mis à jour / updated :


A flight aboard the DoX - 1930
1941 Scale Model Special Effects
R101 Disaster witness interview 1930
George Bernard Shaw and the Stinson SM-6000-B
Short Brothers S.7 Mussel
The R101 Airship
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Paratroop Drops
Fieseler and the F2 Tiger - 1st World Aerobatic Champion
P-51B 4312451 "Peggy" AKA "Live Bait"
Clark Gable unedited, 8th Air Force film stock
Clark Gable is just a two-bar Joe doing a job.
By Andrew A. Rooney, Stars and Stripes staff writer June 7, 1943
Sandhurst School bombed; 611 Sqn Pilot Interviews
At 12.30 pm, on Wednesday 20th January 1943, Sandhurst School was bombed. According to eye witnesses the pilot waved to the children in the playground as he flew at rooftop height over the school.
The Mighty Eighth part 3 of 3
From May 1942 to July 1945, the Eighth planned and precisely executed America's daylight strategic bombing campaign against Nazi-occupied Europe, and in doing so the organization compiled an impressive war record. That record, however, carried a high price. For instance, the Eighth suffered about half of the U.S. Army Air Force's casualties (47,483 out of 115,332), including more than 26,000 dead. The Eighth's brave men earned 17 Medals of Honor, 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals. The Eighth's combat record also shows 566 aces (261 fighter pilots with 31 having 15 or more victories and 305 enlisted gunners), over 440,000 bomber sorties to drop 697,000 tons of bombs, and over 5,100 aircraft losses and 11,200 aerial victories.
All ETO Losses
Type.......... Number Lost
B-17.......... 4,754
B-24.......... 2,112
P-47.......... 1,043
P-38.......... 451
P-51.......... 2,201
Total.......... 10,561
"The Mighty Eighth" part 2 of 3
Note: 'Spokane Chief' shown in the opening and ending sequences is identified as P-47C-5-RE WZ-Z (41-6630) 84th FS, 78th FG, 8th AF, USAAF
At one time in the days before Pearl Harbor, it had been hoped that it would be possible for the RAF to test the Thunderbolt in combat in the Middle East. However, production difficulties caused the British Air Ministry to be informed in September 1941 that it was not a good idea to do this until all the bugs had been wrung out of the design.
"The Mighty Eighth" part 1 of 3
The "Mighty Eighth" began operations in England on Feb. 20, 1942, when Brig. Gen. Ira C. Eaker led a seven-man advance team to scout the country and prepare for the arrival of American combat flying units. For the next four years, England became the USAAF's "unsinkable aircraft carrier" as they fought the Luftwaffe and Hitler's Axis forces.
U.S. Supersonic Transports - Lockheed L-2000 and Boeing 2707
The United States' Supersonic Transport (SST) program was initiated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1963. The program aimed for a Mach 2+ aircraft capable of carrying 300 passengers with intercontinental range.
Concorde 1962-69
Collection of clips showing the concept and development of the Concorde from 1962 through first flight in 1969
Allies Crushing Air Power
Film story about the destruction of German cities and infrastructure through air power.
Ship Against Plane
Good footage of the USS Enterprise (CV-6) under attack.
The "Big E", was the sixth aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the seventh U.S. Navy ship to bear that name...
Robert Stanford Tuck
At the age of 19 I accepted a short - servicecommission in the Royal Air Force in September, 1935, after having had two years at sea as a cadet.... In July 1936, I was posted to my first Fighter Squadron, No. 65(F) at Hornchurch where I flew Hawker Demons, wich were replaced by Gloster Gauntletts, then Gladiators, and finally Spitfires, which we received in late 1938, being one of the first Squadrons to be equipped with this revolutionary aircraft.... On the 16th May 1940, I was instructed on a top secret order to fly to Hendon with two other Spitfires.... retired from the R.A.F. in 1949. Commands:
No. 65 Squadron RAF (1935-1940)
No. 92 Squadron RAF (1940)
No. 257 Squadron RAF (1940-1942)
Boulton Paul Defiant
Often maligned as a failure, the Boulton Paul Defiant found a successful niche as a night-fighter during the German 'Blitz' on London, scoring a significant number of combat kills before being relegated to training and support roles....
Armstrong Whitworth Argosy
The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was a British three-engined biplane airliner built by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft and operated by Imperial Airways from 1926 to 1935. Known popularly as a "flying railroad car", it was one of the earliest forms of passenger air transport.
Golden Age Pioneers - Amy Johnson
Amy Johnson was born July 1, 1903, in Hull Yorkshire...  Amy began to learn to fly at the London Aeroplane Club in the winter of 1928-29...After her commercial flying ended with the outbreak of World World II in 1939, Amy joined the Air Transport Auxiliary, a pool of experienced pilots who were ineligible for RAF service. Her flying duties consisted of ferrying aircraft from factory airstrips to RAF bases. It was on one of these routine flights on January 5, 1941, that Amy crashed into the Thames estuary and was drowned, a tragic and early end to the life of Britain's most famous woman pilot.
