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Articles by Guy Aceto
Aerial Minesweeping: Ingenious Solution to a Hidden Undersea Menace
When Germany deployed magnetic mines early in the war, Britain countered with aircraft that could explode them by mimicking a ship’s magnetic signature. On September 3, 1939, two days after Germany invaded Poland, the German submarines U-13, U-14 and U-17 started laying three fields of magnetic-influence mines on the sea floor just off Britain’s east coast.Within days, four ships totaling 14,575 gross registered tons were sunk and another 10,391 GRT of shipping was damaged.
Build the Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 Zero That Became a Focus for U.S. Intelligence
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero came as a shock to many in the west. Quick and incredibly maneuverable, it could outfly nearly everything in the sky. The fighter dominated its opponents in China and Burma early in World War II. It’s “introduction” to American airmen came on December 7, 1941, over Pearl Harbor. Petty Officer 1st Class Takeshi Hirano was part of the first wave of the Japanese attack, flying in an element of three fighters from the carrier Akagi.
Build Your Own Pearl Harbor “Kate”
A talented young officer in the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service, Mitsuo Fuchida was chosen by Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo to coordinate and lead the attack on Pearl Harbor. From his place in the center seat of a Nakajima B5N2 “Kate,” Fuchida would be able to see the state of the harbor’s defenses and command his waves of attacking aircraft.
Build your own version of Flying Tiger ace R.T. Smith’s shark-mouthed Curtiss P-40
Probably no other aircraft from World War II are as easily recognized as the shark-mouthed Curtiss P-40s flown by the “Flying Tigers.” Colonel Claire Chennault, leader of the famed American Volunteer Group (AVG), received his P-40s (the export version, or Hawk 81-A3s) when the U.S. government financed 100 P-40Bs, diverted from a British contract.
This Classic Airplane Kit Celebrates the Past in More Ways Than One
Those of us who still build the occasional model airplane on a rainy weekend have noticed that the small hobby shops that filled their shelves with colorful boxes of airplanes, tanks and the occasional 1967 Chevy Camaro have been disappearing from the American landscape. The classic model companies of our youth—Comet, Hawk and Lindberg—have also gone away. Even 1970s and ’80s stalwarts like Revell and Monogram combined forces at one point but have since been bought by a German business group.
Airplane Kits Are Great-But Sometimes the Art on the Box is Even Better
Some of us literally built our passion for aviation at kitchen tables and basement workbenches as we carefully followed directions to create airplane replicas we could hang in aerial battle from the bedroom ceiling. For me, it was the artwork on the model box—that painting of a favorite airplane—that could make an eight-year-old give up lawn-mowing money faster than you could ask, “Do you need glue with that?” For the most part, the artists who created that compelling art went unsung.
How to Build Royce Williams’ MiG-Killing Panther
Monogram released their 1/48-scale Grumman F9F-5 Panther in 1990. While newcomer Trumpeter has released two other versions of the jet, both are earlier editions of the fighter. To build the later F9F-5, the classic Monogram kit is still the way to go.
Think It's Easy to Destroy Tanks with Airplanes? Think Again
The effectiveness of anti-tank aircraft inWorld War II is taken for granted by most writers on the subject, offering a technophile orthodoxy that can be seamlessly woven together with accounts of later developments up to and including the Iraq wars.
Sid Cotton’s Air Force was an early "eye in the sky" for Britain's Intelligence Service
Tom Watson/NY Daily News via Getty Images Sidney Cotton (standing, at the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup auto race) pioneered modern photo reconnaissance mehods in the late 1930s. Using high-flying Spitfires and a Lockheed Electra, an outspoken Australian helped develop photoreconnaissance techniques early in World War II. Generations of Blue Angels and Thunderbirds owe their ability to stroll airshow ramps in smart, sexy flight suits to a wealthy, irascible Australian World War I pilot named Sidney Cotton.
The Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber was the glorious 'Stringbag' of the Royal Naval Air Service
A flying anachronism when it entered service, the Fairey Swordfish nevertheless helped save Britain during the darkest days of World War II. The crew of the battleship Bismarck could be proud of themselves and their great ship.
