Aircraft Types
Powered and unpowered aircraft, including fixed-wing, hybrid, rotary and lighter-than-air
Docking on the Empire State Building
Despite plans for a mooring station, only one airship ever docked at the Empire State Building.
April 01, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
For Safe Landings On Two Planets
The 2013 National Air and Space Museum Trophy Winners.
April 2013 |
By The Editors
Lindbergh’s Trainer: The Brunner-Winkle Bird
The plane that taught Anne Morrow Lindbergh to fly is flying again.
April 2013 |
By Paul Glenshaw
Rescue, James Bond Style
Some of 007's imaginative toys were based on actual inventions.
March 01, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
The Flying Crane
Test pilot Gale Moore rose to the challenge of the XH-17.
February 2013 |
By Don Porter
Mr. Arango’s Aeroplanes
A World War I aircraft enthusiast’s collection tracks the evolution of the species.
February 2013 |
By Peter Garrison
Kings of the Air
Two showmen, one dirigible, and the flight that changed aviation.
February 2013 |
By Paul Glenshaw
The 727 Turns Fifty
Once a best-seller, the airliner’s pilots still swear by it.
January 2013 |
By George C. Larson, Member, NAA
Stratomouse!
In the 1950s, balloons carried live mice to near-space to study how the trip might affect astronauts.
January 11, 2013 |
By Heather Goss
Rotary Rescue
The Sikorsky HO5S-1 made its name flying medevac missions in Korea.
January 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
The Versatile Beech 18
From sculptural beauty to functional transport, the Model 18 is an airplane of many guises.
November 16, 2012 |
By Diane Tedeschi and Caroline Sheen
Ode to the Bubble
The Bell 47, famous as the star of “Whirlybirds,” was the DC-3 of helicopters. Could it make a comeback?
November 2012 |
By Mark Huber
Artifacts on the Road
A gallery of traveling air- and spacecraft loaned out by the Smithsonian.
September 18, 2012 |
By Heather Goss
Carlotta, the Lady Aeronaut
An 1880 balloon jaunt ends with our heroine up a tree.
August 16, 2012 |
By Rebecca Maksel
One-and-Onlies: The Complete List
All the Smithsonian’s one-of-a-kind aircraft
August 14, 2012 |
By Patricia Trenner
