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William E. Boeing: How The Son of an Immigrant Became The King of Aviation

14Aug

By Christopher Harrow3 Comments

History

William E. Boeing: How The Son of an Immigrant Became The King of Aviation

William E. Boeing has one of those name where he needs no introduction. A titan in his heyday, Boeing at one point controlled not only the multibillion dollar aerospace giant behind the 737 and 747, but also United Airlines and United Technologies too. But this was not to last however, Boeing's enterprises got so big and he got so powerful that he eventually caught the attention of the federal government, who tore his empire down to the ground in 1934 and caused William to leave the aviation business all together... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Early Life A scion of a wealthy family from the town of Hohenlimburg (now a neighborhood in the city of Hagen, Germany) Wilhelm Böing joined the Prussian Army in 1866 and served in the Austro-Prussia...

11Aug

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

Executive

Gulfstream III: The Most Gulfstream Jet Ever Built

Produced for seven years between 1979 and 1986, Gulfstream built 202 GIIIs (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Gulfstream III On August 14 1958, Grumman first flew the G-159 executive transport, better known as the Gulfstream I. Entering mass production the following year, being sold to corporate operators like Disney and Ford, as well as high net worth individuals. Proving quite successful, Grumman had built over 150 by 1965. However, new orders for the Gulfstream I were beginning to slow due to the introduction of newer jet-powered aircraft like the Falcon 20, BAe 125 and Lockheed JetStar. Not only were they more practical and reliable, these jet-powered aircraft were also faster and longer ranges, many of which were able to fly trans...

How The Robinson R66 Became The Most Popular Dangerous Helicopter

7Aug

By Charles Yongzheng1 Comment

Helicopters

How The Robinson R66 Became The Most Popular Dangerous Helicopter

The Robinson R66 is the latest member of the famed Robinson Helicopter dynasty which began with the Robinson R22 in 1979. Much like the R22, the R66 has proved extremely popular, selling over 1,100 times to date. Designed to be their first turbine-powered helicopter (their previous helicopters were piston-powered), the R66 has allowed Robinson Helicopter to take on giants the likes of Eurocopter, Sikorsky and Bell. And not only hold their own, but beat them too! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Robinson R66 In 1973, Frank D. Robinson, a former helicopter engineer for Cessna, McCulloch Aircraft and Bell Helicopters, resigned his position at Hughes Helicopters to pursue his dream of starting his own helicopter manufacturing company. Start...

Gulfstream V: Bombardier’s Worst Nightmare

4Aug

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

Executive

Gulfstream V: Bombardier’s Worst Nightmare

When it was unveiled in 1995, the Gulfstream V was the talk of the private jet world. Not only was it one of the largest business jets ever built at the time, but it was so large that it was in a class of business jets all on its own: Ultra-long-range jets. As Gulfstream's flagship jet, the Gulfstream V soon proved quite popular, being built 193 times. Whilst it was built less than Gulfstream's previous jets, the Gulfstream V was a record-setter in other ways - being the first Gulfstream jet to incorporate many technologies we now take for granted on all business jets, regardless of class. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Gulfstream V In 1966, Grumman Gulfstream, the private jet manufacturing division of Grumman Aerospace, revealed thei...

Remembering Hawker Aircraft: Britain’s Most Popular Aircraft Manufacturer

31Jul

By Gareth Seagull3 Comments

History

Remembering Hawker Aircraft: Britain’s Most Popular Aircraft Manufacturer

Famous for producing the likes of the Hurricane, Tempest, Sea Hawk, Harrier and Sea Fury, Hawker Aircraft was one of the largest aircraft manufacturers of its time, famous for almost solely producing military aircraft. Despite the death of their co-founder and namesake, Harry Hawker, on July 12 1921 - less than a year after Hawker Aircraft was established, his death fueled the company to push the limits of our technology further to produce better aircraft. Indeed, at one point in the 1930's, Hawker-made aircraft were so good that they accounted for over 84% of the aircraft in the RAF's fleet! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Hawker Aircraft: Sopwith Aviation Company Having had an interest in aviation since he saw John Moisant fly the wo...