Navy Typhoon Hunter: Into the Eye of Raging Storms During the Vietnam War
An aviation electronics technician describes his experiences aboard Lockheed Warning Stars that flew into the heart of typhoons during the Vietnam War. In August 1966, with the Vietnam War raging, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy. I did not know where this would lead me, but it was a chance to explore my capabilities and an opportunity to learn a skill. My first stop was boot camp at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois.
America's Unapologetic Champion of Waging Total War
From bomber general and self-professed war criminal to head of Strategic Air Command, Curtis LeMay divided America but always kept it safe Incredibly, in May 1938, even as war loomed in Europe, the U.S. Navy had no Atlantic Fleet to defend the East Coast.The fledgling U.S. Army Air Corps boasted that its new Boeing B-17 bombers could fill the gap and would prove it by finding the inbound Italian cruise liner SS Rex hundreds of miles out at sea.
To Catch a Shadow: The Great 1925 Solar Eclipse Aerial Expedition
When the airship USS Los Angeles headed toward the Atlantic Ocean from its base at Lakehurst, N.J., on the frigid morning of January 24, 1925, it was chasing a shadow. The U.S. Navy airship carried seven scientists and 500 pounds of telescopes and other skywatching gear to observe a total solar eclipse. The plan called for the dirigible to station itself near the center of the moon’s shadow as the shadow raced across New York and Connecticut and out to sea.
The First SST: The First Airliner to Break the Sound Barrier
In August 1961 a crew of Douglas Aircraft test pilots proved the new DC-8’s worth by diving it through the speed of sound.
Building the Lockheed P-80A Shooting Star
In 2013 Hobby Boss released a Lockheed F-80A Shooting Star, the first in a series of three different versions that also included an RF-80 and an F-80C. Technically speaking, they’re all the same kit, with the exception of a few new parts for the reconnaissance nose section of the RF-80. However, with a few minor changes, the F-80A can be backdated to depict an earlier P-80A. Initial production versions of the P-80A did not include an ejection seat, something that was still rather new at the time.
Sid Cotton’s Air Force was an early "eye in the sky" for Britain's Intelligence Service
Sidney Cotton (standing, at the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup auto race) pioneered modern photo reconnaissance mehods in the late 1930s. Tom Watson/NY Daily News via Getty Images Stephan Wilkinson Using high-flying Spitfires and a Lockheed Electra, an outspoken Australian helped develop photoreconnaissance techniques early in World War II.
Bessie Coleman became a flying role model for African Americans.
Bessie Coleman strikes a pose with her Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny". NASM 92-13721 Ron Edwards Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman to become a licensed pilot and one of the most sensational stunt fliers during the Roaring ’20s, came close to never getting off the ground. Coleman was born on January 26, 1893, in Atlanta, Texas. She was just learning to walk when the family moved to Waxahachie, about 30 miles south of Dallas.
Navy Typhoon Hunter: Into the Eye of Raging Storms During the Vietnam War
The Lockheed WC-121N Warning Star call sign "Rainproof 7" of U.S. Navy airborne early warning squadron VW-1 sits on the tarmac at South Vietnam's Marine Air Base Chu Lai in 1968. Courtesy of Michael A. Roy via Hank Caruso Michael A. “Mick” Roy An aviation electronics technician describes his experiences aboard Lockheed Warning Stars that flew into the heart of typhoons during the Vietnam War. In August 1966, with the Vietnam War raging, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy.
How a Rare 'Flying W' Airplane Supplied Uranium for the Manhattan Project
The Bellanca Aircruiser undergoes a test assembly in April 2021 at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada’s Winnipeg facility. Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada Jim Trautman The Eldorado Radium Silver Express, a restored Bellanca Aircruiser, will soon be on view at a new museum in western Canada. The single-engine Bellanca Aircruiser cargo and passenger airplane was designed by Giuseppe Bellanca, who had built Italy’s first aircraft and emigrated to the United States in 1911.
The First SST: The First Airliner to Break the Sound Barrier
Captain William Magruder and crew briefly go supersonic in a Douglas DC-8 while Chuck Yeager—who first achieved the feat horizontally in a Bell X-1—observes from a Lockheed F-104 chase plane. Don Hollway Don Hollway In August 1961 a crew of Douglas Aircraft test pilots proved the new DC-8’s worth by diving it through the speed of sound.
