MiG-21 "Fishbed" @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • MiG-21 Lancer C MiG-21 Lancer C
    MiG-21 Lancer C
  • MiG-21 UM MiG-21 UM
    MiG-21 UM
  • MiG-21F-13 MiG-21F-13
    MiG-21F-13
  • MiG-21PFM<br>Egypt - 1982 MiG-21PFM<br>Egypt - 1982
    MiG-21PFM
    Egypt - 1982
  • MiG-21UMD Croatian Air Force MiG-21UMD Croatian Air Force
    MiG-21UMD Croatian Air Force
  • MiG-21 MiG-21
    MiG-21
  • MiG-21U MiG-21U
    MiG-21U
  • MiG-21bis MiG-21bis
    MiG-21bis
  • MiG-21PF MiG-21PF
    MiG-21PF
  • Romania MiG-21 Lancer Romania MiG-21 Lancer
    Romania MiG-21 Lancer
  • Mig-21 Mig-21
    Mig-21
  • Chengdu F-7 Chengdu F-7
    Chengdu F-7
  • Pakistan Chengdu J-7 Pakistan Chengdu J-7
    Pakistan Chengdu J-7

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

The first generation of MiG jet fighters was based on designs similar to late-WWII German jet designs, starting with the subsonic MiG-15, Mig-17, and the low supersonic swept-wing MiG-19. A number of experimental Mach 2 Soviet designs were based on nose intakes with either swept-back wings, such as the Sukhoi Su-7, or tailed delta wings, of which the MiG-21 would be the most successful.

The E-5 prototype of the MiG-21 was first flown in 1954 and made its first public appearance during the Soviet Aviation Day display at Moscow's Tushino Airport in June 1956. The first delta-wing prototype, named "Ye-4", (also written as "E-4") flew on 14 June 1956, and the production MiG-21 entered service in early 1959. Employing a delta-wing configuration, the MiG-21 was the first successful Soviet aircraft combining fighter and interceptor characteristics in a single aircraft. It was a lightweight fighter, achieving Mach 2 speed using a relatively low-powered afterburning turbojet, and is thus comparable to the American F-104 Starfighter and French Dassault Mirage III.

When the MiG-21 was first introduced, it exhibited several flaws. Its early version air-to-air missiles, the Vympel K-13 (NATO reporting name AA-2 'Atoll'), were not successful in combat, and its gyro gunsight was easily thrown off in high-speed maneuvers, making the initial version of the MiG-21 an ineffective aircraft. These problems were remedied, and during the Middle Eastern and Vietnam wars, the MiG-21 proved to be an effective aircraft. Subsequent MiG-21 models added design modifications to incorporate lessons learned in these wars.

Like many aircraft designed as interceptors, the MiG-21 had a short range. This was not helped by a design defect where the center of gravity shifted rearwards once two-thirds of the fuel had been used. This had the effect of making the plane uncontrollable, resulting in an endurance of only 45 minutes in clean condition. The delta wing, while excellent for a fast-climbing interceptor, meant that any form of turning combat led to a rapid loss of speed. However, the light loading of the aircraft could mean that, at 50% fuel and with 2 AA-2 'Atoll' air-to-air missiles, a climb rate of 58,000 ft per minute was possible, not far short of the performance of the later F-16A. Given a skilled pilot and capable missiles, it could give a good account of itself against contemporary fighters. It was replaced by the newer variable-geometry MiG-23 and MiG-27 for ground support duties. However, not until the MiG-29 would the Soviet Union ultimately replace the MiG-21 as a maneuvering dogfighter to counter new American air superiority types.

The MiG-21 was exported widely and continues to be used well past the time where it might have been considered obsolete. The aircraft's simple controls, engine, weapons, and avionics were typical of Soviet-era military designs. While technologically inferior to the more advanced fighters it often faced, low production and maintenance costs made it a favorite of nations buying Eastern Bloc military hardware.

Due to the lack of available information, early details of the MiG-21 were often confused with those of the similar Sukhoi fighters also under development. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1960-1961 describes the "Fishbed" as a Sukhoi design, and uses an illustration of the Su-9 'Fishpot'.

Production

A total of 10.158 (some sources say 10.645) were built in the USSR. They were produced in three factories, in the GAZ 30 of Moscow (also known as Znamiya Truda), in GAZ 21 at Gorky and in GAZ 31 at Tbilisi. The type of "MiG" manufactured differed. Gorky built single-seaters for the Soviet forces. Moscow built single-seaters for export and Tbilisi manufactured the twin-seaters both for export and for the USSR. However, there are exceptions. The MiG-21R and MiG-21bis for export and for the USSR were built in Gorky, 17 single-seaters were bulit in Tbilisi (probably MiG-21F), the MiG-21MF was first built in Moscow and then Gorky, and the MiG-21U was built in Moscow as well as in Tbilisi. The count for each factory is :
5278(or 5765) in Gorky.
3203 in Moscow.
1677 in Tbilisi.

Technical description

Wing

The MiG-21 has a delta wing. The sweep angle on the leading edge is 57° with a TsAGI S-12 airfoil. The angle of incidence is 0° while the dihedral angle is -2°. On the trailing edge there are ailerons with an area of 1,18 m², and flaps with an area of 1,87 m². In front of the ailerons there are small wing fences.

