video 40 years of the Etendard!

Captured enemy aircraft at the Farnborough exhibition October/November 1945 - Martin Baker M.B. 5

Veteran aviation author, diarist and commentator Mike Bowyer is presenting a talk on the Farnborough 1945 exhibition at the RAeS on Monday 17 November. Open to the public in October and November 1945 the RAF displayed its captured aircraft and many British prototypes then undergoing evaluation during late 1945. Inspired by an article in the September 2010 issue of Aeroplane magazine here are some period images of the exhibition and some excerpts from Flight's coverage of November 1945, taken from the amazing flightglobal pdf archive!

Back row left to right: Ju 290, Ju 52/3, Ju 352, a Fw 200 and a Do 17. A Ju 88 Mistel combination can just be discerned right at the back. In the second row are the following;  Si 204, Ju 88 G, Fi 103 manned V-1, Ju 388, He 219. Third row: Me 410 (maybe 210...), Bf 110 G, Do 335 B (probably the B-12 trainer), Ta 152, Fw 190 A, Ar 234, and Me 262. Final row: Supermarine Spiteful, Martin-Baker MB 5, Blackburn Firebrand, Bristol Brigand, Fairey Firefly, Fairey Spearfish, Meteor and a couple of late-mark Spitfire tails.

F-35C lands on board Nimitz 03 November 2014

F-35C Lightning II carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter conducted its first arrested landing aboard an aircraft carrier off the coast of San Diego on 03 November 2014. Navy test pilot Cmdr. Tony Wilson landed F-35C test aircraft CF-03 at 12:18 p.m. aboard USS Nimitz's (CVN 68) flight deck. The arrested landing is part of initial at-sea Developmental Testing I (DT-I) for the F-35C, which  is expected to last two weeks.

  " For the first time in U.S. naval aviation history, radar-evading stealth capability will come to the carrier deck. The F-35C carrier variant sets new standards in weapon system integration, lethality, maintainability, combat radius and payload that bring true multi-mission capability to the sea. As we countdown to the F-35C’s first carrier developmental testing, find out how the F-35C differs from the other F-35 variants and the features that make it suitable for carrier operations..."

Lower view shows well the larger wing planform of the F-35 C with its foldable wing-tips. Other features of the carrier-borne version of the Lightning II include the twin nose wheel configuration for the nose-tow launch system. The C also features a greater internal fuel capacity. Read the rest of Lockheed Martin's F 35 C press release here