience for this supremely detailed account of the pioneering aeroplane’s handling characteristics. His exploits include crossing the English Channel in the Blériot – twice. Read more
A History: Cliff Spink & the Spitfire
Cliff Spink is the only living pilot to have flown all of the airworthy Spitfire marks – I through PR.XIX. This is his epic 30-year story told in rich detail with an abundance of unique insight, unpublished personal stories and emotional reflections on a wonderful career. Read more
A History: John Romain & Westland Lysander V9312
A supremely detailed from the cockpit account of John Romain’s post-restoration test flying of the Aircraft Restoration Company’s Westland Lysander Mk.III V9312. Read more
Mastering the ‘Dreidecker’: Mikael Carlson on the Fokker Dr.1
Mikael Carlson offers a definitive account of operating and flying his authentic reproduction Fokker Dr.1, the German ‘Dreidecker’ infamous for its skittish and volatile handling characteristics. Read more
“Every inch the racer”: Flying the Miles Hawk Speed Six
A from the cockpit account of flying The Shuttleworth Collection’s unique Miles Hawk Speed Six racer, a truly stunning reflection of the pioneering spirit of the golden age of aviation. Read more
Flight testing Hawker Sea Fury T.20 ‘WG655’
Eskil Amdal offers a highly detailed from-the-cockpit assessment of Pratt & Whitney R-2800-powered Hawker Sea Fury T.20 ‘WG655’, a stunning big bore fighter uniquely positioned at the end of the piston era and the very beginning of the jet age. Read more
Richard Grace on flying P-47D Thunderbolt ‘Nellie B’
Richard Grace puts us in the cockpit of Republic P-47D Thunderbolt ‘Nellie B’ for this definitive account of flying and displaying the largest single-engine piston fighter ever built. Read more
On Silvered Wings: Flying the sole surviving Hawker Fury
The Historic Aircraft Collection’s Hawker Fury is one of the most prized aeroplanes in historic aviation. Restored to exquisite standards by Retrotec Ltd, K5674 is a modern-day looking glass into the lesser known history of the interwar RAF. Flying such a precious survivor brings with it its own unique pressures and challenges. Read more
F-86A Sabre: The Test Pilot’s Perspective
Keith Dennison’s detailed insight into the engine management and handling qualities of the A-model F-86 Sabre offers a fascinating glimpse into the challenges the dawn of the jet age introduced. Read more
John Romain: The Career Retrospective
In this monumental Pilot’s Notes, the Aircraft Restoration Company’s John Romain offers the most in-depth, deeply personal reflections on his aviation career to date. We trace his unique story from childhood to the present, exploring how his engineering prowess and exceptional airmanship led him to the forefront of the world’s historic aviation scene. Read more
Test flying The Shuttleworth Collection’s Sopwith Camel F.1
Dodge Bailey presents a fascinating in-depth account of test flying The Shuttleworth Collection’s Sopwith Camel, and offers his initial impressions of the notoriously dicey First World War fighter. Read more
The ‘Delta Lady’ From the Cockpit: Flying Avro Vulcan XH558
Bill Ramsey reflects on his time piloting world-renowned Avro Vulcan B2 XH558 in this definitive ‘from the cockpit’ account. Read more
Mastering the ‘Emil’: John Romain on the Messerschmitt Bf 109E
John Romain challenges the myths that mire the legendary Battle of Britain era Messerschmitt Bf 109E ‘Emil’ in this comprehensive in-cockpit account. Read more
Restoration to Reno: John Muszala II on the XP-51 Mustang
Introducing the immaculate XP-51 Mustang: John Muszala II talks restoring, test flying and racing this masterpiece from the Pacific Fighters’ workshop. Read more
A History: John Romain & the Bristol Blenheim
John Romain reflects on a long and rewarding association with the Bristol Blenheim. Theirs is one of historic aviation’s most compelling stories, spanning more than 40 years and three restorations. Read more
Setting a world air speed record in P-51 Mustang ‘Voodoo’
Steve Hinton, Jr talks setting a new 3km Absolute Propeller Driven Piston Powered Aircraft record in highly modified P-51 Mustang ‘Voodoo’. Read more
Flight testing Norway’s restored CF-104D Starfighter
In-depth study with Eskil Amdal on the challenges of test flying Norwegian CF-104D Starfighter “637” after its 13-year restoration. Read more
Modern impressions of the legendary Il-2 Sturmovik
The Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum’s Ross Granley offers a comprehensive account of flying the Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik. Read more
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean in P-51B Mustang ‘Berlin Express’
Lee Lauderback recounts his 4,775 nautical mile transatlantic journey from Texas, USA to Duxford, England in P-51B Mustang ‘Berlin Express’. Read more
A test pilot’s view of the de Havilland Sea Vixen
Dan Griffith talks through the process of test flying de Havilland Sea Vixen D3 XP924 (G-CVIX) on its return to flight under civilian ownership in 2000. Read more
Raimund Riedmann on his love affair with the P-38 Lightning
A highlight of the Flying Legends airshow 2011 was the UK début of the Flying Bulls’ striking P-38 Lightning. Over the weekend of 9-10 July, the Lightning wowed the large crowds with its elegant routine. For its pilot, Raimund Riedmann, displaying at Flying Legends was the culmination of a personal journey that began decades earlier… Read more
Orchestrating Duxford’s 17 Spitfire Salute
IWM Duxford’s Battle of Britain 75th Anniversary Air Show in September 2015 featured a monumental 17 Spitfire finale. Brian Smith, the architect of the sequence and the formation leader, offers his impressions of planning and executing the routine. Read more
