Spacecraft Photos

Sixteen photos of spacecraft from Space.com’s 2001 calendar. Great photos! Credit: Space.com

Download here or here (74.4 Megs)

MDC/Russian MA-31 Supersonic Target (Update 1)

Another article on the little known MDC project of converting a Russian X-31 missile to the Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target (SSST).

See previous posts for an explanation. Credit: Boeing News

Download article here

Thoughts on Fighters

Vetern aircraft designer, Edward H. Heinemann’s article Thoughts on Fighters. Ed talks of the Douglas aircraft that he designed and about the future of aircraft design. Published in the October 1982 issue of “Air International” magazine. Credit: Air International

Download here or here or here (1.9 Megs)

U.S. Army Air Corps Painting and Camouflage Orders - 1941

A copy of T.O. 07-1-1 for the 1941 U.S. Army Air Corps Painting and Camouflage Orders. Dated April 8 1941. Credit: William T. Larkins

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Northrop YF-17 Walk Arounds

Several Walk Around Photo collections. Credit: For both Walk Arounds, Cees Hendriks.

Walk around # 1 is YF-17 s/n 72-1570 and is on display at the Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama, USA.

Walk around # 2 is YF-17 s/n 72-1569 and it is on display at the Western Museum of Flight at Torrance, CA.

Download Walk around # 1 here or here (3.6 Megs)

Download Walk around # 2 here or here (31.1 Megs)

YF-17/Aden 2-D Nozzle System Study

A copy of NASA Contractor Report # NASA-CR-144882, dated July 1979.

The purpose oi this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating the G. E. ADEN 2-D vectoring nozzle design on the YF-1'? fighter in order to provide a manned flight demonstrator of 2-D nozzle technology.
The YF-17 YJ101. engines and aft structure would be modified to integrate ADEN
nozzles with a thrust vectoring flap deflection range of 10° up to 20° down. Also canards would be added below the canopy.

Credit: NASA

Download here or here or here (7.5 Megs)

YJ-101/YF-17 Engine Prototype Development Summary

A copy of the YJ-101/YF-17 Aircraft Engine Prototype Development Summary. Written by the Aircraft Engine Group of General Electric. Technical report AFAPL-TR-77-18 and dated January 1977.

Download here or here or here (4.7 Megs)

Northrop YF-17 Pilots Manual

A copy of the Northrop Company YF-17 Pilots Manual and Check List. NOR-74-101 is dated April 1974.

Download here or here or here (15.3 Megs)

Northrop YF-17 Photos

A selection of 130 Northrop YF-17 photos of the two prototypes.

Download here or here (130.9 Megs)

Northrop YF-17 Prototype Paint and Markings Article

A small article on the Paint and Markings of the YF-17 Prototypes in 1976. From the IPMS Toledo Chapter newsletter.

Download here or here or here (9.8 Megs)

Fighter Pilot Gunnery

A copy of the Army Air Forces manual on Fighter Pilot Gunnery, TO No. 00-25-35, dated December 10 1943

Download here or here or here (7.9 Megs)

Air Force/Navy General Manual for Structural Repair

A copy of the Air Force/Navy General Manual for Structural Repair (Engineeering Handbook Series for Aircraft Repair). Air Force TO 1-1A-1 and Navy Navair 01-1A-1, dated 15 January 2016.

Download here or here or here (2.3 Megs)

Gemini St. Louis Post Dispatch Article

A short article on the Gemini capsule as published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper on September 30 1962.

Download here or here or here (38.7 Megs)

National Museum of Nuclear Science and History Photos

Formally known as the National Atomic Museum.

This is the nation’s only congressionally chartered museum in its field. An intriguing place to learn the story of the Atomic Age. Exhibits spanning the early research of nuclear development through today’s peaceful uses of nuclear technology.

Mark Nankivil took a trip to Albuquerque, NM last July 20 2017 and sent these 215 photos. Lotd of aircraft and missiles! Credit: Mark Nankivil

Download here or here (159 Megs)

Douglas C-124 Globemaster II Photos

A group of 106 photos of the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II aircraft. Credit: As noted

Download here or here (72.5 Megs)

Additional info here

Lockheed P-38L-1 Army Erection and Maintenance Instructions

A copy of the Army Erection and Maintenance Instructions for the Lockheed P-38L-1 aircraft. Dated 1945.

