By Garth Calitz National Airways Corporation (NAC), a longstanding aviation institution in South Africa, celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2025. This milestone underscores eight decades of innovation, service, and leadership in general aviation. From its modest post-war origins to its present status as a diversified aviation group with a continental presence, NAC's journey is deeply embedded in the history of South African aviation. Established in 1945, NAC came into existenc

By Garth Calitz In the history of Cold War aviation, few aircraft capture the daring and uniqueness of Soviet experimental design as clearly as the Bartini Beriev VVA-14. Developed in the 1970s, this amphibious vertical take-off aircraft was a futuristic hybrid intended to function as a seaplane, a flying boat and an ekranoplan, a ground-effect vehicle capable of skimming over the sea at high speeds. It was designed to address a significant threat: the increasing presence of

By Garth Calitz The North American X-15A-2 represents one of the most striking chapters in the history of hypersonic flight. It was a radical, purpose-designed modification of an already groundbreaking rocket plane, testing the limits of materials, aerodynamics and pilot endurance. Unlike a sleek airshow performer, the X-15A-2 functioned as a rugged flying laboratory. It was stripped down, elongated, and reinforced to address one primary question: how does a piloted vehicle p

By Rob Russell We have all seen, heard, read, and some of us have flown in aircraft with two decks. The most famous being the B747 – undeniably the Queen of the skies, followed by the Airbus A380, a majestic proper double-decker and then the mighty Lockheed Galaxy C5, a proper multi-purpose beast, if ever there was one. But how many of you have heard of the Breguet 763 “Deux-Ponts”? The first purpose-built two-deck aircraft to be certified for passenger transport, it was deve

The aviation history community is mourning the passing of George Hardy, a World War II veteran, who died this week at the age of 100....

Text by Garth Calitz Photos by Paul Ludick and others The theme "One Week – Endless Possibilities" really hit the mark at Oshkosh in...

For over a century, Pratt & Whitney has been at the forefront of aviation innovation, significantly influencing the evolution of flight....

By Rob Russell Petrus Hendrik Hugo, DSO, DFC & Two Bars (20 December 1917 – 6 June 1986) was a South African fighter pilot and flying ace...

By Garth Calitz The Aérospatiale Gazelle is a name that resonates deeply within the aviation community. This remarkable light utility...

By Rob Russell Adolph Gysbert "Sailor" Malan was one of the most distinguished fighter pilots of World War II, renowned for his...