Fairey Long Range Monoplane
In 1926 a proposal was made that the RAF should attempt a non-stop flight to India... On 20 May 1927 Flt Lieut C. R. Carr (later Air Marshal Sir Roderick) and Flt Lieut L. E. M. Gillman took off for India, only to be forced down in the Persian Gulf after completing 5,504km: a new long-distance record that was beaten in less than 24 hours when Charles Lindbergh landed at Paris after his 5,778km solo flight across the North Atlantic. Two later but unsuccessful attempts were made with the Horsley.
Blenheim attacks submarine
This is some stock footage of a (simulated I am sure) air attack on a Japanese submarine I edited together. Not great stuff but it seemed a shame to waste it. Location and date unknown, also unknown is what the footage was originally intended for.
Two Avro Ansons landed together after mid-air 1940
The mid-air collision of two Avro Anson aircraft, on a training flight from No. 2 Service Flying Training School (2SFTS) based at Wagga Wagga, resulted in this dramatic and successful crash landing. On 29 September 1940, the two Ansons of 2 Service Flying Training School were flying at near 1,000 ft in the Brocklesbury area. N4876 (piloted by L. Fuller, observer I. Sinclair) and L9162 (J. Hewson, observer L. Fraser)...
Golden Age Pioneers - Nicolas Florine
Russian born engineer Nicolas Florine built one of the first successful tandem rotor helicopters. The rotors turned in the same direction but were tilted in opposite directions to cancel torque reaction. Boulet (1984) describes the various mechanical aspects of the machine...
Last flight of "Redhead"
Gordon Israel had gained a great deal of racing experience while helping Benny Howard design and build his stable of winning racing aircraft....
The Graf Zeppelin
(1928-1939, selected film clips) The Graf Zeppelin ruled the uncluttered skies like no other monarch could. The sight of the silver ship gliding over head brought crowds of people streaming from their houses and into the streets. No other aircraft in history , with the possible exception of the Spirit of St. Louis, has been the focus of so much admiration by so many people. The Graf Zeppelin was Dr. Eckner's crowning achievement in the concept of the zeppelin. Even though the Hindenburg and the Graf Zeppelin II would be technologically superior to the Graf Zeppelin, no other air ship would be so loved by nearly all the world....
Blackburn R.B.2 Sydney
The Blackburn R.B.2 Sydney was a long-range maritime patrol flying boat developed for the Royal Air Force in 1930, in response to Air Ministry Specification R.5/27. It was a parasol-wing braced monoplane of typical flying boat arrangement with triple tail fins and its three engines arranged on the wing's leading edge. After evaluation, it was not ordered into production and no further examples were built.
16 second clip of the Bell YFM-1 Airacuda
This short clip from Wright Paterson has a few frames of the Bell Airacuda. If anyone has additional footage, please share
Bell Airacobra Mk 1 for the RAF (P-39/P400)
In 1940, the British were desperate for combat aircraft and were willing to consider just about anything that had wings, irrespective of how poor its performance might be. Consequently, when Bell submitted specifications to the British Direct Purchase Commission for a fighter with a top speed of 400 mph, a ceiling of 36,000 feet, and a range of 1000 miles, the Commission literally salivated on the spot and ordered 675 Bell Model 14s sight unseen on April 13, 1940.
The European Air Arms Race 1935 - 1939 part 2 of 2
France - It was in 1936 that the Luftwaffe overtook the French air force in terms of both quality and quantity. When the French premier visited London in November 1937, the British Prime Minister taxed him about the lamentable state of the French air force. A few months later, General Vullemin, France's Chief of Air Staff, warned the government that in a war the French air force would be destroyed in a few days. He kept up these warnings throughout the year, especially after a visit to Germany in 1938 from which he returned very impressed by the strength of the Luftwaffe (as he had been meant to be),...
The European Air Arms Race 1935 - 1939 part 1 of 2
This is by no means a complete history but does provide some perspective of the events in European military aviation from 1935 - 1939. When Nazi Germany openly started re-armament in 1935, few should have been surprised as Hitler had made it very clear both in his speeches and in "Mein Kampf" that he would break the "unjust" terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
For two years, the German military expanded in secret. By March 1935, Hitler felt strong enough to go public on Nazi Germany's military expansion - which broke the terms of the Versailles Treaty. Europe learned that the Nazis had 2,500 war planes in its Luftwaffe and an army of 300,000 men in its Wehrmacht. Hitler felt confident enough to publicly announce that there would be compulsory military conscription in Nazi Germany and that the army would be increased to 550,000 men.
How did Europe react to this flagrant violation of Versailles? ...
Otto Von Hagenburg and the Bücker/Burgess Bu 133 Jüngmeister
The Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister (Young master) was an advanced trainer of the Luftwaffe in the 1930s. It was a single-engine, single-seat biplane of wood and tubular steel construction and covered in fabric.
The Bü 133 served as an advanced trainer with the Luftwaffe, its aerobatic capability suiting it particularly for early training of fighter pilots.