28Jul

By Alexander Pask4 Comments

History

Remembering Hawker Siddeley: The Rise (And Fall) of Britain’s Aviation Powerhouse

Whilst a giant from the day it was founded until the day it ceased trading, Hawker Siddeley were one of Britain's preeminent aircraft manufacturers, arguably being the largest in Britain during the 1960's and 1970's. Yet, for most of its existence, Hawker Siddeley didn't produce aircraft under its own name - instead letting its subsidiaries produce their own aircraft under their own name. It was only in the mid-1960's when Hawker Siddeley began making its own aircraft! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Hawker Siddeley: Hawker Aircraft In June 1912, Thomas Sopwith, a wealthy British sportsman with an interest in aviation, established the Sopwith Aviation Company with the help of Fred Sigrist, an aircraft engineer and Sopwith's close friend. ...

Gulfstream IV: Gulfstream’s Most Popular Business Jet Yet!

24Jul

By Christopher Harrow5 Comments

Executive

Gulfstream IV: Gulfstream’s Most Popular Business Jet Yet!

When the Gulfstream IV entered service in 1987, it was the private jet to have. Larger and more luxurious than the Gulfstream III it replaced, the jet was also cheaper and easier to maintain than its competitors too... Continually produced between 1985 and 2018, the jet was the longest-produced private jet in Gulfstream's history. And this wasn't a vanity project on Gulfstream's part; the Gulfstream IV was incredibly popular and sold over 900 times. This makes the GIV one of the most popular business jets of all time, only rivalled by the Hawker 400's 953 units! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Gulfstream IV On October 2 1966, the business jet division of Grumman (often simply called "Gulfstream") first flew their G-II design. Gaining FA...

Hughes H-4 Hercules: Inside The Largest Aircraft Ever Built That Could’ve Changed History!

21Jul

By Alexander Pask12 Comments

Aircraft Digest

Hughes H-4 Hercules: Inside The Largest Aircraft Ever Built That Could’ve Changed History!

Designed by Howard Hughes himself, and ridiculed as the "Spruce Goose" for its size and the material it was built out of, the Hughes H-4 Hercules should have had a long and storied service life. Yet it never took off as it was expected... As the largest fixed-wing aircraft ever built (only the LZ 129 Hindenburg airship from the famed Hindenburg disaster is bigger), the H-4 was a behemoth for its time, and indeed in our own, being far larger than anything built before or after it. So why did it go from one of the most anticipated aircraft of the 1940's to something relegated to the pages of history in less than a decade? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Hughes H-4 Hercules Having supplied the Allies (mainly Britain) with supplies since 194...

MD Helicopters MD 500: The Best Helicopter Family Yet?

17Jul

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

Helicopters

MD Helicopters MD 500: The Best Helicopter Family Yet?

Now relegated to the pages of history, Hughes Helicopters was one of the largest helicopter manufacturers of its day. Among their most famous designs is the MD Helicopters MD 500 light helicopter, which originally began life as the Hughes 500. Produced by three different companies (Hughes Helicopters, McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems and MD Helicopters) continuously since 1967, a total of 4,700 Hughes 500s (as it was originally known) have been built to date! Beyond being one of the most produced helicopters in the world, the MD 500 is also one of the most famous, with a name that's known across almost every generation and that's synonymous with the word "helicopter" itself. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-MD Helicopters MD 500 In 19...

Hughes XF-11: The Rise And Fall of The F-11 That Could’ve Changed The World!

14Jul

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Hughes XF-11: The Rise And Fall of The F-11 That Could’ve Changed The World!

The heaviest and fastest twin-engine aircraft in the world at the time, the Hughes XF-11 was poised for success. Despite placing a large order for the aircraft, the US military eventually cancelled the XF-11 contract and the world was never truly the same again... Personally designed by Hughes Aircraft owner Howard Hughes to be a fighter, and later a reconnaissance aircraft, the aircraft (developed in secret) received national attention in 1946 when the aircraft crashed on its first flight, nearly killing Howard Hughes. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Hughes XF-11 In 1932, millionaire businessman Howard Hughes established the Hughes Aircraft Company as a subsidiary of the Hughes Tool Company (a manufacturer of drill bits founded by his fat...