x planes

“Blenheim aircraft from 60 Squadron RAF level out for the “run in” to make a mast-head attack on a Japanese coaster off Akyab, Burma in 1942.” (via)

“Avro Vulcan XA894 in low level fly past at Farnborough Air Show, September 1962”

(via this amazing set of slides from Totally random scanned 35mm slides on Flickr)

Empire of the Sun, 1987
photo found by John@ on Flickr

Don’t Mess With Texas, 1991 (via)

“World War II in Africa. Douglas C-53 on left; Curtiss P-40s on right.From a mostly uncaptioned photo album, c. 1943” (via gbaku on Flickr)

“Gunnery practice is one of the most important phases in a fighter pilots training. Here is a Lockheed P-38 making a strafing pass at a stationary target at an air base in Panama.” (via)

the Ryan FR-1 Fireball, circa 1945

(via the San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives on Flickr)

a Boeing PB-1W Flying Fortress piloted by John Crewdson, during filming of the 1962 movie The War Lover

May 25th, 1968. The above film capture was taken from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Essex whilst on maneuvers in the Norwegian Sea. A Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 “buzzed” the carrier at extremely low altitude, before it eventually (and accidentally) clipped the water and crashed into the sea.

there were no survivors. the remains that were recovered were handed over to a Soviet destroyer..

video here

(related: B-52 carrier flyby)

Pitts S-2S Special, United Arab Emirates, 2007
(photo by Bridevaux Francis)

“three Vultee trainers flying low in formation over parked Stearman trainers.”
Ontario, 1941

“From a lakeside dock in Yucaipa Regional Park, the McHenry family cheers as a Sikorsky S64 Sky Crane firefighting helicopter goes “in the dip” for another load of water in Yucaipa, California on Tuesday, Sept 1, 2009. The parents and their son spent the night camping in the park after receiving a mandatory evacuation order from their nearby home..”

Avro Shackleton of 38 Sqn Royal Air Force, Madagascar, 1966
(photo by Richard Hugo Walker)

Russian Air Force Mil Mi-26 (with Kamov Ka-52s), Kubinka, 2009
(photo by “Sergy”)

Royal New Zealand Air Force Canberra during a final display in 1970