Newly released from Naval Institute Press and author Ernest M. Snowden is F8U Crusader: Naval History Special Edition, a richly illustrated volume exploring the F8U Crusader’s storied role in Cold War and Vietnam-era naval aviation, from setting speed records to earning its reputation as the “Last of the Gunfighters.”
From its first flight in 1955, the F8U Crusader proved to be an extraordinary aircraft, establishing a renowned fighter legacy for naval aviation. Building on its success with the F4U Corsair, aviator pioneer Chance Vought brought the Navy into the supersonic age with the Crusader, the first carrier-based fighter to exceed 1,000 mph in level flight. The Crusader earned the Navy its first Thompson Trophy for military aircraft speed and won the Collier Trophy for its innovative carrier suitability features. In 1957 future astronaut John Glenn set a new intercontinental speed record in an F8U-1P, flying from California to New York in just 3 hours and 23 minutes. At a time when guns were being replaced by missiles, Vought designers retained an integrated aircraft cannon, solidifying the Crusader’s reputation as the “Last of the Gunfighters” and earning the loyalty of its pilots.
The contribution of the Crusader to U.S. Cold War operations was substantial. The F8U-1P photoreconnaissance variant, the longest-serving Crusader model, debuted operationally during the Cuban Missile Crisis, providing irrefutable low-level imagery of Soviet activity. During the Vietnam War, Crusader pilots achieved an enviable 6-to-1 kill ratio, outperforming both Air Force and Navy F-4 Phantom pilots―a testament to the aircraft’s maneuverability and the dogfighting ethos of the Crusader’s pilot community.
The Crusader retired from U.S. Navy service in 1987, but its legacy endured as it continued to serve with the Philippine Air Force and the French Navy until 1999, forty-four years after its first flight. Author Ernest Snowden, a former naval aviator, provides an in-depth look at the design and operational history of this iconic aircraft, making this book a must-read for air combat history enthusiasts.
The publication spans 114 pages and is available in Mook format – a hybrid publication format blending elements of a magazine and a book.
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ICM has released their new HP.52 Hampden TB.Mk.I model kit in 1/48 scale.
As previously reported, this new offering (48353) is based on ICM’s recently released, new tool new tool HP.52 Hampden B.Mk.I (48352) . The HP.52 Hampden B.Mk.I was the standard medium bomber version, designed primarily for high‑speed level bombing with an internal bay carrying up to 4,000 lb of bombs, whereas the TB.Mk.I was a later conversion optimized for the torpedo‑bomber role, configured to carry a single 18‑inch torpedo internally plus typically two 500 lb bombs under the wings.
The new kit offers the TB.Mk.I’s modified lower gun position and redesigned lower fuselage section. Additional features include a Mk.XII torpedo with trolley, four marking options and rivet detail on the fuselage, wings and tail. It can be used with ICM’s acrylic paint set for WWII RAF Coastal Command aircraft (eBay Product Link)
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A 1947 Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
This beautifully restored 1947 Piper PA-12 features just 5 hours since major overhaul and 3,422 total time since new. Finished in Daytona white with blue trim, it includes new fabric, paint, windshield, wiring, and panel. O-320 engine and prop are both freshly overhauled. Equipped with floats, federal skis, vortex generators, PA-18 mods, and more. A rare vintage taildragger that’s ready to fly.
The aircraft is located in Pitt Meadows, BC Canada and offers are currently being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos.
Fantasy of Flight founder Kermit Weeks has posted a new video documenting the move of his Lockheed Constellation in preparation for construction of a new hangar.
This particular aircraft (N974R) is a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, the final Constellation variant. During its long service history it flew with Lufthansa and served as a freighter with Lockheed Air Service. It was acquired by Fantasy of Flight in 2011.
The new video is the first in a two part series and can be seen after the break along with Kermit’s overview of N974R’s journey to Fantasy of Flight. As you’ll see, the move is more complicated and interesting than you might expect.
Coming soon from Cambridge University Press and author Phillip S. Meilinger is Building an Air Force: The Air Corps and the Formation of US Airpower.
Until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, America did not want war, with the 1930s marked by strong isolationism and an emphasis on defense. However, in December 1941, it wasn’t defensive aircraft the Army Air Corps had been steadily procuring, but offensive long-range heavy bombers, whilst US pursuit planes were decidedly inferior to their European counterparts. In this new history of the development of American air power, Phillip Meilinger dispels the notion that young air zealots pushed for a bomber-heavy force, revealing instead the technological, economic and bureaucratic forces which shaped the air force. He examines the role of scientists and engineers, developments in commercial aviation, and conflicting priorities of the Army and Air Corps, as well as how these were in turn influenced by America’s political leaders. Building an Air Force is essential for understanding a conflict in which whoever controlled the skies controlled the land and seas beneath.
The 330 page, hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release set for May 7.
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E-Flite will soon release a new Beechcraft D18/RC-45J 1.5m RC model in PNP and PNF Basic versions.