It was manufactured under licence for the Swiss Air Force by Dornier and for the Spanish air force by CASA. Approximately 50 aircraft were produced for each country.
Fairey Firefly in Action
The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm. It was superior in performance and firepower to its predecessor, the Fairey Fulmar, but did not enter operational service until towards the end of the war. It remained a mainstay of the FAA until the mid-1950s.
The Firefly was designed by H.E. Chaplin at Fairey Aviation in 1940; in June 1940, the Admiralty ordered 200 aircraft to meet Specification N.5/40. The prototype of the Mk I Firefly flew on 22 December 1941.
RAF 25 Year retrospective (1943)
RAF Silver Jubilee film - 1918-1943
This is a better quality than my previous post which has been removed !!!
Memphis Belle News Reel
Memphis Belle was the nickname of a B-17F Flying Fortress during the Second World War that inspired the making of two motion pictures: a 1944 documentary film: Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress and a 1990 Hollywood feature film: Memphis Belle. In May 1943 it became the first U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to complete 25 missions over Europe and return to the United States. The original airplane is undergoing extensive restoration at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH, 1930...
U.S. Army Air Corps bomb San Francisco - 1930
New York Times, April 19, 1930
ARMY PLANES LAY SAN FRANCISCO IN SHAM WAR RUINS
Giant Army Planes Theoretically Bomb City While Thousands Watch Spectacle.
"WRECK" AN ENEMY BASE Ninety of Air Corps craft fly to San Jose for "Attack"— One Forced Down....
Horten Ho-2 Flying Wing Test Flight 1935
Reimar Horten notes:...
Aircraft Manufacturing 1910
Unidentified clip, possibly taken at the Voisin Aeroplane factory Billancourt, France
Voisin Brothers, L'Aéroplane "Delagrange" en plein vol, l'Aéroplane Farman, Fabrication et montage des AEROPLANES
Failed attempts - Francesco de Pinedo
From Time magazine 1933:
Observers who watched a middle-aged Italian in blue bedroom slippers, grey sweater, blue serge suit and grey derby hat get into a big Bellanca monoplane at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, early last Saturday morning, felt that they were witnessing something unusual to the point of eccentricity. General Francesco de Pinedo was taking off alone for Bagdad, 6,300 mi. away. The cockpit of his ship, the Santa Lucia, was a museum of gadgets and curious supplies—eight watches, two colored kites, fishing tackle, a stomach pump to draw liquids from six vacuum bottles, a fresh air mask, a siren and water-squirter to wake up the pilot if he dozed. He was going to sit over the oil tank, so that the uncomfortable heat would keep him awake. As he yelled good-by a fanatical gleam was in his eye.
Fieseler Fi 156 Storch demo 1938
In 1935, the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium, Reich Aviation Ministry) put out a tender for a new Luftwaffe aircraft (suitable for liaison, army co-operation today called Forward Air Control), and medical evacuation, as required to several companies....
Golden Age Pioneers: Juan de le Cierva
Inventor of the Autogyre. Juan de la Cierva (21 September 1895 -- 9 December 1936) born in Murcia, Spain to a wealthy family, was a Spanish civil engineer and pilot. His most famous accomplishment was the invention in 1919 of the Autogiro, a type of aircraft that later came to be called an autogyro.
Juan de la Cierva started building aircraft as early as 1912, and in 1919 he started to consider the use of windmills or rotors as a means of sustaining lift at low speed, and possibly eliminating the risk of stalling altogether. Ironically, he was later killed in an airline accident attributed to a stall...
Having successfully created and flown his gyroplane in Spain, Cierva established his company in Britain, comprising of a design office and sales organisation, calling upon established aircraft manufacturers to produce his designs. A number of well-known British firms produced aircraft for Cierva including; Avro, Comper, De Havilland and Westland....
Failed attempts - The Brothers Monteverde
Alfred and George Monteverde, brothers from Portugal, crashed at 6:38PM, June 22 1935 in an attempted take-off from Floyd Bennett Field for a non-stop fight to Rome. The fliers were not injured. The aircraft was a Bellanca J-2 Special 31-55. The plane was written off after this incident.
Supermarine Walrus in Action
The Supermarine Walrus was a single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and operated by the Fleet Air Arm. It also served with the Royal Air Force, RAAF, RNZN, RCAF, and RNZAF.
The Walrus was initially developed for service from cruisers at the request of Australia, and was called the Seagull V; although there was little resemblance to the earlier Supermarine Seagull III. It was designed to be launched from ship-borne catapults, and was the first amphibious aircraft in the world to be launched by catapult with a full military load...
Golden Age Pioneers: Sir Kingsford-Smith Part 3
Last of a three part series
Air Commodore Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, MC, AFC (1897--1935)
Kingsford Smith was in the army cadets until 1915; when he turned 18, he enlisted in the AIF. He became a signaller and despatch-rider and saw war service on Gallipoli and in Egypt and France before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC)...
