(Douglas) F3D/F-10 Skyknight @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Douglas F3D Skyknight Douglas F3D Skyknight
    Douglas F3D Skyknight
  • Douglas EF-10B of VMCJ-2 "Playboys" Douglas EF-10B of VMCJ-2 "Playboys"
    Douglas EF-10B of VMCJ-2 "Playboys"
  • The XF3D-1 testing AAM-N-2 Sparrow-1 missiles The XF3D-1 testing AAM-N-2 Sparrow-1 missiles
    The XF3D-1 testing AAM-N-2 Sparrow-1 missiles
  • Douglas F3D-2Q Skyknight of VMCJ-1, in 1962 Douglas F3D-2Q Skyknight of VMCJ-1, in 1962
    Douglas F3D-2Q Skyknight of VMCJ-1, in 1962
  • Pilot bailing out (circa 1949) Pilot bailing out (circa 1949)
    Pilot bailing out (circa 1949)
  • F3D-2Q Skyknight of VMCJ-2 "Playboys" F3D-2Q Skyknight of VMCJ-2 "Playboys"
    F3D-2Q Skyknight of VMCJ-2 "Playboys"
  • Douglas EF-10 of VMCJ-1 (DaNang) Douglas EF-10 of VMCJ-1 (DaNang)
    Douglas EF-10 of VMCJ-1 (DaNang)
  • Douglas F3D-2T2 (U.S. Navy VF-101 Detachment A - "Grim Reapers", in 1961 Douglas F3D-2T2 (U.S. Navy VF-101 Detachment A - "Grim Reapers", in 1961
    Douglas F3D-2T2 (U.S. Navy VF-101 Detachment A - "Grim Reapers", in 1961
  • F3D-2 Skyknight of VC-4 "Nightcappers" on USS FD Roosevelt (1952) F3D-2 Skyknight of VC-4 "Nightcappers" on USS FD Roosevelt (1952)
    F3D-2 Skyknight of VC-4 "Nightcappers" on USS FD Roosevelt (1952)
  • Douglas F3D-2 Skyknight (VC-33 "Night Hawks", 1952 Douglas F3D-2 Skyknight (VC-33 "Night Hawks", 1952
    Douglas F3D-2 Skyknight (VC-33 "Night Hawks", 1952
  • A Douglas F3D-2 of VC-4 on USS FD Roosevelt, in 1952 A Douglas F3D-2 of VC-4 on USS FD Roosevelt, in 1952
    A Douglas F3D-2 of VC-4 on USS FD Roosevelt, in 1952
  • Douglas F3D-2 (NACA - 1953) Douglas F3D-2 (NACA - 1953)
    Douglas F3D-2 (NACA - 1953)
  • A F3D-2 of VF-14 approaching<br>USS Intrepid, in 1954 A F3D-2 of VF-14 approaching<br>USS Intrepid, in 1954
    A F3D-2 of VF-14 approaching
    USS Intrepid, in 1954
  • F3D-1 Skyknight of VC-3 "Blue Nemesis" F3D-1 Skyknight of VC-3 "Blue Nemesis"
    F3D-1 Skyknight of VC-3 "Blue Nemesis"
  • Douglas EF-10B Skyknight of VMCJ-1 at MCAS El Toro (California) Douglas EF-10B Skyknight of VMCJ-1 at MCAS El Toro (California)
    Douglas EF-10B Skyknight of VMCJ-1 at MCAS El Toro (California)
  • The Douglas XF3D-1 Skyknight The Douglas XF3D-1 Skyknight
    The Douglas XF3D-1 Skyknight
  • A F3D-2 of the U.S. Marine Corps VMF-N-513 (Korea, c1952) A F3D-2 of the U.S. Marine Corps VMF-N-513 (Korea, c1952)
    A F3D-2 of the U.S. Marine Corps VMF-N-513 (Korea, c1952)
  • Douglas F3D-2B at NAS Oakland in 1953 Douglas F3D-2B at NAS Oakland in 1953
    Douglas F3D-2B at NAS Oakland in 1953
  • F3D-2 (2014 Miramar Air Show) F3D-2 (2014 Miramar Air Show)
    F3D-2 (2014 Miramar Air Show)
  • A Douglas F3D-1M with AAM-N-2 Sparrow missile at Point Mugu, in 1952 A Douglas F3D-1M with AAM-N-2 Sparrow missile at Point Mugu, in 1952
    A Douglas F3D-1M with AAM-N-2 Sparrow missile at Point Mugu, in 1952
  • Douglas F3D-1 Skyknight Douglas F3D-1 Skyknight
    Douglas F3D-1 Skyknight
  • Douglas F-10B, former U.S. Army on display at the<br>National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola, Florida Douglas F-10B, former U.S. Army on display at the<br>National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola, Florida
    Douglas F-10B, former U.S. Army on display at the
    National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola, Florida
  • Douglas F3D-1 Skyknight with AAM-N-2 Sparrow missiles, circa 1953 Douglas F3D-1 Skyknight with AAM-N-2 Sparrow missiles, circa 1953
    Douglas F3D-1 Skyknight with AAM-N-2 Sparrow missiles, circa 1953
  • F3D-2s of VMFN-513 at Kunsan (Korea, 1953) F3D-2s of VMFN-513 at Kunsan (Korea, 1953)
    F3D-2s of VMFN-513 at Kunsan (Korea, 1953)
  • Douglas F3D-2 of VMFN-513 - The APQ-35 radar (Korea, 1953) Douglas F3D-2 of VMFN-513 - The APQ-35 radar (Korea, 1953)
    Douglas F3D-2 of VMFN-513 - The APQ-35 radar (Korea, 1953)

