The Short Mayo Composite Aircraft - Weird and Wacky! The story of the Short Mayo Composite aircraft begins in the 1930s. By this time, it was well understood that aircraft could maintain flight carrying greater loads than they could take off with. An aircraft’s take-off weight was the limiting factor in how much fuel and cargo it could carry. For Major R.H. Mayo, the Technical General Manager of Imperial Airways, this presented a challenge — and an opportunity. What if an ove

The Boulton-Paul Defiant Turret Fighter: In the 1930s, a new type of tactical thinking emerged within Britain. It was believed that if Germany were to bomb Britain, it would do so via unescorted, long-range bombers operating from airbases within Germany. The fighters of the early 1930s lagged behind the fast and modern bomber designs of the era and thus would not have the ability to escort bombers from Germany to Britain and back. The counter to this perceived threat was a fi

Learn about how they made the classic 1960s war film, 633 Squadron.

Ansett Boeing 727. Source: clipperarctic, CC BY-SA 2.0 The Story of Ansett Airlines: The story of Ansett Airways starts with its creator,...

The Southern Cloud pictured during take off. Circa 1930. Source: Courtesy of the City of Coffs Harbour The Disappearance of the Southern...

A Sparrowhawk goes to hook onto the trapeze of the USS Akron . Source: U.S Navy Naval Historical Center During the 1920s and 1930s, the U.S. Navy began experimenting with rigid airships as military assets. Following the end of World War I, the Navy envisioned the rigid airship as an effective and efficient means of patrolling and monitoring the large amounts of ocean that border the United States to the East and the West.  They were seen as a cost-effective alternative to tra

Much has been recorded about the North American P-51 Mustang, from it being designed in response to a Royal Air Force (RAF) specification, to its ability to escort long range bombing missions into the heart of Germany and its excellent handling characteristics. However, perhaps less-well-known is the Mustang’s extensive service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and how Australia- a country that, before 1936, had virtually no aircraft industry - became the only nation

The story of the Bristol Brigand begins in 1942 when the Royal Air Force (RAF) issued Specification H.7/42, seeking a fast, long range torpedo aircraft to replace the Bristol Beaufighter.  In response, Bristol’s design team, led by Leslie J. Frise, submitted their Type 164 for consideration.  The Type 164 Brigand was derived from the Bristol Buckingham bomber, using the same wings, tail and undercarriage designs as the Buckingham. Furthermore, it would also use the Bristol Ce

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - Planes on the big screen: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade  marks the third entry into the franchise that began with Raiders of the Lost Ark . Released in 1989, the film would focus on the strained relationship between Indiana Jones (played once again by Harrison Ford) and his father Henry Jones Sr (played by Sean Connery). Set in 1938, the story follows Indiana’s quest to rescue his father, a Holy Grail scholar kidnapped by the Nazi’s t

The de Havilland DH.88 Comet Story: The 1930s were years of significant development in the aircraft industry. The boundaries of speed, aerodynamics and design were all being pushed to its absolute limits. Biplanes had reached its absolute peak and with it came the slow transition to monoplanes. In 1934 De Havilland would take air racing to a new height when one of its aircraft would win the Great Air Race of 1934 from England to Melbourne, Australia. This plane was the DH.88