Air & Space Magazine: July 2012
Features
The 120,000-Foot Leap
Can space-diver Felix Baumgartner break the sound barrier without breaking his neck?
By Mark Betancourt
Europe’s Typhoon Fighter
For the first time since World War II, fighters are stationed at RAF Northolt.
By Carl Posey
My Other Vehicle Was a Spacecraft
Now that the space shuttle has retired, astronauts are rediscovering the joys of flying airplanes.
By Phil Scott
A New Time-to-Climb Record
A Yak 3U gets to 10,000 feet in 125 seconds.
By George C. Larson
Inside Boeing’s 787 Factory
The Dreamliner’s quiet revolution.
By Stephen Joiner
Cancelled: Vertical Flyer
The Coléoptère was one weird-looking aircraft.
By Jeremy Davis
Hurry-Up Satellites
These Pentagon mavericks want to launch spacecraft within a week of taking the order. Wish them luck.
By Todd Neff
Piggyback Airplanes
Ten of aviation's most famous hitch-hikers.
By Lynn Keillor
Viewport: Champion of the Fleet
Discovery takes a victory lap before settling in at the National Air and Space Museum.
By J.R. Dailey
Gyroplanes Swarm in Florida
The Annual Bensen Days fly-in welcomes rotorheads.
By Bill Wilson
Summer at the Smithsonian
Planning a visit to the Museum? We provide some helpful hints.
By Rebecca Maksel
Bait and Switch in Libya
Naval aviators push Qaddafi's buttons in a 1981 exercise.
By Commander Thompson E. Sanders U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Short Strips and Flying Pigs
When flying in Papua, be prepared for surprises.
By Nate Gordon
Making a Smoother (and Speedier) Airplane
Within months of its first flight, August Bellanca's Skyrocket II set five world speed records.
By George C. Larson, Member, NAA
