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Aermacchi MB 326

Aermacchi MB 326

The Aermacchi or Macchi MB-326 is a light military jet trainer designed and produced by the Italian aircraft manufacturer Aermacchi, chiefly employed to help novice military pilots transition from propeller-driven aircraft to jets. Simple and rugged, it developed a reputation as being extremely manageable and easy to fly, and became the aircraft of choice for the Roulettes, the aerobatic team of the Royal Australian Air Force.

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Avia B-534

Avia B-534

The Avia B-534, while it did not see extensive combat, is a widely recognized fighter airframe of 1930’s design, in part because it has the distinction of fighting both for and against Nazi Germany during WWII. The first B-534 prototype flew in late May 1933. Two squadrons of B-534’s, in German hands, took part in the September 1939 invasion of Poland, but later in the war Bulgarian B-534’s would be used against the Germans in the Balkans.

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McDonnell FH-1 Phantom

McDonnell FH-1 Phantom

The McDonnell FH-1 Phantom was was a small, straight-winged single-seat jet fighter, the first in the U.S. Navy inventory. It flew for the first time in January 1945 and entered service with the fleet in July 1947. Jet technology was advancing so rapidly that it was phased out by 1950, in favor of the larger, more powerful McDonnell F2H Banshee, but it made history as the Navy’s first jet fighter.

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Focke Wulf Fw 189A2

Focke Wulf Fw 189A2

The Focke Wulf Fw 189 “Uhu” (Owl), was a German twin-engine, three-seat tactical reconnaissance aircraft that mainly served on the Eastern Front in World War II. Due to its success as an observation aircraft, it was known as “The Flying Eye,” and although slow, it was so maneuverable — it could out-turn even a Yak-3 — that Russian pilots had difficulty shooting it down.

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Martin Baltimore Mk. III/IV/V

Martin Baltimore Mk. III/IV/V

The French government ordered 400 Martin Baltimores in early 1940 to replace its fleet of American-built Martin Maryland bombers. The French never received the aircraft due to the rapid, unexpected success of the German Blitzkrieg in June 1940. The Baltimores went to the British, who flew them in the Mediterranean and North Africa.

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Mirage 4000

Mirage 4000

The Mirage 4000, first flown on March 4, 1979 with test pilot Jean-Marie Saget at the controls, was the result of a project by Dassault Aviation of France to build a larger, more capable twin engine version of the Mirage 2000. The Mirage 4000 with its fly-by-wire technology was to be equivalent to the formidable American F-15 Eagle.

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Sukhoi Su-30 MKK Flanker G

Sukhoi Su-30 MKK Flanker G

The Sukhoi Su-30MKK (NATO reporting name, Flanker-G) is a twin-seat, twin-engine high-performance strike fighter developed by Sukhoi in 1997 from the Su-30 (Flanker-C/G/H), which was itself an evolution of the original Cold War era Su-27 “Flanker” series. It was manufactured in Russia specifically for the Chinese.

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Sud Ouest Aviation Vautour IIB

Sud Ouest Aviation Vautour IIB

The Sud-Ouest Aviation (SNCASO) S.O. 4050 Vautour II (French for vulture) was a jet-powered bomber, interceptor, and attack aircraft developed and manufactured for the Armee de l’Air in the mid-1950’s. It was a key part of France’s nuclear deterrent for a decade despite its lack of radar and state-of-the-art targeting equipment.

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Aces & Aircraft of World War I

Aces & Aircraft of World War I

Aces and Aircraft of World War I by Christopher Campbell Copyright 1981, Blandford Press, Great Britain This is a highly informative volume on the early days of military aviation, with 160 illustrations. Aces and Aircraft of World War I chronicles the birth of...

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Best Phantom Ejection Seats

Best Phantom Ejection Seats

The Best Phantom Ejection Seats For those modelers who want a truly detailed F-4 Phantom cockpit, if you are building in 1/72 scale, most out-of-the-box cockpits are not enough. The only truly detailed Phantom driver’s “office” I’ve seen in 1/72 was in the 1980's...

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Blue Moon Over Cuba

Blue Moon Over Cuba

Blue Moon Over Cuba: Aerial Reconnaissance during the Cuban Missile Crisis by Captain William B. Ecker USN (ret.) and Kenneth V. JackCopyright 2012 by Osprey Publishing; Oxford (United Kingdom) Blue Moon Over Cuba, based largely on the previously unpublished memoir of...

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Ghosts of the Air

Ghosts of the Air

Ghosts of the Air by Martin Caidin Copyright 1997 by Barnes & Noble; New York Just in time for Halloween, this re-issued publication of true-life supernatural accounts in the aviation world will make those who don't believe in ghosts think twice. Well-documented...

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