In October 1962, the C.I.A. and the U.S.A.F. requested that Lockheed study a high-speed, high-altitude drone concept for reconnaissance flights over particularly hostile territories to avoid endangering aircrews. Created during the height of the Cold War and following the shootdown of a U-2 spy p...
The USS Hornet (CV-12) stands as one of the most storied aircraft carriers in United States naval history, playing a decisive role in World War II as part of the Essex-class fleet. From its origins as a replacement for the lost USS Hornet (CV-8) to its participa...
No one on board the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) knew anything about the cargo they were carrying. What they did know was that the veteran cruiser (launched in 1931) made the trip from San Francisco to the island of Tinian in the Marianas in just ten days. The crew was proud of the “Indy”, and fo...
Military aircraft design of the Cold War era could be described as akin to physics, or, more specifically, to Newton’s Third Law of motion, which states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” From lessons learned in the Vietnam War, the United States Air Force determi...
If you had asked me 30 years ago to recommend an inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster for a double-stack 1911 9mm, I would have thought you were completely out of your mind. Fitting that much gun into a low-profile holster seemed like a truly impossible task. Back in the early to mid-1990s, the dou...
Episode 51 was filmed on April 2, 2026, flying Southwest from New Orleans (MSY) to Las Vegas (LAS). Quick, smooth check-in. No friction. Exactly how it should go. Check-In Walked up to the counter and led with “declaring firearms.” The agent asked about lithium batteries and e-cigaret...
At the National Museum of the United States Air Force, many visitors will see an unfamiliar aircraft at the entrance to the WWII gallery. The museum’s display of the gleaming silver fighter coded “86” on the fuselage, features a pilot boarding the plane in his pajamas, with an M1911 pistol ...
Flight delays are easy to dismiss when they show up as a headline about somebody else’s trip. They feel a lot more real when the airport in question is the one you are driving toward before sunrise, with a packed truck, a tight itinerary, and very little room for anything to go wrong. That is [...
Episode 50 was filmed on March 25, flying Southwest Airlines from Las Vegas back to New Orleans. Like most of the flights in this series, the process was quick, smooth, and exactly what you want when traveling with declared firearms. Check-In at LAS I walked up to the counter, greeted the agent, ...
From its earliest experimental roots to today’s cutting-edge stealth bombers, the flying wing has remained one of aviation’s most radical and enduring ideas. Stripped of traditional fuselage and tail structures, this design prioritizes aerodynamic efficiency above all else. The design reduces...