Building the Lockheed P-80A Shooting Star
In 2013 Hobby Boss released a Lockheed F-80A Shooting Star, the first in a series of three different versions that also included an RF-80 and an F-80C. Technically speaking, they’re all the same kit, with the exception of a few new parts for the reconnaissance nose section of the RF-80. However, with a few minor changes, the F-80A can be backdated to depict an earlier P-80A. Initial production versions of the P-80A did not include an ejection seat, something that was still rather new at the time.
To Catch a Shadow: The Great 1925 Solar Eclipse Aerial Expedition
USS Los Angeles flies over New York City sometime during its 1924-1932 operational career. In January 1925 the German-made giant was pressed into service for an unusual mission. Naval History and Heritage Command Damond Benningfield In 1925 scientists sought to use airplanes and an airship as aerial platforms to observe and photograph a total eclipse of the sun.
America's Unapologetic Champion of Waging Total War
After implementing bombing strategies that reduced many German cities to rubble, Maj. Gen. Curtis LeMay moved on to the Pacific Theater of Operations, where he organized the bombing campaign against Japan. Here B-29 Superfortresses from the 497th Bombardment Group fly in formation over the Marianas.
Building a Sub-Killing Avenger
Academy re-released the 1996 Accurate Miniatures TBF-1C Avenger in 2013. With a lot of detail and good fit, it was well received by modelers looking for a 1/48th-scale replica of the famed Grumman torpedo bomber. This Avenger comes with a choice of weapons: the standard Mk. 13 torpedo, 500-pound general purpose bombs and Mk. 54 depth charges. Our model will depict a U-boat hunting airplane from composite squadron VC-55 on USS Block Island during the Battle of the Atlantic.
France's Big Flying Boat
A French Latécoère 631 moors at the English Channel port town of Hythe. PA Images/Alamy Robert Guttman The Latécoère 631 may have been the ultimate flying boat airliner but its service record left a lot to be desired. Prior to World War II most large, long-range multiengine airliners were flying boats.
Lockheed's P-80 Paved the Way for Future American Fighters
A Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star overflies a North Korean T-34 tank during a ground-attack mission, in a Keith Ferris painting. Although credited with the U.S. Air Force’s first air-to-air jet victories, the F-80 was soon relegated to ground support.
B-17 Pilot Colin Kelly: Remembering a Fallen American WWII Hero
Captain Colin P. Kelly’s Boeing B-17C is raked by Mitsubishi A6M2 Zeros after having dropped its bombs on a Japanese invasion fleet off the Philippine coast on December 10, 1941—one of the first American offensive actions of World War II. Robert Taylor/©The Military Gallery Philip Handleman Eighty years ago, B-17 pilot Colin Kelly made the ultimate sacrifice so that his crew could live, and in the process spawned a legend.
A P-51 Pilot's War and Ultimate Sacrifice
Flying a North American P-51B Mustang, 1st Lt. Ralph K. Hofer of the 4th Fighter Group strafes a train east of Calais, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944, in a painting by Wade Meyers. Two months later, on August 8, 1st Lt. Charles M. Lee was shot down near Saint-Dizier during a similar ground-attack mission while piloting a P-51B.
Canada's Rugged, Reliable Noorduyn Norseman Bush Plane
The dependable Noorduyn Norseman bush plane has consistently answered the call since it was introduced in 1935. Here a Norseman operated by Chimo Air Service flies west of Red Lake, Ontario, in 2017.
Story of the "Mexican Lindbergh"
Emilio Carranza stands with his Ryan B-1, an airplane similar to Charles Lindbergh’s Ryan NYP. 504 Collection/Alamy Dennis K. Johnson Emilio Carranza’s historic 1928 goodwill flight from Mexico to the United States and back ended in tragedy in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. Two months after completing his May 1927 New York to Paris solo flight, Charles Lindbergh took off on a goodwill tour of America, flying his Spirit of St. Louis to all 48 states.
What Happened to History's Most Famous Hijacker?