One epic flight, above all his many others, established "Smithy" as one of the greatest pioneering pilots of all time. On 31 May 1928 he took off from California with Charles Ulm and two American crewmen in a three-engined Fokker, the Southern Cross....
Golden Age Pioneers: Sir Kingsford-Smith Part 2
Second of a three part series
Golden Age Pioneers: Sir Kingsford-Smith Part 1
First of a three part series
Abandon Italian & German aircraft, Castel Benito, Tripoli
Memories of Castel Benito
Neil Leybourne Smith (Historian) writes: The pilots in 'B' Flight were the first in the Desert Air Force to land at Castel Benito in Tripolitania and they were quick to claim the best quarters at this quite modern airfield. Compared to their quarters in the desert, Castel Benito was paradise with grass, trees and a windmill-pumped flow of cold water... A Caproni 164 trainer with dual controls was also secured, allowing some of the Squadron's administration officers to log up some flying hours.
SCAL-Bassou FB-30
Sorry, I was unable to locate any information on this aircraft. I have identified it by the Civil Registration number. Any inputs are welcome.
The powerplant details are:
Mengin, Poinsard, G.M.H., Hochet-Mengin (France)
2cyl; Model G.M.H.; 40hp@2300rpm, 54@2550 (TO); 1938-1940;
Wt = 115#.Dual-ignition engine.
Applications: (France) S.C.A.L. FB-30 Avion Bassou [F-APDT, G-AFCD].
Macchi M.C. 72
The Macchi M.C. 72 was an experimental seaplane designed and built by the Italian aircraft company Macchi Aeronautica. In 1933 and 1934 it set a world record for speed over water.
1929 Schneider Trophy
In early 1928, the Schneider Trophy rules were changed... Supermarine S.6...
Golden Age Pioneers: Arthur Cecil Butler and the Comper CLA 7 Swift
The Comper C.L.A.7 Swift was a British 1930s single-seat sporting aircraft produced by Comper Aircraft Company of Hooton Park.In March 1929 when Flight Lieutenant Nicholas Comper left the Royal Air Force he formed the Comper Aircraft Company to build an aircraft he had designed, the Comper Swift.
Paul Mantz "Flight of the Phoenix" accident
Born in Alameda, California, on August 8th, 1903, Paul Mantz first learned to fly when he was 17. After spending several years barnstorming, and washing out of Army Flight School in 1927
The Radio Proximity Fuse
The proximity fuse was a radio transmitter/receiver that detected an object in its path. When the object was close enough, about 30 feet, the fuse would go off. Before the proximity fuse, the range to the target had to be estimated and that range dialed into the shell....
B-36 Bombers visit England
On January 16, 1951, 6 B-36Ds were flown from Carswell AFB to the United Kingdom. The purpose of the mission was to evaluate the B-36D under simulated war plan conditions
Junked Warplanes
Another short on the scrapping of US warplanes after the war
Gloster AS 31 Survey
The Gloster Aircraft Company designed this replacement for the single engined DH9 in the imperial survey and mapping role from another de Havilland Aircraft Limited concept, the DH67A.
General Aircraft G.A.L. 48 Hotspur combat assault glider
The first real British transport glider was built by General Aircraft Ltd at Feltham. It featured all-wood construction with plywood skins. It made it's first success full flight on 5 November 1940.
Slingsby T. 51 Dart Sailplane
Interesting "old school" sailplane construction.
The Dart was originally designed to Standard Class rules and first flew in 1964, winning the 1965 OSTIV prize at the World Championships at South Cerney, England
First non-stop around the world flight
The first nonstop around-the-world flight was accomplished by B-50A-5-BO (S/N 46-010) "Lucky Lady II" assigned to the 43rd Bomb Group. The flight which lasted from Feb. 26 to March 2, 1949, took 94 hours, 1 minute to complete.
The Butterfly Bomb
A Butterfly Bomb, or (Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg or SD2) was a German 2 kilogram anti-personnel bomblet used by the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War....
Bombs for Germany
During the years following the Great War bombs were still thought of as little more than artillery shells dropped from airplanes. In 1937 a new series of bombs was adopted by the RAF which were aerodynamically shaped with tail fins, far more suited to being carried and dropped from aircraft.
How to deal with an Indenciary Bomb (1940)
Although the available high explosives possessed great destructive power, perhaps the most potent of German bombs remained the tiny B1 El, a 1 kg incendiary which, dropped in profusion in 1940/41, caused millions of pounds worth of fire damage and virtually burnt out whole districts of British cities.
Pink Floyd - Goodbye Blue Sky (London Blitz)
The Blitz was the sustained bombing of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, in World War II. While the "Blitz" hit many towns and cities across the UK, it began with the bombing of London for 57 nights in a row. By the end of May 1941, over 43,000 civilians had been killed and more than a million houses destroyed or damaged.
The Wee Bee
The first plane to be titled as the "smallest plane in the world" was known as the Wee Bee. The title has been surpassed a few times. The diminutive plane was designed, built, and flown by Ken Coward, William Chana, and Karl Montijo in San Diego, California, during the late 1940s.
