Free Republic

Atheist activist, Green candidate Rob Sherman dies in plane crash Rob Sherman, who died over the weekend in a crash of his small plane in Marengo, operated a business helping people build aircraft from kits. But the 63-year-old was better known as a colorful political activist and Green Party candidate — some might say gadfly — who called journalists and introduced himself as “Rob Sherman, your favorite atheist.” At one time, he had license plates that spelled out ATHEIST. Though he came in for derision as a self-promoter, he challenged the use of government-sponsored Christmas creches and displays and anything...

Comical march of so-called "Russian aircraft carrier group" headed by aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" to the shores of Syria at war, amused the entire Internet, it seems, risks to become the biggest shame in the history of the Russian Navy. The reason is simple: no country in the region has agreed to fill the aggressor ships. By all indications, they will be destined to stupid drift in the Mediterranean without fuel until they get own tanker with fuel oil from Russia itself. The last hope of the Kremlin admirals was refueling in Malta, but today, 27 October, Foreign Minister of...

Aircraft engineers in Germany have successfully tested the world’s first four-seater plane that uses emission-free hybrid fuel cells to fly. The 10-minute test flight Thursday at Stuttgart Airport in southwestern Germany involved two pilots and two dummy passengers. The twin-cabin plane, known as HY4, was developed by aircraft maker Pipistrel, fuel cell specialist Hydrogenics, the University of Ulm and the German Aerospace Center DLR. …

NEW DELHI: India will finally ink the deal for direct acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France on Friday, in what will be an urgently-needed booster dose for the country's dwindling air combat power. IAF, after all, is down to just 33 fighter squadrons when at least 42 are required for dissuasive deterrence against China and Pakistan. The first omni-role Rafale, also capable of delivering nuclear weapons, will touch down in India within three years. India can buy two to three Russian heavy-weight Sukhoi-30MKIs or five to six indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft for every Rafale. But it's also...

Over the last century of military aviation, several fighters have earned the nickname “flying coffin.” Military aviation inherently pushes up against the limits of technology and human endurance, particularly where fighter and pursuit aviation are concerned. Flying a fighter is remarkably dangerous, even when no one is trying to shoot you down. Engineering a capable fighter plane is also a struggle. Relatively small changes in engine, armament and airframe design can transform a clunker into an elite fighting machine. Many of the best fighters in history were initially viewed askance by their pilots.

The office of Connecticut’s governor says Sikorsky Aircraft has committed to keeping its headquarters in the state and adding jobs in an agreement that involves $220 million in state incentives. […] The deal calls for Sikorsky to build nearly 200 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters in Connecticut for the U.S. Navy until at least 2032. The incentives pledged by Malloy’s office include grants and tax exemptions. …

Military aircraft can have notoriously short lifespans, especially during periods of technological ferment. The most elite aircraft of World War I could become obsolete in a matter of months. Things weren’t much different in World War II. And at the dawn of the jet age, entire fleets of aircraft became passé as technologies matured. The advanced fighters that fought in the skies over Korea became junk just a few years later. But a few designs stand the test of the time. The B-52 Stratofortress first flew in 1952, yet remains in service today. New C-130s continue to roll off the...

Northrop Grumman has been awarded a USD39.3 million contract related to the development of a laser-based self-defence system for the US Air Force (USAF). The contract, which was awarded by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on 23 August, is for the Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) Turret Research in Aero-Effects (STRAFE) programme. Northrop Grumman will develop and deliver an advanced beam control system for integration as part of a complete laser weapons system into a tactical pod for USAF fighter aircraft.

The "Hawaii Mars II", one of two remaining Martin Mars, performs flybys and drops 7,200 gallons of water for the crowd at the 2016 EAA AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, WI. This massive flying boat is the world's largest warbird, and an exceptionally rare sight. It was delivered to the US Navy in 1946 and later converted for civilian use as a fire fighting aircraft. During AirVenture, the Mars is flying off of Lake Winnebago just a couple miles east of Oshkosh.

The home flight simulator belonging to the MH370 pilot had a route plotted into it which ended in the Indian Ocean, officials have confirmed.... ...The confirmation corroborates earlier reports that the device had programmed in it a route similar to the one which investigators believe the doomed flight took on its final voyage.