A Northwest Orient Airlines Boeing 727 jetliner awaits refueling at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on November 24, 1971. Among its passengers is a mysterious hijacker claiming to have a bomb and demanding parachutes and $200,000 in cash. AP Photo John Fredrickson Fifty years later, mystery still surrounds the hijacking of a 727 over the Pacific Northwest—the only unsolved air piracy incident in commercial aviation history.
Building Gabby’s Jug
The Monogram 1/48th-scale Republic P-47D Thunderbolt first hit hobby shops in 1967. Over the years the kit has become a favorite with modelers. Good detail and relatively easy construction have helped the model hold its own against competitors costing three times as much. With a little extra effort, you can produce a very nice addition for your display shelf using this kit. Start with the cockpit, painting it interior chromate green.
Broken Arrow: B-52 Down With Two H-Bombs in California’s Central Valley
A SAC B-52 and ground crew stand ready for their next mission. U.S. Air Force Timothy Karpin & James Maroncelli During a Cold War airborne alert mission, a combination of mechanical malfunctions and human errors led to the crash of a B-52 with two H-bombs onboard.
This Amazing Sky-Cycle Blimp was Among the First Maneuverable Aircraft
An 1892 illustration depicts Carl Myers’ Sky-Cycle. Niday Picture Library/Alamy Steve Wartenberg By attaching a bicycle apparatus, propeller and rudder to a hydrogen-filled balloon, Carl Myers created the Sky-Cycle. The great quest to pilot an aircraft has been accomplished, proclaimed the New York World newspaper on August 4, 1895.
Mystery Ship: What is This Early U.S. Navy jet fighter?
Can you identify this early U.S. Navy jet fighter? (click the arrow for the answer) Vought F6U-1 Pirate As the United States began to work in earnest on the jet engine technology provided by its British ally during World War II, Chance Vought tried to follow up its successful F4U Corsair by designing a jet fighter capable of operating off aircraft carriers.
Mystery Ship: What is This Carrier-based Turboprop?
Can you identify this carrier-based turboprop? (click the arrow for the answer) Westland Wyvern Named after a legendary Anglo-French dragon with two legs and two wings, the Westland Wyvern was conceived as an aircraft carrier–based strike fighter for Britain’s Fleet Air Arm.
Why Grumman's TBF Avenger Was the Ultimate Torpedo Bomber
Two General Motors–built TBM-3Es from the National Museum of World War II Aviation fly near the museum’s base in Colorado Springs, Colo. Paul Bowen Photography Stephan Wilkinson Grumman’s Avenger torpedo bomber—the biggest single-engine airplane of World War II and the last of its breed—made a huge contribution to Allied victory.
Building a Spanish Civil War Duo: Messerschmitt Bf-109D vs. Polikarpov I-16
The Spanish Civil War saw some of the most modern and iconic weapons of the mid-20th century bloodied in combat for the first time. Tactics and technology were developed and tested in the skies over Madrid, Barcelona and Guernica during the 1936-39 conflict. The Messerschmitt Bf-109 and Polikarpov I-16, two of the most advanced fighters of their day, would go on to battle each other in one form or another for the next eight years.
Spanish Republican Aces: Review
Spanish Republican Aces by Rafael A. Permuy López, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2012, $22.95. Despite the Cold War, McCarthyism and the general disrepute into which communism has fallen in America, there remains a lingering fascination and sympathy with the Republican cause in Spain. That sympathy is undoubtedly reinforced by the fact that Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany aided the Nationalist effort that established the despised regime of Generalissimo Francisco Franco. Rafael A.
Building the One-Oh-Wonder
Revell’s 1/48th scale, mid-’80s release of the F-101B is one of the only models of the Voodoo on the market today. Despite its age, the kit builds into an accurate replica that reflects the imposing size of the actual aircraft. Construction starts by inserting the two fuel vents into slots on each side of the tail. This is followed by some tricky maneuvering of the main wheel door/air brake pieces into the wing underside. Next paint the turbine faces of the Pratt & Whitney J-57 engines silver.