Forgotten Aircraft - Northrop N-3PB Seaplane
The Northrop N-3PB was a sleek single engine low wing float plane with a crew of three. The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service was the only customer of the type. Norway was in need of a replacement for the Naval Air Service's MF-11 biplane patrol aircraft and ordered 24 aircraft on 12 March 1940.
Focke-Wulf F-19 Ente - New footage, better quality
Please refer to my other video on this subject
Operation "Oyster", attack on Philips Radio Works, Holland
Dec 6th 1942 - RAF Bomber Command flies Operation OYSTER, a special raid carried out by all of the operational day-bomber squadrons in No. 2 Group. Their targets are the Philips radio and valve (electron tube) factories in the town of Eindhoven. Ninety three aircraft take part in the raid
Short Stirling Bomber (better quality footage)
The Stirling was the first four-engined British heavy bomber of the Second World War. Built by Short Brothers, it was to have a relatively short operational career....
Bombing of the Renault Motor Works, Paris, March 3/4 1942
Good Stirling Bomber footage
The Renault factory, in the town of Boulogne-Billancourt just west of the centre of Paris, was making an estimated 18,000 lorries a year for the German forces. 235 aircraft - 89 Wellingtons, 48 Hampdens, 29 Stirlings, 26 Manchesters, 23 Whitleys, 20 Halifaxes - were dispatched in 3 waves, the crews of the leading wave being selected for their experience...
Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy and Peaceful New Year!
"WINGS OF THUNDER".
They rode the wind on "Wings of Thunder",
with targets to find and tear asunder.
....
C.O.W. 37mm cannon fitted to Blackburn Perth flying boat
The 1½ Pr C.O.W. gun (so-called because it was developed by the Coventry Ordnance Works) was distinctive in that the recoil spring was wrapped around the barrel in the interest of compactness....The twin-engined Armstrong Whitworth Sinaia, the Short Cromarty and the experimental Vickers Valentia, all made in 1921, had provision for one in the nose.
USAAF Fierpower
Various weapons demonstrated for effect
Curtiss P-40 with the RAF, RNZAF and RAAF
Like it or not, the USAAF had only the P-40 available when it went to war. It rarely outperformed the fighters that it opposed, but it was one of the sturdiest fighters produced during World War II. Remembered as a "best second choice," innumerable pilots owe their lives to its rugged quality. The Curtiss P-40
Farman F-224
There can be little doubt that the Farman organization was responsible for turning out some of the world's ugliest aircraft. The tradition begun with the ghastly looking Jabiru and earlier Goliath was continued into the 1930s, although on a grander scale.
Forgotten Aircraft - Lockheed Constitution
The Lockheed R6V Constitution was a large, propeller-driven, double-decker transport aircraft developed in the 1940s by Lockheed as a long-range, high capacity transport and airliner for the U.S. Navy and Pan American Airways....
Battle of the Bismarck Sea
The Japanese high command decided to transfer about 105,000 troops from China and Japan to Lae in New Guinea to reinforce their forces there. The convoy, moving at a top speed of seven knots, was not detected for several days because of two tropical storms which struck the Solomon and Bismarck Seas between February 27 and March 1.
The ground crews - keep 'em flying
Author Unknown describes the debt we owe our ground people....
Consolidated PBY Catalina with the RAF
In 1933 Consolidated of Buffalo was in competition with Douglas of Santa Monica to supply the United States Navy with its first cantilever-monoplane flying boat. Though the Douglas aircraft was good, its rival, designed by Isaac M. Laddon, was to prove a classic
Stearman-Hammond Y-1S new material
Please refer to my previous video - Forgotten Aircraft - The Stearman-Hammond Y-1S
"The Few" - 20 Years later
A Battle of Britain retrospective made in 1960.
Vickers Wellesley
The design originated from the Air Ministry Specification G.4/31 which called for a General Purpose aircraft, capable of carrying out level bombing, army co-operation, dive bombing, reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and torpedo bombing. The Vickers Type 253....
Forgotten Aircraft - Fairchild XC-120 Packplane
Conversion of one C-119B to meet USAF requirement for an experimental detachable-fuselage transport; C-119B wings and tail surfaces combined with new upper fuselage component with a flat surface; lower component with flat upper surface, and incorporating cargo compartment, could be mated with the Packplane...
Boeing 307 Stratoliner
The Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner was the first fully pressurized airliner to enter service anywhere in the world. Being able to fly 20,000 feet higher than the 5,000 to 10,000 foot-altitude unpressurized airplanes a that time, it was said that it could "fly above the weather."... first flew on December 31, 1938
Lockheed Constellation Belly Landings
Just a couple clips of Constellations forced to make belly landings
Jimmy Stewart Bomber Pilot
Jimmy Stewart was too modest to recount his war experiences and there is very little material on his tour as bomber pilot. I found this audio clip from 1990 when he spoke at Princeton about his life and briefly about WW2. The entire audio clip can be found at princeton dot edu.
