Air & Space Magazine: September 2005

Articles

White Rocket

How all U.S. Air Force pilots since 1968 have met their Mach.

The Rainmakers

Once a fire starts, these airplanes are the fastest way to slow it down. So why are they endangered?

Spaceman

Sometimes an entire era is represented by a single career.

Planes, Trains, and Waterfalls

A South African company revives a 1950s airliner and the lost art of elegant travel.

The Short, Happy Life of the Prop-fan

Meet the engine that became embroiled in round one of Boeing v. Airbus, a fight fueled by the cost of oil.

When Stars Collide

Enter Einstein's grand construct of gravitational wonders, and do not attempt to adjust your

A Bell That Didn't Ring

Turns out that jets are like waffles: The U.S. Army Air Forces was tempted to throw its first one away.

The French-Russian Connection

With Russian Yaks, a small group of French pilots fought like hell to drive the Germans out of the Soviet Union.

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In the Magazine

Snapshot

Reader Scrapbook

Need to Know

What does it take to become an "ace"?

And has anyone ever been stripped of their status?