China has completed production of the world's largest amphibious aircraft, state media has said, the latest effort in the country's program to wean itself off dependence on foreign aviation firms. The state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) unveiled the first of the new planes, dubbed the AG600, Saturday in the southern port city of Zhuhai, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The aircraft, which has a maximum range of 4,500 km (2,800 miles), is intended for fighting forest fires and performing marine rescues, it said. At around the size of a Boeing 737, it is far larger than any...

An F-35 fighter pilot says he would be confident flying the Joint Strike Fighter against any enemy in the world, including Russian and Chinese 5th Generation stealth fighters. An F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would be able to use its sensors, weapons and computer technology to destroy Russian and Chinese 5th-Generation Stealth fighters in a high-end combat fight, service officials said. “There is nothing that I have seen from maneuvering an F-35 in a tactical environment that leads me to assume that there is any other airplane I would rather be in. I feel completely comfortable and confident in taking that...

In case anyone is interested: 1 Airpower Classics - January -- Jaguar 2 Airpower Classics - February -- Predator 3 Airpower Classics - March -- B2 Spirit 4 Airpower Classics - April -- V22 Osprey 5 Airpower Classics - May -- C17 Globemaster III 6 Airpower Classics - June -- E8 Joint STARS 7 Airpower Classics - July -- F-35

Soaring into the skies above the green and pleasant land they so spectacularly fought to defend 76 years ago, they are the last of the few airworthy Spitfires left. Now an air-to-air photographer has completed an exhilarating project - getting up close and personal to the legendary fighter planes in order to capture them like never before. Using the skill and experience of former RAF pilot Tim Ellison, John Dibbs was able to fly to within 15ft of different Spitfire marks.

DENVER, Colorado – May 11, 2016 – Aero Electric Aircraft Corp. (AEAC), which is developing the high-tech, solar-electric “Sun Flyer” general aviation flight trainer, hosted a rollout event of its proof of concept (POC) Sun Flyer this morning at Centennial Airport.. The airplane unveiled publicly for the first time is a 2-seat POC prototype version of Sun Flyer. Performance data from the POC prototype airplane will be used to help finalize the design for the FAA-certified production version. The rollout featured a static display of the aircraft. George Bye, CEO and Founder of AEAC, said the rollout of the aircraft...

Boeing's 1933 247D Airliner is retiring to the Museum of Flight The 1933 Boeing 247D Airliner arrived at the Museum of Flight after its final flight, Tuesday, April 26, 2016. The plane is the oldest flyable Boeing, all-metal airliner. The plane will be on display in front of the museum throughout the summer, before it is placed in the new Aviation Pavilion.

Although 3D printing is a relatively new technology within the military-industrial complex, it has impacted Israel’s aerospace developments in a great number of ways. Last year, the Israeli military had 3D printed their own drone components, and even started a consortium with the government to focus on 3D printing with titanium. Now, the Israeli Air Force’s Aerial Maintenance Unit (AMU) is utilizing 3D printing technology to help repair their aged and worn down fleet of F-15 fighter jets, which were acquired by the IAF in 1980, and have been used in various missions ever since. The F-15 aircraft has provided...

At first glance, you might think the Henschel Hs 129 was the perfect ground-attack airplane. Twin engines. A heavily-armored cockpit that protected the pilot from small-arms fire. The aircraft even eventually had the heaviest and most powerful forward-firing cannon ever fitted to a production military aircraft during World War II.

Exclusive footage obtained by Sky News reveals IS terrorists have the technical know-how to reactivate surface-to-air missiles. The former head of the RAF has said evidence uncovered by Sky News of Islamic State recommissioning surface-to-air missiles is of great concern and that passenger planes would be an easy target. Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon was responding to exclusive footage which revealed the extremists were able to produce homemade thermal batteries for heat-seeking missiles - a feat that has eluded terror groups until now. It raises the possibility of the militants being able to reactivate discarded stockpiles of older missiles,...

A controlled explosion in the luggage hold of an aircraft was successfully contained by a bomb-proof lining developed by an international team of scientists. The technology shows how a plane's luggage hold may be able to contain the force of an explosion if a device hidden in an item of luggage detonates. The Fly-Bag is made from multiple layers of fabrics and composites that have high strength and impact, and heat resistance. The fabrics include Aramid, a heat-resistant and strong synthetic fiber used in the aerospace industry, as well as in ballistic body armor.