Captured German Aircraft
The first German aircraft flown and evaluated by the British was a Messerschmitt Bf 109E that made a forced landing in France in November 1939. The aircraft was studied and flown by the French and then given to the British in May 1940. It was promptly ferried to England and assigned to Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Farnborough where it was flown and tested extensively. In 1942 it was transferred to the US Army Air Forces and was shipped to the United States.
Lockheed Constellation first public flight
Credit to Manfred Poznanski for the beautiful Breitling Super Constellation video at the end of this clip. In the late 1930s, TWA was garnering attention and passengers with its new fleet of Boeing Stratoliners... First Flight: January 9, 1943
Wet Jets: Sanders Roe SR A/1 and Convair Sea Dart
The Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 was a prototype fighter aircraft tested by the Royal Air Force shortly after World War II. The first prototype flew on July 15, 1947,
Mustangs for the RAF (P-51A)
The Mustang's achievements in WW2 with the USAAF tend to overshadow its work with the RAF, who of course took the aircraft in to combat before the Americans ever did. RAF operations can be grouped in to three types:
No 452 Australian Squadron
No. 452 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force fighter unit formed during World War II, in England. The squadron flew Supermarine Spitfires for the entire war, initially over the UK and Nazi-occupied Europe. The squadron was later based in Australia and the Netherlands East Indies.
8th Air Force Weather Briefing for Bombing of Berlin
This weather briefing turned out to be quite accurate and as the accompaning film describes, bombing conditions over Berlin were perfect. Pretty impressive forecasting considering this was long before weather satellites
Martin Marauder in Action
The Martin B-26 Marauder was an American World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company.... A total of 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945; 522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force.... better performance than the contemporary B-25 Mitchell...
First USAAF Raid over Germany: unedited crew interviews
Wednesday, January 27, 1943: The first USAAF raid over a German target is carried out. A total of 55 American bombers raid Wilhelmshaven, losing 3 bombers and claiming 22 German planes shot down.
Hawker Typhoon in Action
In February 1940, the first N model, now known as the Typhoon, was delivered. Like the Tornado, the Typhoon was soon demonstrating its own problems, including vibrations from the engine causing the wing skinning to peel. The first production Mk IA was delivered in May 1941 with 12 Browning .303 guns, but this was followed quickly with the Mk IB with four Hispano 20 mm cannons.
Short S.17 Kent Flying Boat
The Short S.17 Kent was a British 4-engined 15-seat biplane luxury flying-boat airliner, designed and built by Shorts to meet a requirement from Imperial Airways Limited for an aircraft with greater range than the Calcutta.... In October 1930, Short Bros. started building the first of the three S.17 Kent flying-boats (G-ABFA, named Scipio)....
In-flight refueling of the Empire Flying Boat
Empire flying boat in-flight refueling operations were conducted using a modified Handley Page Harrow bomber as a tanker....
Saro Shrimp half scale flying prototype
Saunders-Roe A.37 flying boat half scale flying prototype
Dewey Eldred 'Flyer's Dream' light seaplane
1946. Dewey Eldred's highly-original floatplane with a automobile-like nacelle mounted on top of a W-shaped wing. Floats were mounted under the lowest parts of the wing, with twin tail-booms attached to the rear of the floats. Very little information available on this aircraft.

Vickers Virginia flight ops 1935
Night Bomber. The Vickers Virginia was a biplane heavy bomber of the British Royal Air Force, developed from the Vickers Vimy. The work on the Virginia was started in 1921 as a replacement to the Vimy.... The Virginias were highly accident prone, with 81 lost in this manner. Despite their obsolete status, Virginias continued to soldier on in support roles with the Parachute Test Flight at Henlow until December 1941.
Horsa Invasion Gliders converted into homes
Folow up to my Airspeed Horsa Glider video. The post war housing shortage in Britain prompted one developer to convert surplus Horsa Gliders into homes and vacation trailers. Interesting short from Movie Tone.
Parnall Peto Submarine Launched Seaplane and the HMS M2
The Parnall Peto was a small seaplane designed to Air Ministry specification 16/24 in the early 1920s for use as a submarine-carried reconnaissance aircraft....
The accident. M2 left her base at Portland on 29 January 1932, for an exercise in West Bay... Her crew of 60 were all killed in the accident...
Grand Slam bomb
The Grand Slam (Earth Quake bomb), was a very large freefall bomb developed by the British aeronautical engineer Barnes Wallis (who also made the bouncing bomb) in late 1944....
Westland Lysander in Action
The Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft used in the Second World War. It achieved fame through its ability to operate from short stretches of unprepared airstrip and its clandestine missions to plant or retrieve agents from behind enemy lines, particularly in Nazi-occupied France....
Stipa-Caproni Flying Barrel (take-off footage only)
1931-1932... The resulting Caproni-Stipa aircraft had a corpulent annular fuselage, which concealed a Gipsy engine and two-bladed propeller....
Forgotten Aircraft: Douglas DC-4E
The Douglas DC-4E was an experimental airliner that was developed before World War II. The design originated in 1935 from a requirement by United Air Lines.
