History | International Aviation HQ

What Was Barnstorming? The History of Barnstorming Explained!

27Jul

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

History

What Was Barnstorming? The History of Barnstorming Explained!

At air shows today, you may see pilots perform all sorts of crazy maneuvers, from high-G stunts, to creating shapes and symbols with the help of other aircraft to drawing pictures in the sky with smoke from their engines. But none of this can rival the thrilling display of barnstormers. Barnstormers were out-of-work military pilots who used the supposedly useless Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" biplanes of the First World War to perform dangerous air stunts to entertain the many Americans who had never seen an aircraft before. Barnstorming made heroes of many of the former military men who embraced it. From doing remarkable acrobatic maneuvers while parachuting to doing unbelievable stunts on a plane, barnstormers did not just become heroes but inadvertently set the pace for civil aviation...

Why Have They Stopped Production of The Quadjet?

18May

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

History

Why Have They Stopped Production of The Quadjet?

During the Golden Age of Aviation, four-engine aircraft, otherwise known as quadjets, were all the rage. They scattered airfields both civil and military the world over. No one could seem to get enough of them. Quadjets like the Boeing 747, Airbus A380, de Havilland Comet and Concorde became emblematic of the aviation industry as a whole and among the most produced airliners of their day. Yet today, most aircraft manufacturers are ending production of what few quadjets remain in production. But why? Though the COVID-19 pandemic hastened many manufacturers' decision to end production of quadjets, other factors such as the extension of ETOPS regulations, their comparatively higher cost and a change in how we fly all contributed to the downfall of the mighty quadjet. Although ...

14May

By Alexander MonteverdeNo Comments

History

Why Did They Stop Making Trijets?

Looking through my father's old pictures of Heathrow Airport from the seventies and eighties, I can't help but notice all the trijets. Aircraft like the 727, TriStar and DC-10 are seemingly everywhere, whilst twinjets an quadjets were a rarity. Look at it today, however, it is the complete opposite; twinjets are the most common, quadjets, whilst still popular are nowhere near as common as before and trijets are seemingly nonexistent. So why did trijets fall so much out of favor? Though the extension of ETOPS regulations is the most common reason why manufacturers stopped producing trijets, it was also a combination of comparable higher operating costs and a change in the way we fly that ultimately sealed the fate of trijets. Most production of trijets ceased in the 1990s...

26Mar

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

History

How Learjet Failed…

Ask anyone to name a private jet, and they will respond with the same company: Learjet. Yet despite having created the modern business jet, the company's recent ceasing of aircraft production clearly signals how Learjet as a company, has failed... In its nearly 60 year history, the company delivered a total of 3058 aircraft to customers on every inhabited continent, becoming an icon in the process. But alas, the company is little more than a shell of its once-great self. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); History Before we can discuss how and why Learjet has failed, we must first look at the background of the company and how it has evolved over the years. Founding In 1962, self-taught American engineer Bill Lear decided enough was enough. ...

4Mar

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

History

Britten-Norman: The Unlikely Story of Britain’s Only Independent Aircraft Manufacturer!

Much of Britain's aviation history has been marked by consolidation of its aircraft manufacturing industry, mostly out of necessity. Yet Britten-Norman stands as a testament of how a little can go a long way. Specializing in the production of small piston airliners and light utility aircraft, Britten-Norman has managed to remain small enough to stave off the nationalization that consolidated many of its competitors, all whilst producing some of the best aircraft on the market! Foundation Britten-Norman takes its double-barreled name from its two co-founders: John Britten and Desmond Norman, two apprentices at de Havilland's Hatfield works who'd met in 1947. After completing their apprentices at de Havilland in 1949, the pair were uninterested in pursuing careers at t...

19Feb

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

History

How Frank Lorenzo Founded an Empire And Lost it All…

Early Life Francisco Anthony "Frank" Lorenzo was born in Queens, New York on May 19 1940, as the son of Spanish immigrants Olegario, the owner of a local hair salon, and his wife Ana (née Mateos), a hairdresser at her husband's salon. Growing up in a modest apartment that sat under the approach path for LaGuardia, much of Frank's childhood was spent watching the various aircraft from dozens of airlines come in to land. Interestingly, one of those airlines whose aircraft Frank used to watch coming in to land was Eddie Rickenbacker's Eastern Airlines. An airline Frank would later work at and acquire. Attending Forrest Hill High School, Frank excelled in mathematics and upon graduation in 1958, enrolled at Columbia University, where he graduated in 1961 with a degree in econom...

Remembering The Interesting Life of Serge Dassault: So Much More Than His Father’s Heir!

9Feb

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

History

Remembering The Interesting Life of Serge Dassault: So Much More Than His Father’s Heir!

A man with controversial politics, Serge Dassault was nothing short of a genius. Inheriting his father's company at the age of 61, Serge has transformed the company into one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world. Working as his father's right-hand for decades before his death, Serge was instrumental in expanding the company into civil aviation, fostering it until it comprised of over 70% of the company's revenue. He also served as a politician, media magnate, and returned the Dassault Group back into the family's control. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Early Life Serge Dassault was born on April 4 1925 in the French capital of Paris. Born with the name Serge Paul André Bloch, he was the second son of aircraft designer-turned ...

Remembering The Rise And Fall of London’s Croydon Airport

5Feb

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

History

Remembering The Rise And Fall of London’s Croydon Airport

Once the UK's only international airport, and the place where Winston Churchill took flying lessons, Croydon Airport is a shell of its former self. Unused since the late 1950's, most of the old airport has been built on with only the Terminal Building and ATC remaining. Replaced by Heathrow as the UK's main airport after the end of WWII, Croydon Airport was important for creating both the world's first airport terminal and air traffic control. So where did it all go so wrong? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Origins Expansion WWII Postwar Closure Today Do you remember Croydon Airport? Tell me in the comments! Featured image courtesy of Matt Brown via Flickr.

Uncovering The Story of Marcel Dassault: France’s Greatest Aviator

2Feb

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

History

Uncovering The Story of Marcel Dassault: France’s Greatest Aviator

Today, Dassault Aviation stands as a titan of the aviation industry, having produced some of the most iconic aircraft the industry has yet produced. But few know the story of Marcel Dassault, the company’s founder and whose vision guides the company even to this day! One of France's wealthiest and most successful businessmen at the time of his death, Marcel Dassault's made lots of enemies, and ensured his aviation career was not as straightforward as you might think... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Early Life The man who history would remember as Marcel Dassault was born as Marcel Ferdinand Bloch on January 22 1892 in Paris. Born into a French Jewish family, Marcel was the youngest of four children born to Adolphe Dassault, a doctor, and his w...

How Robert Six Revolutionized Air Travel!

19Jan

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

History

How Robert Six Revolutionized Air Travel!

Though the name Robert Six has largely been forgotten to history, the airline he forged has not. The man behind Continental Airlines for the best part of four decades, Robert Six turned a shoestring, three-route airline into a global empire with nothing more than sheer will and determination. A contemporary of the likes of Eastern's Eddie Rickenbacker, Pan Am's Juan Trippe and TWA's Jack Frye, Robert was instrumental in helping bring flying to the masses and put Continental at the forefront of that trend... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Early Life Robert Forman Six was born on June 25 1907 in Stockton, San Joaquin County, California. The only child of Dr Clarence Logan Six MD, a well respected local plastic surgeon, and his wife Genevieve, R...