Douglas F3D Skyknight

The Douglas F3D Skyknight (later designated F-10 Skyknight) was a United States twin-engined, mid-wing jet fighter aircraft manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company in El Segundo, California. The F3D was designed as a carrier-based all-weather night fighter and saw service with the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The mission of the F3D was to search out and destroy enemy aircraft at night.

The F3D Skyknight was never produced in great numbers but it did achieve many firsts in its role as a night fighter over Korea. While it never achieved the fame of the North American F-86 Sabre, it did down several Soviet-built MiG-15s as a night fighter over Korea with only one air-to-air loss of its own against a Chinese MiG-15, which occurred on the night of 29 May 1953.

The Skyknight played an important role in the development of the radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow missile which led to further guided air-to-air missile developments. It also served as an electronic warfare platform in the Vietnam War as a precursor to the EA-6A Intruder and EA-6B Prowler. The aircraft is sometimes unofficially called "Skynight", dropping the second "k". The unusual, portly profile earned it the nickname "Willie the Whale". Some Vietnam War U.S. Marine veterans have referred to the Skyknight as "Drut", whose meaning becomes obvious when read backwards. This may be in reference to its age, unflattering looks or its low-slung air intakes that made it vulnerable to foreign object damage (FOD).

Design and development

The F3D was not intended to be a typical sleek and nimble dogfighter, but as a standoff night fighter, packing a powerful radar system and a second crew member. It originated in 1945 with a US Navy requirement for a jet-powered, radar-equipped, carrier-based night fighter. The Douglas team led by Ed Heinemann designed around the bulky air intercept radar systems of the time, with side-by-side seating for the pilot and radar operator. The result was an aircraft with a wide, deep, and roomy fuselage. Instead of ejection seats, an escape tunnel was used, similar to the type used in the A-3 Skywarrior.

The XF3D-1 beat out Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation's G-75 two-seat, four-engined, Westinghouse J30-powered night fighter design, and a contract was issued on 3 April 1946. The US Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) also issued a contract to Grumman for two G-75 (company designation) XF9F-1 (BuAer designation) experimental aircraft on 11 April 1946 in case the Skyknight ran into problems. Grumman soon realized that the G-75 was a losing design but had been working on a completely different, single-engined day fighter known as the Grumman G-79 which became the F9F Panther.