RAF Eagle Squadron
Prior to the United States' entry into WWII many Americans volunteered for service in the RAF and RCAF. The Battle of Britain raged from May though October 1940....
de Havilland DH98 Mosquito
More Mosquito footage, some good quality stuff.
The de Havilland Mosquito was a British combat aircraft that excelled in a number of roles during the Second World ...
"Round Britain" air race in 1911
22 July 1911. The Circuit of Britain Air Race, in 1911, was one of a series of events to encourage the development of aircraft, to be staged by the Daily Mail.
The Winner
Beaumont won the event on the 26th July, in a flying time of 22 hrs 29 minutes 6 seconds, and average speed of 44.45 miles per hour. Emile Vedrines was second in 23 hrs 38 minutes and 3 seconds and an average speed of 42.85 miles per hour. The Englishman, James Valentine was third, also in a Depurdussin aircraft, while Colonel Cody was the only all English entrant to complete the course, when he came in fourth, arriving at Brooklands, ten days after the winner.
Handley Page H.P.42
This is some better quality film than I originally posted.
The Handley Page H.P.42 and H.P.45 were British four-engined long-range biplane airliners designed to a 1928 Imperial Airways specification by Handley Page of Radlett in Hertfordshire.
Australian Air Progress
Collection of films tracing the history of Australian aviation...
De Havilland DH.91 Albatross
The DH.91 was designed in 1936 by A. E. Hagg to Air Ministry specification 36/35 for a trans-Atlantic mail plane.
The first thousand-bomber raid, Cologne
30/31 May 1942 - The first thousand-bomber raid, Cologne
1,047 aircraft were dispatched, this number being made up as follows:
Dewoitine D.332 "Emeraude"
The D.332 was an all-metal cantilever low-wing monoplane, the pilot and co-pilot were seated side-by-side in a cabin located forward of the wing leading edge. A radio operator station was located behind the pilots, and it had a passenger cabin for eight-passengers.... Further development of the design was the D.338 with retractable undercarriage....
de Havilland flying school 1933
To be rich and British in the 1930's. Short film promoting civil flying (and Moth sales)
Sport Gliding in the 1930's
More vintage sailplanes and a couple of clips featuring Robert Kronfeld the Austrian glider champion of the day.
Tainan Fireworks Festival
My trip to the Tainan Fireworks festival in 1995. I'm not sure if they have these anymore, every year people would get burned or blinded. Quite an experience.
The Original Flying Flea
The Flying Flea (Pou de ciel in French) is a small aircraft whose original design originates from the 1930s. The Flying Flea is a creation of a French inventor Henri Mignet. Mignet had failed to be accepted as a pilot and decided to build his own plane. Between 1931 and 1933 he tested and built prototypes in Paris and tested them in a large field northeast of the city.
Crashing planes for fun and profit
Strange clips from the 1930's showing pilots crashing planes for the camera
The Short Mayo Composite
The Short Mayo Composite is the name given to a piggyback long-range seaplane/flying boat combination produced by Short Brothers to provide a reliable long-range air transport service to the United States and the far reaches of the British Empire and the Commonwealth.
Short S.40 Shetland II Flying Boat
The Short Shetland was a British high-speed, long-range, four-engined flying-boat built by Short Brothers at Rochester, Kent for use in the Second World War...
Re: Latécoère 521, "Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris" supplement
Some additional footage found, please see original post.
Short S23 C Class Empire Flying Boats Part 2
Design and development
The origins of the Empire boats lay in an Air Ministry requirement for passenger and mail carriers that could service the colonies particularly to make the connection to Australia.... Imperial Airways (and its successor BOAC), Qantas and TEAL operated the Short Empire.
British wartime aircraft production
Compilation of newsreels related to British aircraft production during WW2
Latécoère 521, "Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris" flying boat
The Latécoère 521, "Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris", was a French six-engined flying boat, and one of the first large trans-Atlantic passenger aircraft. The inaugural flight took place on 10 January 1935, followed by a demonstration flight in December 1935 via Dakar, North Africa to Natal, Brazil, then north to the French West Indies. Having reached Pensacola, Florida, it was caught in a hurricane and wrecked. The aircraft was returned to France by ship to be rebuilt, before going into service with Air France on the trans-Atlantic route. In June 1937, it flew non-stop to Natal before returning to France via the North Atlantic. Then, equipped with more powerful engines, the aircraft made four further return flights to New York, between May and July 1939.
Sport Gliding in the 1920's
Collection of glider films from 1922 to 1929
Avro type 685 York
Designated the Avro type 685, development began in 1941. The design paired a new "squared-off" fuselage with the wings, tail and undercarriage of the Lancaster bomber. Production was undertaken by Avro with the hopes of sales to both the RAF and in the postwar civil airliner market.