Described as “the most convenient, capable, and easiest to fly scale model of one of general and military aviation’s most recognizable aircraft,” the offering is equipped with a twin brushless power system with specially tuned motors to deliver better-than-scale-like performance when using 3S 3200-5000mAh batteries. Even more speed and unlimited vertical performance is reportedly provided with a 4S battery – no modifications or upgrades required.
It’s also equipped with an exclusive Spektrum Avian Dual 40-amp Smart Lite ESC, which can provide a variety of real-time power system telemetry data with both Smart and non-Smart batteries via compatible receivers (including the AR631+ installed in the BNF Basic version) and Spektrum AirWare-equipped transmitters. The BNF Basic version is also the only Twin Beech model equipped with enhanced AS3X+ and optional-use SAFE Select technologies, making it the easiest to fly D18/RC-45J yet. Factory-finished in a highly visible and fully painted white with orange Navy trim scheme, the lightweight yet durable, composite-reinforced EPO airframe features an abundance of scale detail — molded-in panel lines and hatches, antennas, exhaust stacks, a pilot figure, and more. Included functional flaps, twin rudders, and LED navigation lights elevate your experience to the next level. Factory-installed electric retracts with durable metal components making it possible to take off from a wide variety of surfaces, including paved runways, packed dirt, and even grass. The unique 3-piece wing design makes storage and transport as convenient as possible, as the center section houses the main gear, and all sections feature innovative hands-free connections. Best of all, because no glue is required for final assembly, you can have the Beechcraft D18/RC-45J 1.5m ready to fly in less time than it takes to charge a battery!
The model is currently slated for release later this month. Click below to check out a promo video for the upcoming release.
A 1989 Maule M6 has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
This 1989 Maule M-6 is a well-upgraded and meticulously maintained aircraft powered by a Lycoming IO-540 235-horsepower engine with approximately 76 hours since overhaul. It features a McCauley three-blade propeller with matching hours since overhaul, and the entire firewall-forward section was overhauled and repainted at the Maule factory in 2024. The paint and fabric were updated approximately one month ago, and the interior was refreshed this year using new factory Maule vinyl. The avionics suite has been modernized with a Garmin GMA 345 audio panel, Garmin GTX 345 transponder, Garmin GNC 215 radio, dual UV-30 stacks, dual USB-C chargers, and a G4 engine monitor. Additional features include a new prop cable and throttle, a fully functional autopilot, 29-inch Alaskan Bushwheels with roughly 50 hours, ABI-199-62 wheel and brake kit, vortex generators, gap seal kit, and patrol doors. This aircraft is exceptionally well equipped for both utility and backcountry operations.
The aircraft is located in Los Angeles, CA and offers are currently being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos.
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Tempest will soon release the second installment of Dan Sharp’s series Secret Projects of the Luftwaffe, which will focus on bomber designs from 1939-1945.
Dozens of top secret bomber designs were drawn up by the Germans during the Second World War, including gigantic flying wings, sleek jet bombers, asymmetrical bombers with the cockpit and weapons turrets on the ends of their wings and even enormous carriers for single-seat suicide bombers.
Starting with Heinkel’s He 177, the most advanced bomber design of its day in 1936, author Dan Sharp looks at the huge variety of bomber projects produced during the days of the Third Reich, uncovering a host of original and previously unseen documents to offer an unrivalled look at bombers such as the Arado E 470, E 555 and previously unknown Arado types, Junkers Ju 488, Focke-Wulf Ta 400 and Fw 300, Blohm & Voss P 163 and BV 250, Messerschmitt P 1107 and P 1108, He 343 and the so-called Daimler-Benz projects.
Secret Projects of the Third Reich Volume 2: Bombers 1939-1945 is a companion volume for Secret Projects of the Luftwaffe Volume 1: Jet Fighters 1939-1945 and includes numerous new and period illustrations.
The new, second volume is currently available for pre-order with release set for May 6.
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Arma Hobby will soon release a new Curtiss P-36C Hawk model kit in 1/72 scale.
The offering (70082) will include 3D-printed spent-cartridge containers for the wing- mounted machine guns, painting masks for the cockpit and wheels, a 3D file for self-printing additional details (pilot’s seat with harness, fuselage bulkhead, instrument panel, exhaust pipes), and three marking options (27th Pursuit Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, National Air Races, Cleveland, Ohio, September 1939; 27th Pursuit Squadron, USAAC, Selfridge Field, Michigan, 1939; 27th Pursuit Squadron, USAAC, Selfridge Field, Michigan, 1939).
The kit will be released in early March. Click below to check out kit contents and livery profiles.
A 1966 Cessna 206 project has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
This 1966 Cessna 206 is a classic single engine airplane originally manufactured in the United States. This particular aircraft has been disassembled for painting. Included with the airplane are its original log books for airframe, propeller, and engine aswell as (AWC). Tachometer time: 5641 hrs; Time since major overhaul: 1655.5 hrs; Propeller time: < 200 hrs; Engine: IO-520A. Missing: Two middle seats, break lines from fuselage to break caliper, battery
The aircraft is located in Bothell, Washington and is currently available for bidding. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos.
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