How the Spanish Civil War Served as a Dress Rehearsal for World War II
In the summer of 1938, Messerschmitt Bf-109B-2s of the German Condor Legion dogfight Spanish Republican Polikarpov I-16s over Valencia. Adam Tooby Barrett Tillman In a preview of things to come, Germans and Italians fought Soviets and Americans in the skies over Spain, employing an impressive variety of aircraft. Any war is brutal; civil wars are worse. Today, 1939 is most remembered for the start of World War II in September. But that same year involved three other very different clashes.
Twin Yak Aerobat: The "Yak-110"
John Klatt Airshows’ “Yak-110,” created by joining two Yakovlev Yak-55s, makes a test flight. EAA/Jim Raeder Stephan Wilkinson Aviation history is littered with examples of siamesed, twin-fuselage airplanes, from the 1915 Blackburn TB double-floatplane Zeppelin attacker to today’s White Knight Two and Stratolauncher spacecraft carriers. In the early years, it was an easy way to double horsepower without designing an all-new twin.
Building a High-Flying Duo: Ju-86R vs. Spitfire Mk.IX
On September 12, 1942, two aircraft—a twin-engine Junkers Ju-86R and a Supermarine Spitfire IX, each specially modified for their missions—met in the rarefied air above southern England in the highest aerial combat of World War II (see “The Luftwaffe’s High-Flying Diesel”). The Junkers was designed to snoop on airfields and installations from altitudes that the Luftwaffe thought would make the specially modified former medium bomber untouchable.
Old Number One: The Airline Pilot Who Never Scratched a Single Passenger
Eyer Sloniger (left) delivered mail and payrolls in Mexico after serving in the closing days of World War II. One Pilot's Log/Jerrold E. Sloniger Collection Robert O. Harder During a 38-year career encompassing nearly 25,000 flying hours, “Slonnie” Sloniger gained the respect and admiration of his fellow airline pilots. “Sloniger of American Airlines” was a genuine legend in his own time, a pilot’s pilot if ever there was one. Author Ernest K.
Log of The Leper
A Douglas AC-47 gunship dubbed "The Leper" supports North American F-100s bombing Viet Cong positions near Bien Hoa Air Base in January 1967, in an illustration by Jack Fellows. Steve Birdsall The awesome firepower of an AC-47’s miniguns was on full display when an Australian journalist bummed a ride with a “Spooky” crew. In 1967 a blackened, burned-out wreck lay near the minefield on the perimeter at Bien Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam.
Operation Highjump: 1946-47 Expedition to Explore Antarctica From the Air
A U.S. Coast Guard Sikorsky HNS-1 helicopter attached to Operation Highjump returns from a survey of South Pole waters. National Archives Jim Trautman In a combined effort not long after World War II, the U.S. Navy employed ships, airplanes and helicopters to explore and map Antarctica’s frozen reaches.
Why Japan's Forgotten Four-Engine Bomber Never Saw Combat
A Nakajima G8N Renzan being evaluated at Wright-Patterson AFB dwarfs a Beech C-45. U.S. Navy Robert Guttman The Nakajima G8N four-engine bomber arrived too late in World War II, when Japan had already gone over to the defensive. In view of the vast area of the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II, it is somewhat ironic that the four-engine, long-range strategic bomber is conspicuous by its near absence from Japan’s operational inventory.
Three Balloonists Threw Caution to the Wind in 1970 and Paid the Price
Well-wishers surround The Free Life Rozier balloon in a pasture near East Hampton, N.Y., on September 20, 1970, prior to its attempt to cross the Atlantic. Ralph Morse/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images Jerry Copas Fifty years ago a British balloonist and a husband-and-wife team disappeared without a trace as they attempted to fly the Atlantic in a balloon dubbed The Free Life. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean has proven an irresistible challenge to balloonists for more than 150 years.
Flying the World in Pan Am’s Clippers: When Airline Travel Was an Adventure
Pan American Airways’ California Clipper, delivered in January 1939 and one of 12 Boeing 314s built, flies over San Francisco Bay. The B-314 was the largest and most luxurious of Pan Am’s flying boats. ©Boeing John Lowery The big flying boats of the 1930s and ’40s offered passengers more timely international travel without sacrificing the comforts of a cruise ship.
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