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Remembering North American Aviation: An Aviation Pioneer… Until it Wasn’t…

4Sep

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

History

Remembering North American Aviation: An Aviation Pioneer… Until it Wasn’t…

Famous for being the company behind the P-51 Mustang, North American Aviation was one of the largest and most respected aircraft manufacturers in the world at its height. Yet a minor blunder by one of its subsidiaries brought everything down. Aside from its famous aircraft - the P-51, F-86, X-15 - North American Aviation also designed the Saturn V rocket, the Space Shuttle orbiter and the command and service module (CSM) for the Apollo Project. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Background In 1916, Canadian-born university lecturer-turned-investment advisor, Clement Melville Keys, was asked by Glenn Curtiss (a friend of one of his former students) to help restructure his financially troubled company. Duly helping to restructure the Curtiss Ae...

North American Sabreliner: The Original Versatile Business Jet

6Mar

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Executive

North American Sabreliner: The Original Versatile Business Jet

Today, there are a number of business jets which are seen as being incredibly versatile. However, the Rockwell / North American Sabreliner, otherwise known as the T-39, was the original "versatile" business jet! In total, Rockwell / North American built well over 800 of the jet, making it one of the most built business jets in history. Despite some being well over 60 years old, many remain in service today... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Development In the mid-1950's, the USAF initiated the UTX program, which was looking for a jet that could could be both a trainer, and a VIP transport aircraft. To do this, the USAF requested design proposals from a number of aircraft manufacturers. The project was extremely lucrative, which would see most...

P-47 vs P-51: America’s Best WWII Fighter?

23Dec

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

Aircraft Compare

P-47 vs P-51: America’s Best WWII Fighter?

During WWII, the Republic P-47 and North American P-51 served alongside one another in almost every battle. Since the end of the war, and the retirement of the aircraft, people have wondered which was better, the P-47 or the P-51? A while ago, we covered the Hurricane and Spitfire, by all accounts, the British equivalent to the dynamic duo of the iconic Thunderbolt and Mustang. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); P-47 vs P-51: What is a Fighter? Today, the term "fighter aircraft" has become a very term. Today, the general public believes that any small, comparatively fast aircraft is a fighter aircraft, when that is simply not the case. For the most part, this is due to a few wildly successful aviation-themed movies. Perhaps the worst culprit of...

P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire: Which Was The Best?

12Oct

By Gareth Seagull5 Comments

Aircraft Compare

P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire: Which Was The Best?

During WWII, both the North American P-51 Mustang and the Supermarine Spitfire dominated the skies over Europe. Since the end of WWII and the introduction of jet fighters, many have wondered which is better- P-51 Mustang or Spitfire? Both the Mustang and the Spitfire are icons in their own right. However, one was developed in the US, where the other was developed in the UK. As such, they never fought one another, (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire: The Basics Before we can compare the Mustang and the Spitfire, we must first know some background on each aircraft. P-51 Mustang The P-51 Mustang was originally designed for the RAF. In 1938, Britain and the US established the Purchasing Commission, which allowed Britain t...