Download here or here (65.9 Megs)

Jane's World Aircraft Recognition Handbook

A copy of the Jane's World Aircraft Recognition Handbook, dated 1982. A standard in the field!

Download here or here (49.8 Megs)

Phantom FGR Mk. 2 Aircrew Manual–Book 1

A copy of the UK AP.101B-0902-15A Aircrew Manual for the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II FG Mk 2 aircraft, dated March 1990.
Download here or here or here (23.8 Megs)

McDonnell XF-85 Goblin Walk Around #2

Another set of 97 photos of the XF-85 at the National Museum of the USAF, Dayton, OH. Credit: Vladimir Yakubov and John Heck

Download here or here

McDonnell XF-85 Goblin Walk Around #1

A set of 76 photos of the XF-85 at the Strategic Air and Space Museum, Ashland, NE. Credit: Vladimir Yakubov and John Heck

Download here or here (54.3 Megs)

Jane's All the World's Aircraft-1987 & 1988

A copy of the iconic aircraft "bible" for 1987 and 1988.

Download here or here

Bomber and Transport Aircraft Posters

A set of 52 great bomber and transport aircraft posters from the artist/publisher D-Agostini.

Download here or here (172.1 Megs)

Fighter Aircraft Posters

A set of 98 great aircraft posters from the artist/publisher D-Agostini.

Download here or  here (144.7 Megs)

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Pilot Training Manual

A copy of Pilot’s Training Manual for the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft, dated 1943. Credit: Scribd.com

Download here or here or here (51.9 Megs)

Republic P-47N Thunderbolt Pilot Training Manual

A copy of Pilot’s Training Manual #AAF 51-127-4, for the McDonnell F2H-2/2N/2P aircraft, dated 1945. Credit: Scribd.com

Download here or here or here (42.2 Megs)

Aviation Art by Nicolas Trudgian

Examples of Nicolas Trudgian’s aviation art (262 paintings). WWII and modern.

Download here or here  (290 Megs)

The Aviation Art of Roy Grinnel

A portfolio of 122 aviation paintings by Roy Grinnel.

Download here or here (61.5 Megs)

Douglas X-3 Stiletto Photos

Some nice photos of the Douglas X-3 Stiletto.
Download here or here (11.2 Megs)

Douglas X-3 Stiletto Walk Around

Douglas X-3 Stiletto Walk Around Photos. (64 photos.) Some nice detail shots of a Douglas X-3 Stiletto at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.. Credit: Randy Ray, John Heck

Download here (43.1 Megs)

Additional X-3 walk around by Howard Mason here

Castle Air Museum Photos

Mark Nankivil, president of the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum, sent 88 photos taken by himself at the Castle Air Museum. Castle Air Museum is a military aviation museum located in Atwater, California. Dated May 8, 2017.

Download here (74.3 Megs)

Castle Air Museum video tour here

President George H.W. Bush Tribute

Jean from the Box Art Den posted a nice recap of President George H.W. Bush’s military service.

“ (The US) is mourning the death, at 94, of the 41st President of the US.
George H.W. Bush finally gave in to the ravages of time, and passed away on Friday.
He was quite a man, and one of his many accomplishments occurred during WWII.

George Bush was a pilot in the US Navy, and flew Grumman TBF Avengers in combat.
He had the misfortune of having one shot out from under him and spent some time floating in the Pacific in a small life raft.
The rest of his crew were killed in the exchange, and he was rescued by a US submarine.
This week we pay homage to him. I collected a handful of images of the Avenger, and found a few of George during the war.”

Download Bush and general Avenger photos here or here (3.5 Megs)

Northrop YF-18 Prototype Photos–Reloaded

Fixed the ZIP file to include all of the photos!

See here for correct ZIP file.

Royal Canadian Air Force Review Today

A copy of the RCAF review magazine for 2018.