The first flight of the XF3D-1 was on 23 March 1948 at Douglas' El Segundo facility with test pilot Russell Thaw at the controls. Further flight testing followed at El Segundo until October 1948. Three prototypes were then taken to Muroc Air Force Base (later renamed Edwards Air Force Base) for service trials. These units were powered by two Westinghouse J34-WE-24 turbojets of 3,000 lbf (1,361 kgf) thrust, mounted under the roots of then-standard straight wings of the early jet era. A production contract for 28 F3D-1 J34-WE-32 powered production aircraft was issued in June 1948 with the first production aircraft flying on 13 February 1950.

As a night fighter that was not expected to be as fast as smaller daylight fighters, the expectation was to have a stable platform for its radar system and the four 20 mm cannon mounted in the lower fuselage. The F3D was, however, able to outturn a MiG-15. The fire control system in the F3D-1 was the Westinghouse AN/APQ-35. The AN/APQ-35 was advanced for the time, a combination of three different radars, each performing separate functions: an AN/APS-21 search radar, an AN/APG-26 tracking radar, both located in the nose, and an AN/APS-28 tail warning radar. The complexity of this vacuum tube-based radar system, which was produced before the advent of semiconductor electronics, required intensive maintenance to keep it operating properly.

The F3D-1 was followed by the F3D-2, which was first ordered in August 1949. The F3D-2 was intended to have Westinghouse J46 engines in enlarged nacelles to replace the J34-WE-32 engines of the F3D-1, but because of development problems with the J46, the F3D-2 was initially fitted with J34-WE-36 engines instead. Higher-thrust J34-WE-38 engines which increased aircraft performance were installed later. The F3D-2 also incorporated an improved Westinghouse AN/APQ-36 fire control system. A total of 237 F3D-2s were built before production ended on 23 March 1952. A higher performance F3D-3 version with swept wings and J46 engines was planned, but was cancelled when the trouble-plagued J46 engine program was terminated.

Operational history

Korean War

The 28 F3D-1 aircraft were used primarily to train F3D crews and did not see combat in the Korean War. The F3D-2 Skyknight was only deployed to Korea by USMC land–based squadrons, beginning in September 1952. The Skyknight downed more enemy aircraft in Korea than any other single type of naval aircraft. The first air-to-air victory occurred on the night of 2 November 1952 in a USMC F3D-2 piloted by Major William T. Stratton, Jr., and his radar operator, Master Sergeant Hans C. Hoglind of VMF(N)-513 Flying Nightmares, Major Stratton shot down what he believed was a Yakovlev Yak-15 (even though no Yak-15s were reported in Korea) which was the first successful night radar interception by a jet of a jet. The Skyknight claimed its first MiG-15 jet fighter on 8 November 1952, when Captain O.R. Davis and Warrant Officer D.F. "Ding" Fessler downed a MiG-15 northwest of Pyongyang. USMC pilot Lt. Joseph Corvi and his radar operator Sergeant Dan George set another record with the Skyknight on the night of 10 December 1952, when they downed the first aircraft by an aircraft with a radar track and lock-on and without visual contact; they performed the feat by using their radar to lock onto a Polikarpov Po-2 biplane. They were also credited with another probable kill that night.

The number of USMC Skyknights in Korea was doubled in January 1953 to 24 which allowed them to effectively escort B-29 Superfortresses on night bombing missions. On 12 January 1953, an F3D-2 of VMF(N)-513 that was escorting B-29s on a night bombing mission was vectored to a contact and shot down the fourth aircraft by a Skyknight. By the end of the war, Skyknights had claimed six enemy aircraft (one Polikarpov Po-2, one Yakovlev Yak-15 and four MiG-15s). One aircraft was lost to enemy fire, which was piloted by LTJG Bob Bick and his crewman, Chief Petty Officer Linton Smith, on 2 July 1953. This aircraft was with a detachment from Fleet Composite Squadron FOUR (VC-4) at NAS Atlantic City, and was attached to Marine Fighter Squadron 513 (VMF(N)-513). While the Skyknight lacked the swept wings and high subsonic performance of the MiG-15, its powerful fire control system enabled it to find and kill other fighters at night, while most MiG-15s could only be guided by ground-based radar.

