What did we ever do to pass the time on aircraft before laptops, iPads, Ipods and seat back videos with 1000 choices of entertainment? In the 1950s and 60s inflight entertainment as we know it today was in its infancy and rudimentary. Although the first film was shown on an aircraft in 1921 it wasn’tContinue reading “Before Laptops, iPads and Seat Back Videos: 13 Vintage Color Photos Show What Travelers Did to Pass the Time on Long Flights in the 1950s and ’60s”
Category Archives: aviation
In World War II, Boeing Built a Fake Rooftop Town to Hide Its Factory Beneath From Potential Air Strike by the Japanese
During World War II, a strange, house-filled neighborhood could be seen in the middle of an industrial area from the air. A close-up look would reveal that it was camouflage for Boeing’s Plant No. 2, where thousands of B-17 bombers were produced. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese submarines were spotted off the SanContinue reading “In World War II, Boeing Built a Fake Rooftop Town to Hide Its Factory Beneath From Potential Air Strike by the Japanese”
The Paratrooper’s Selfies : 12 Snapshots Whilst Falling to Earth in 1944
In 1944, Picture Post photographer Haywood Magee boarded an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber at RAF Ringway, Cheshire, England. Already onboard were men of the 10th Battalion Parachute Regiment. As one paratrooper prepared to jump, Magee handed him a camera with the instructions to aim it at his face, don’t drop the thing, and click. InContinue reading “The Paratrooper’s Selfies : 12 Snapshots Whilst Falling to Earth in 1944”
Amazing Photos From Swissair Reveal What It Was Really Like to Fly in the 1960s
Swiss airline Swissair has published photos from its archives ’60s. Passengers in those days we flew like kings: enjoying personal space, gobbling up delicious food, sipping cocktails under a cigarette right in the chair. It looked like “the Golden era of passenger aviation.”
Amazing Vintage Photos Reveal How Babies Used to Travel With Family on Airplanes in the 1950s
Flying with children has never been easy. But before the days of special seat belt attachments and sky nannies parents took a more cavalier approach to childcare, simply placing babies in cradles that hung above their heads. Incredible vintage images, dating back to the 1950s, have emerged revealing that ‘skycots’ were attached to the overheadContinue reading “Amazing Vintage Photos Reveal How Babies Used to Travel With Family on Airplanes in the 1950s”
27 Amazing Historical Photos Of Bombers That Didn’t Make It Home During World War 2
Canadian Fighter Pilot in WWI Ordered to Go Back to Flight School. He didn’t. Instead, He Went on To Shoot Down 72 Enemy Aircraft
Air Marshal William Avery “Billy” Bishop was a Canadian fighter pilot in WWI who crashed his plane during a practice run and was ordered to go back to flight school. He didn’t. Instead, he went on to shoot down 72 enemy aircraft, making him a legend in his own time and earning him a VictoriaContinue reading “Canadian Fighter Pilot in WWI Ordered to Go Back to Flight School. He didn’t. Instead, He Went on To Shoot Down 72 Enemy Aircraft”
Vintage Photos of 12 Amazing Flying Cars That Really Existed in the Past
Even before the Wright brothers made their first flight in 1903, people have widely imagined a future where flying cars — or aerocars — are a fact of life, whisking us about without the hassles of roads and traffic. A flying car is a type of personal air vehicle or roadable aircraft that provides door-to-doorContinue reading “Vintage Photos of 12 Amazing Flying Cars That Really Existed in the Past”
22 Amazing Photographs Documenting Female Pilots Training for Duty in Sweetwater, Texas during WWII
In 1943, LIFE Magazine devoted a cover story to the Women Airforce Service Pilots training in Sweetwater, Texas. Looking at the images from this 1943 LIFE cover story about their training, it’s easy to see why the women of the WASP program fought for that recognition. Though the “girl pilots” seemed to be enjoying themselvesContinue reading “22 Amazing Photographs Documenting Female Pilots Training for Duty in Sweetwater, Texas during WWII”
Wide Seats and Plenty of Legroom: These Old Pan Am Photos Show How Much Airline Travel Has Changed
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the largest international air carrier based in the U.S. from 1927 until 1991. The airline has always had a place in popular culture as a kind of standard bearer for luxury and excellence. If you’ve ever seen a photo gallery of “what flying was likeContinue reading “Wide Seats and Plenty of Legroom: These Old Pan Am Photos Show How Much Airline Travel Has Changed”
