March 27, 2023
Today in Microsoft Flight Simulator, I’ll be attempting to fly Howard Hughes’ giant H-4 Hercules. Constructed almost entirely out of wood, it was for a long time the largest airplane ever built, and flew only once. Why was it built? Read on … In an earlier post, I described Howard Hughes’ early career, and the […]
March 25, 2023
Today in Microsoft Flight Simulator, I’m flying the Hughes H-1 Racer, the superbly streamlined airplane that the eccentric tycoon Howard Hughes built and flew to set several world speed records. The story of this plane really begins in 1908, when Howard’s father, Howard Hughes Sr., patented a new drill bit that proved essential to the […]
March 18, 2023
Today in Microsoft Flight Simulator, I’m in Korea to fly the Bell 47, the iconic helicopter from the TV show M*A*S*H, and the first helicopter ever to be certified for civilian use. The Bell 47 was produced by Bell Aircraft, founded by Larry Bell in 1935. Bell was known for producing highly innovative if not […]
March 13, 2023
Today in Microsoft Flight Simulator, I’ll be flying the Russian MiG-21, a Cold War icon that was produced in larger numbers than any other supersonic jet fighter in the world. The MiG-21 was produced by the Soviet state design bureau led by Artem Mikoyan (right) and Mikhail Gurevich (left). Founded in 1939, the bureau achieved modest success […]