Post Korean War

After the Korean War, the F3D was gradually replaced by more powerful aircraft with better radar systems. Its career was not over though; its stability and spacious fuselage made it easily adaptable to other roles. The F3D (under the designations F3D-1M and F3D-2M) was used to support development of a number of air-to-air missile systems during the 1950s, including the Sparrow I, II, and III and Meteor missiles. The Sparrow missile was developed at Pacific Missile Test Center and early test firings were conducted at Naval Ordnance Test Station China Lake.

In 1954, the F3D-2M was the first Navy jet aircraft to be fitted with an operational air-to-air missile: the Sparrow I, an all weather day/night BVR missile that used beam riding guidance for the aircrew to control the missile's track. Only 28 aircraft (12 F3D-1Ms, and 16 F3D-2Ms) were modified to use the missiles.

In the late 1950s, a number of the Marine F3D-2 aircraft were re-configured as electronic warfare aircraft and were designated F3D-2Q (later EF-10B). A few aircraft were also converted for use as trainers and were designated F3D-2T. Some of these aircraft were fitted with a single 10" aerial reconnaissance photography camera, which was mounted in the tail section.

When the U.S. Navy issued a requirement for a fleet defense missile fighter in 1959, Douglas responded with the F6D Missileer, essentially an updated and enlarged F3D that would carry the AAM-N-10 Eagle long-range air-to-air missile, with the most important characteristics being its generous fuel capacity, its considerable time-on-station, a crew of two and sophisticated electronics, rather than speed or maneuverability. This concept which kept the straight wings in an age of supersonic jets was soon cancelled because it would not be able to defend itself against more nimble fighters. Its weapons system would be adapted for the supersonic swing-wing General Dynamics-Grumman F-111B, the U.S. Navy version of a joint USAF/USN tactical jet aircraft which also specified side-by-side seating. The USAF version would eventually see service as an air-to-ground fighter bomber, but the Navy version, envisioned as a Fleet Air Defense fighter and dogfighter, would be cancelled when it was clear that its performance was not sufficient for an air-to-air dogfighter role. The AWG-9/Phoenix and TF30 turbofan engine would eventually enter service on the F-111B's successor, the swing-wing Grumman F-14 Tomcat.

Skyknights continued in service through the 1960s in a gull white color scheme, when their contemporaries had long since been retired. In 1962, when the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force unified their designation systems, the F3D-1 was redesignated F-10A and the F3D-2 was re-designated F-10B.

Vietnam War

The Skyknight was the only Korean war jet fighter that also flew in Vietnam. EF-10Bs served in the Electronic warfare role during the Vietnam War until 1969. The large interior provided ample room for electronic equipment. U.S. Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron One VMCJ-1 Golden Hawks began operating the EF-10B in Vietnam on 17 April 1965 under Lt. Col Wes Corman at Da Nang Air Base Republic of Vietnam with six aircraft. No more than 10 EF-10Bs were in Vietnam at one time. The Electronic Warfare (EW) Skyknight was a valuable Electronic countermeasure (ECM) asset to jam the SA-2 surface-to-air missiles (SAM) tracking and guidance systems. VMCJ-1 made history when its EF-10Bs conducted the first USMC airborne radar jamming mission on 29 April 1965 to support a USAF strike mission. Four EF-10Bs also supported a massive strike on the SA-2 SAM sites near Hanoi on 27 July 1965.

