Flight Journal December 2007

From Fury Biplanes to Hurricanes
Group Captain Billy Drake’s Adventures in Hawkers
Author: Jan Tegler

Most of the British pilots in early WW II had begun their careers in biplanes before transitioning to Hurricanes in time for the Battle of Britain. In their own words, see what both airplanes and the era were like.

Functional Check Flight
A test of a Thunderchief’s pitch-trim system goes seriously wrong
Authour: John Lowery

There are lots of ways to get killed in a fighter and, as this pilot found out, quite often the enemy is a mechanical gremlin, not another fighter pilot

Target Libya
F-111 pilots remember the daring raid
Author: Braxton “Brick” Eisel

In 1986, Muammar Qaddafi had gained fame as the world’s leading, and most visible, terrorist. He calmed down immediately after a flight of F-111Fs showed the level of America’s irritation. For the first time the story of the raid is told by pilots and crew who carried it out.

Double Trouble’s Triple Kill
A Black Widow crew makes night-fighter history
Author: Warren E. Thompson

Night fighters fought an illusive game of cat and mouse where luck and skill were the essential components of a victor. When Double Trouble’s crew scored a triple, it was a feat not likely to be repeated.

The Day the Luck Ran Out
A Mustang Pilot in China pushes the odds
Author: Lt. Col. Ransom W. Rideout, USAF (Ret.)

Bud Rideout had gone deep into China in search of the enemy. He found the Japanese and thoroughly punished them, but not without his Mustang being fatally wounded and stranding him more than 100 miles behind enemy lines.