AVRO Lancaster Production
The Avro Lancaster was a British four-engine Second World War bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the British Royal Air Force (RAF). It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley-Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, t
"Fly Away Peter"
1942 Royal Air Force film production about air re-inforcement of overseas bases during WW2
Battle of Britain Newsreels
Selected newsreels from 1940 and 1941 related to the air defense of Britain.
Hawker Harts, N0. 12 sqdrn Andover Aerodrome 1931
Design and development. In 1926, the Air Ministry stated a requirement for a high performance light-bomber, and which culminated in the choice of the Hawker Hart over other rivals (Avro Antelope and Fairey Fox) due to it being far cheaper to maintain, a vital aspect to a programme during defence budget constraints that the British armed forces faced during the 1920s.
Short S23 C Class Empire Flying Boats Part 1
The origins of the Empire boats lay in an Air Ministry requirement for passenger and mail carriers that could service the colonies particularly to make the connection to Australia. The Empire was officially known as the C-class and each aircraft was christened with a name beginning with C. The first aircraft, G-ADHL Canopus, was completed in June 1936 and launched on 3 July. A total of 42 Empires were built, all at Short's Rochester factory....
Boeing XB-15
The Boeing XB-15 (Boeing 294) was a bomber aircraft first designed in 1934 as a test for the United States Army Air Corps to see if it would be possible to build a heavy bomber with a 5,000 mile (8,000 km) range. It was originally designated the XBLR-1
Free Flight Model Planes in Japan and France 1934
Compressed air powered models in Japan and rubber powered models in France filmed in 1934
Quizcraft - Aircraft Recognition Training Film
There are apparently several films in the "Quizcraft" series, but I was only able to find volume 4 which features the Martin Maryland, Messerschmitt ME109E, Short Sunderland flying boat, Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley and Douglas Boston MK III
Airspeed Horsa Invasion Glider
The use of assault gliders by the British was prompted by the use by Germany of the DFS 230, which was first used in May 1940 to successfully assault the Eben Emael fort in Belgium. Their advantage compared to parachute assault was that the troops were landed together in one place, rather than being dispersed.
Golden Age Pioneers: Jean Batten - Garbo of the Skies
Jean Batten, (1909 -- 1982), was a New Zealand aviatrix whose daring and adventurous flights made her a global heroine and broke barriers of time, distance and gender. Jean competed in a male bastion of dashing bravery and proved to the world that a woman could equal and even exceed their exploits.
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The Great Air Race - England to Melbourne 1934
The MacRobertson Trophy Air Race took place October, 1934 as part of the Melbourne Centenary celebrations. The idea of the race was devised by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, and a prize fund of $75,000 was put up by Sir Macpherson Robertson,
Armstrong-Whitworth A.W.27 "Ensign" 1937-38
Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft started on the A.W.27 Ensign in 1934 after receipt of a specification from Imperial Airways. The first aircraft was ordered in September of that year, with delivery expected in 1936; eleven more were ordered in May 1935. An order for a further two aircraft in 1937 brought the total to 14.
Vought-Sikorsky OS2U Kingfisher
Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division's OS2U Kingfisher was the U. S. Navy's primary ship-based, scout and observation airplane during World War II. Rex Beisel, a design engineer at Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Company, crafted the OS2U in 1937.
Air Show at Hendon 1932
Too many aircraft types to list but they include the Vickers Virginia and a great shot of the Westland-Hill Pterodactyl flying wing
US Pilots meet Russian Jets over Korea
Captured film of Russian aircraft combined with stock and gun camera footage of air combat over Korea featuring F9F panther Jets and F-86 Sabres.
Robertson Waterplane Hydavion
Russell Robertson patented this clever idea in 1930 to combine flying with boating. The outboard motor is on a pivot arm alowing the plane to lift off the water about 10 feet. Not sure how/if it turns
Armstrong Whitworth AW.15 Atalanta 1932
Soon after World War 1, the next few years were to see a remarkable transformation, and one of the first of this new generation of British airliners was the Armstrong Whitworth A.W.15 Atalanta. Ordered by Imperial Airways for its services in South Africa and between Karachi and Singapore, the A.W.15 (or A.W.XV)...
Bristol Blenheim
The Type 135 civil twin design was on Bristol drawing boards by July 1933.
In 1934 Lord Rothermere, owner of the Daily Mail, issued a challenge to the British aviation industry to build a high-speed aircraft capable of carrying six passengers and two crew members.
Extreme Crop Dusting 1957
Crop Dusters in Columbia fly Piper Cubs to the limit to dust cotton fields in mountain terrain. I wonder what horrible chemical they were using in those days...
B-50 refuels 3 F-100s
Short clip of a tripple in-flight refueling of F100 Super Sabres by a B-50 Tanker
Grumman F3F-2 "Flying Barrel"
In 1935 the U.S. Navy placed an order with the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, then of Farmingdale, for the design and construction of a new fighter, the F3F. Based on earlier Grumman biplane designs, the F3F was faster and more maneuverable than any Navy fighter to date.
The Besler Steam Plane
A Travel Air 2000 biplane made the world's first piloted flight under steam power over Oakland, California, on 12 April 1933...