Many U.S. aircraft were lost to SA-2 surface-to-air missiles in Vietnam and the electronic attack on the associated radar systems was known as "Fogbound" missions. The F3D also dropped chaff over the radar sites. The first EF-10B lost in Vietnam was to an SA-2 SAM on 18 March 1966, while four more EF-10Bs were lost in Vietnam to accidents and unknown causes. Their mission was gradually taken over by the more capable EA-6A "Electric Intruder", an Electronic Warfare/Electronic Countermeasures (EW/ECM) variant of the Grumman A-6 Intruder attack bomber. The EF-10B Skyknight continued to fly lower–threat EW missions until they were withdrawn from Vietnam in October 1969. The U.S. Navy's EKA-3 Skywarrior and the USAF's Douglas RB-66 Destroyer also took on EW missions.

The U.S. Marine Corps retired its last EF-10Bs in May 1970.

Post Vietnam

The U.S. Navy continued to use the F-10s for avionics systems testing. The F-10 was used as a radar testbed to develop the APQ-72 radar. The nose of an F-4 Phantom was added to the front of an F-10B. Another F-10 had a modified radome installed by the radar manufacturer Westinghouse. Yet another TF-10B was modified with the nose from an A-4 Skyhawk. In 1968, three Skyknights were transferred to the U.S. Army. These aircraft were operated by the Raytheon Corporation at Holloman AFB where they were used testing at the White Sands Missile Range into the 1980s; they were the last flyable Skyknights.

Variants

  • XF3D-1 : Prototype aircraft, two Westinghouse J34-WE-24 turbojet engines of 3,000 lbf (1,361 kgf), APQ-35 search and target acquisition radar, four 20mm cannon, three built.
  • F3D-1 : Two-seat all-weather day or night-fighter aircraft, powered by two 3,000 lbf Westinghouse J34-WE-32 turbojet engines, tail warning radar, ECM, and other electronics that added over 5,000 lb (2,267 kg) of weight, 28 built. First flight: 13 February 1950.
  • F3D-1M : 12 F3D-1s were converted into missile-armed test aircraft, used in the development of the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile.
  • F3D-2 : Second Production version, initially powered by two 3,400 lbf (1,542 kgf) Westinghouse J34-WE-36 and later by two 3,600 lbf (1,633 kgf) Westinghouse J34-WE-38 turbojet engines, 565 mph (909 km/h) @ 20,000 ft (6,096 m), equipped with wing spoilers, autopilot and an improved Westinghouse AN/APQ-36 radar, 237 built. First flight: 14 February 1951.
  • F3D-2B : One F3D-1 was used for special armament test in 1952.
  • F3D-2M : 16 F3D-2s were converted into missile armed aircraft. The F3D-2Ms were armed with AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles.
  • F3D-2Q : 35 F3D-2s were converted into electronic warfare aircraft.
  • F3D-2T : Five F3D-2s were converted into night fighter training aircraft.
  • F3D-2T2 : 55 F3D-2s were used as radar-operator trainers and electronic warfare aircraft.
  • F3D-3 : Unbuilt project, intended to be an advanced version incorporating swept wings.
  • F-10A : 1962 re-designation of the F3D-1.
  • F-10B : 1962 re-designation of the F3D-2.
  • EF-10B : 1962 re-designation of the F3D-2Q.
  • MF-10A : 1962 re-designation of the F3D-1M.
  • MF-10B : 1962 re-designation of the F3D-2M.
    • TF-10B : 1962 re-designation of the F3D-2T2.

Operators

  • United States Army
  • United States Marine Corps
  • United States Navy

Aircraft on display

F3D-2

  • BuNo 124598 - National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida.
  • BuNo 124629 - Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona.
  • BuNo 125807 - Combat Air Museum in Topeka, Kansas.
  • BuNo 125870, (repainted as BuNo 127039) - Korean War and Vietnam War memorial in Del Valle Park in Lakewood, California. Originally displayed in 1950s-era dark blue coloring, the aircraft was repainted in 1963 to the grey and white color scheme of Marine Corps aircraft at the time. With this repainting, the aircraft had the tail code "7L," which was the 1960s-era tail code for Marine Corps Air Reserve and Naval Air Reserve aircraft at nearby Naval Air Station Los Alamitos, California. In 2015, the aircraft was refurbished and painted in grey and white to depict a late 1950s-era Skyknight of VMFT(N)-20 with tail code "BP."

