The Hawker Sea Hawk was a British single-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its origins stemmed from earlier Hawker piston-engined fighters, the Sea Hawk became the company’s first jet aircraft. Following the […]

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy’s Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program following the collapse of the F-111B project. The F-14 was the first of the American teen-series fighters, which were designed incorporating the experience of air combat against MiG […]

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 Flogger is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is considered to belong to the Soviet third-generation jet fighter category, along with similarly aged Soviet fighters such as the MiG-25 “Foxbat”. It was the first attempt by the Soviet Union to design look-down/shoot-down radar […]

The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter was a multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by Bristol Aeroplane Company in the UK. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort bomber. The Beaufighter was a versatile aircraft used in service initially as a night fighter, and later mainly in the […]

In 1953, North American Aviation began a private study for a carrier-based, long-range, all-weather strike bomber, capable of delivering nuclear weapons at supersonic speeds. A contract was awarded on 29 August 1956 and its first flight occurred two years later on 31 August 1958 in Columbus, Ohio. The North American A-5 Vigilante was a carrier-based […]

The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, was designed by Alexander Lippisch. This was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance which was unsurpassed at the time. German test pilot Heini Dittmar in early July 1944 reached a staggering 700 mph, which […]

This week a look at two of the more unusual aircraft that have been made available to the diecast aviation enthusiast recently. Firstly a look at the E-2C Hawkeye. The Northrop E-2 Hawkeye is an all-weather airborne early warning aircraft (AEW). The E-2 was a twin-turboprop developed in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s for the […]

I always consider the Autumn Airshow at Duxford as the beginning of the end of the airshow season each year.Obviously this year’s event was something very special as it commemorated the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Fortunately the weather was kind and as you will see from a few shots from the event […]

Last weekend I attended the annual LLA Rally at Sywell. The event took place over three days Friday through to Sunday. Whilst I was working in the office on Friday I heard the constant throb of engines as they passed overhead and I anticipated that the airfield was starting to fill up. I did not […]

When I am out and about , I always keep my eyes open for anything interesting in aviation. I often browse antique markets and bric a brac stores and recently I went to the Antique Cellar in Brackley Northants. I picked up some early SBAC Farnborough Flying Display programme for just a few pounds and I have reproduced […]

The Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” was a long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force. It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by Lockheed and its Skunk Works division. Renowned American aerospace engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson was responsible for many of […]

Firstly, Hobbymaster have announced the RRP on their new tooling of the F-14 Tomcat which is available for Pre-order. Many of you have either already expressed an interest in this model or have ordered it with Flying Tigers. The RRP is £106.00 and Flying Tigers are selling this at only £89.50. I will contact all […]

Last weekend the The Great War  Display Team visited Sywell and put their aircraft through their paces. This is the second time I have had the privilege of watching their display routines here at Sywell since Flying Tigers re-located to Sywell Aerodrome. The crowd were treated to a wonderful dog fight display before a massed flypast to […]

Last night as I was packing up my briefcase for some work at home, I heard the roar of a Merlin engine overhead. By the time I had packed up the car, shut the office for the night, and walked round to the airfield to see what (if anything) had landed, there was nothing to be […]

It already seems a long time ago since RIAT 2015. Time flies quickly when you are busy packing models, planning your next airshow visit and getting more products on to the website. Thank you for your kind comments on last week’s Flying Tigers Newsletter RIAT Part 1 and also for being patient on the delay on […]