Download here or here or here (21.6 Megs)

Lockheed P-38H/J/L-1&L-5/L-5B Flight Manual

A copy of the Pilot’s Flight Operating Instructions (Flight Manual) for the Lockheed P-38H/J/L-1&L-5/L-5B aircraft. Undated.

Download here or here or here

An Illustrated Guide to Prepping and Loading an Atomic Bomb

A nice, short article written by Ryan Crierie on the prep and loading of the first Atomic bombs onto B-29 bombers. Published in the April 2014 issue of the IPMS Forida chapter’s Pelikan Newsletter. Credit: Pelikan Club

Download here or here (3 Megs)

Large scale photos and article here

Messerschmitt BF-109 G-2 Flight and Maintenance Manual

A copy of the Messerschmitt BF-109 G-2 Flight and Maintenance Manual (In English), dated March 1943.

here or here or here

Japanese Aeroplane Identification Manual

Part five of the Aircraft Identification series of books printed by Aeroplane Magazine. This manual is for Japanese aeroplanes. Dated February 1943.

Download here or here or here (22.1 Megs)

High Altitude Evaluation of the Bell 47G-3B Helicopter

Army Aviation Board report ATBG-SEC AVN 2461.1/62 on the High Altitude Evaluation of the Bell 47G-3B Helicopter.

Download here or here or here

Douglas A3D Skywarrior Photos and Info

A few factory photos of the Douglas A3D Skywarrior and several fact sheets.

Download here or here (52.2 Megs)

An Overview of Autogyros and the McDonnell XV-1 Convertiplane

NASA/CR booklet No. 2003-212799, An Overview of Autogyros and the McDonnell XV-1 Convertiplane, dated October 2003. Written by Franklin D. Harris. Credit: NASA.

Download here or here or here (13.9 Megs)

Military Aviation of Russia (Central Air Force Museum at Monino)

A description of all the exhibits in the Russian Monino Museum. Lots of nice details. Dated 2008.

Download here or here or here (36.7 Megs)

Bell P-63 Kingcobra Flight Manual

A poor xerox of the Bell Company preliminary Flight Manual for the P-63 aircraft.

Download here  or here (36.6 Megs)

AV-16A/Pegasus 15 Advanced Harrier Report

McDonnell Aircraft report No. A2908, dated 30 May 1974, for the proposed advanced Harrier concept using the Pegasus 15 engine. Credit: The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Download here or here or here (3.6 Megs)

Japanese Aircraft Booklet

An introduction to and descriptions of Japanese aircraft in WWII. Dated 1945. Written by John Stroud. Lots of good illustrations and marking info.

Download here or here or  here (16.7 Megs)

Lockheed P-3 Orion Article

A large (22 page) article on the Lockheed P-3 Orion aircraft. From the MDC Phantom Flyer magazine. Written by Bob Pukala and Fred Roos. A background history and many colors and markings.

Download here or here or here

Northrop YF-18 Prototype Photos

Some Northrop YF-18 prototype photos taken at Edwards Air Foce Base by F. B. Mormillo.

Download here or here (18.5 Megs)

McDonnell Douglas AV-16 Advanced Harrier Article

An advanced Harrier proposal from 1973. The Advanced Harrier project gained the unofficial designation of AV-16 while Hawker Siddeley assigned the designation of P.1184 to it.

From Wikipedia: “In December 1973, a joint American and British team completed a project document defining an Advanced Harrier powered by the Pegasus 15 engine. The Advanced Harrier was intended to replace the original RAF and USMC Harriers, as well as the USMC's A-4. The aim of the Advanced Harrier was to double the AV-8's payload and range, and was therefore unofficially named AV-16. The British government pulled out of the project in March 1975 owing to decreased defense funding, rising costs, and the RAF's insufficient 60-aircraft requirement.[9][11][12] With development costs estimated to be around £180–200 million (1974 British pounds), the United States was unwilling to fund development by itself, and ended the project later that year.”

See article here

A very good Harrier development article is here

F-4 Modernization Program for the Twenty First Century

A copy of the McDonnell Douglas Proposal for the F-4 Modernization Program for the Twenty First Century, Vol III – Past Performance. Report MDC A8977, dated 4 January 1985.

Anyone have Vo I and II?

Download here or here or here (2.1 Megs)