F3D-2Q

  • BuNo 124618 - National Museum of the Marine Corps, in Quantico, Virginia.
  • BuNo 124620 - Quonset Air Museum at Quonset State Airport (former NAS Quonset Point) in Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
  • BuNo 124630 - Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at MCAS Miramar, California.
  • BuNo 125850 - Air Force Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards AFB, California. This aircraft served until 1970 as part of VMCJ-3 (U.S. Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron 3) based at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, carrying tail code "TN."

F3D-2T

  • BuNo 127074 - Empire State Aerosciences Museum (ESAM) near Schenectady, New York. This F3D was operated by Raytheon in Massachusetts for electronics tests until it was donated to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City, New York. It was displayed at the museum from 1987 until April 2012, when it was one of three aircraft moved to the ESAM to make room for the Space Shuttle Enterprise. It is painted in the livery of U.S. Marine Night Fighter Squadron 513 (VMF(N)-513) as flown during the Korean War.

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This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Douglas F3D Skyknight of Wikipedia ( authors )

Douglas F3D Skyknight

  • Role : Fighter aircraft.
  • Manufacturer : Douglas Aircraft Company.
  • Designer : Ed Heinemann.
  • First flight : 23 March 1948.
  • Introduction : 1951.
  • Retired : 1970.
  • Primary users :
    • United States Navy.
    • United States Marine Corps.
  • Number built : 265.
  • Variants : Douglas F6D Missileer.

    • Specifications (F3D-2)

  • Crew : two.
  • Length : 45 ft 5 in (13.84 m).
  • Height : 16 ft 1 in (4.90 m).
  • Wingspan : 50 ft (15.24 m).
  • Wing area : 400 ft² (37.16 m²).
  • Wing loading : 53.4 lb/ft² (260.9 kg/m²).
  • Empty weight : 18,160 lb (8,237 kg).
  • Loaded weight : 21,374 lb (9,694 kg).
  • Max. takeoff weight : 26,850 lb (12,178 kg).
  • Maximum speed : 491 knots (565 mph, 909 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,096 m).
  • Cruise speed : 454 mph (394 kts, 731 km/h).
  • Stall speed : 93 mph (81 kts, 150 km/h).
  • Range : 1,200 mi/1,000 nmi, 1,931 km internal (1,374 mi/1,193 nmi, 2,211 km with two 150 gal/568 l tanks).
  • Service ceiling : 38,200 ft (11,643 m).
  • Rate of climb : 2,970 ft/min (15.1 m/s).
  • Powerplant : Two Westinghouse J34-WE-38 turbojets.
  • Thrust : 3,600 lbf (1633 kg) each.
  • Thrust/weight : 0.34.
  • Armament :
    • Guns : Four 20 mm Hispano-Suiza M2 cannon, 200 rpg.
    • Rockets : Two 11.75 in (29.8 cm) Tiny Tim (rocket).
    • Missiles : Four Sparrow I air-to-air missiles (F3D-2M).
    • Bombs : Two 2,000 lb (900 kg) bombs.

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This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Douglas F3D Skyknight of Wikipedia ( authors )
Douglas F3D/F-10 Skyknight : Your comments on this subject
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    But they remain accessible, for example by scrolling the mouse wheel, or with your finger (on the menu) on a smartphone or tablet.

    I see adds on all videos.

    Use a good free add remover software.

    The site is loading random pages at startup.

    We think it is a good way to bring back the memory of aircraft, persons or events sometimes quite forgotten.

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    Why this site?

    Discovery

    This website is dedicated to one's aeronautical passion (which I hope we share) and was realised mainly as an educationnal tool. Knowing that, you'll notice that each new visit brings random topics for the purpose of making new discoveries, some achievements or characters certainly not deserving the oblivion into which they have sometimes fallen.

    By these pages, we also want to pay tribute to all those who gave at one time or another, their lives or health in the name of freedom, aeronautical security or simply our comfort.

    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).