Fuselage

A semi-monocoque with an elliptical profile with a maximum width of 1.24 m. The air flow to the engine is regulated by a cone in the air intake. Up until the MiG-21PF it is three staged. On speeds up to M=1,5 it is fully retracted, between speeds of M=1,5 and M=1,9 it is in the middle position, and with speeds higher than M=1,9 it is in the maximum forward position. However, on the MiG-21PF it adapts to the actual speed, according to the UVD-2M system aboard the aircraft, which monitors the pressure in front and behind the compressor of the engine. On both side of the nose there are gills to supply the engine with more air while on the ground and during takeoff. In the first variant of the MiG-21, the Pitot tube is on the bottom of the nose; after the MiG-21P, every version of the "21" has this tube situated on the top of the air intake. The cabin is pressurized and air conditioned. The canopy up until the MiG-21PFM opens on a hinge on the front of the canopy. When ejecting the SK-1 ejection seat connects with the canopy making a capsule to enclose the pilot and protect him from the airflow, after which it would separate and the pilot would parachute down. However, the canopy took too long to separate and some pilots were killed after ejecting at low altitudes. On the MiG-21PFM the canopy opens on a hinge on the right side of the cockpit. On the belly of the plane there are three air brakes, two at the front and one at the back. The front brakes have an area of 0,76 m², and a deflection angle of 35°. The back one has an area of 0,46 m² and a deflection angle of 40°. The usage of the back air brake is blocked if the plane caries an external fuel tank. Behind the air brakes are the bays for the main landing gear. Under the body, just behind the trailing edge of the wing, two JATO rockets can be attached. The front part of the fuselage ends with former #28. Beginning with former #28a is the back part of the fuselage, which is removable for engine maintenance.

Empennage

The empennage of the MiG-21 consists of a vertical stabilizer, a stabilator and a small fin on the bottom of the tail to improve yaw control. The vertical stabilizer has a sweep angle of 60° and an area of 5,32 m² (on earlier version 3,8 m²) and a rudder. The stabilator has sweep angle of 57°, an area of 3,94 m² and a span of 2,6m.

Landing Gear

A tricycle type undercarriage with a nose gear. The main landing gear has tires 800 mm in diameter and 600 mm in width (till the MiG-21P 660 x 200). The wheels of the main landing gear retract in the fuselage after rotating 87°, the shock absorbers retract in the wing. The nose gear retracts forward in the fuselage under the radar. The wheel base is 4,71m, the track width is 2,69m.

Engines

Engine Thrust (kN)* Variants
R-11F-300 38,2/53,4 F, F-13, U
R-11F2-300 38,7/60 F-13 (refitted), PF, FL
R-11F2S-300 38/60 PF, PFS, PFM, R, S, M, US, UM.
R-11F2SK-300 38/60 MF
R-13-300 40/63,7 M (refitted), MF, RF, SM, SMT, UM (refitted).
R-25-300 40/70 (97 with "extreme afterburner") bis.

* without/with afterburner

Operational history

Vietnam

The MiG-21 initially achieved renown in the Vietnam War, during which it saw frequent action. It was one of the most advanced aircraft at the time; however, many North Vietnamese aces preferred flying the Mig-17, since the high wing loading on the MiG-21 made it less maneuverable than the Mig-17. Although the MiG-21 lacked the long-range radar, missiles, and heavy bombing payload of its contemporary multimission U.S. fighters, it proved a challenging adversary in the hands of experienced pilots especially when used in high speed hit and run attacks under GCI control. MiG-21 intercepts of F-105 Thunderchief strike groups were effective in downing US aircraft or forcing them to jettison their bomb loads.

By the bombing halt in Operation Rolling Thunder in 1968, poor air-to-air combat loss-exchange ratios against smaller, more agile enemy MiGs during the early part of the Vietnam War eventually led the USAF to establish dissimilar air combat training "Aggressor" programs such as Navy "Top Gun", these two programs employed subsonic A-4 Skyhawk and F-5 Tiger II aircraft to mimic the performance of more maneuverable opponents like the Mig-17 and MiG-21.

A VPAF MiG-21MF flown by Phạm Tuân over Hanoi, North Vietnam on December 26, 1972 was apparently responsible for the only claimed combat kill of a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress in history. The B-52 had been circling above Hanoi during Operation Linebacker II. Over the course of the Vietnam War, between April 26, 1965 and January 8, 1973, each side claimed favorable kill ratios.

Middle East

The MiG-21 was also used extensively in the Middle East conflicts of the 60s and 70s by the air forces of Egypt, Syria and Iraq against Israel. The MiG-21 first faced Israeli Mirage IIICs on April 7th, 1967 when six Syrian MiG-21's were shot down by the Israeli Mirages. The MiG-21 would face F-4 Phantom IIs and A-4 Skyhawks later in the 70s, but was later outclassed by the more modern F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon, which were acquired by Israel beginning in the 1980s. The MiG-21 was also used in the early stages of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December, 1979.

Interestingly, Egypt would eventually be shipped some American Sidewinder missiles, and these were fitted to their MiG-21s and successfully used in combat against Libyan MiG-23s during the brief 1977 war.

In 1991, two MiG-21s were downed by F/A-18 Hornets from the USS Saratoga during Desert Storm.

India

The Indian Air Force has been one of the largest users of the MiG-21 since its initial employment of the plane in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. That war witnessed the first supersonic air combat in the subcontinent when an Indian MiG-21 shot down a PAF F-104 Starfighter. The MiGs played an important role in air combat, ensuring an aerial superiority that ultimately resulted in Pakistan's defeat in just a fortnight. It was also used as late as 1999 in the Kargil War. The MiG-21's last known kill took place in 1999 during the Atlantique Incident when two MiG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force shot down a Breguet Atlantique reconnaissance aircraft of the Pakistani Navy, claiming the Pakistani aircraft violated Indian airspace. Upgraded MiG-21 'Bison' aircraft reportedly performed well against F-15 and F-16s of the USAF during Indo-US joint air exercises, surprising American pilots with its capabilities.

Former Yugoslavia

During 1991-1995, Yugoslav People's Army and Serb forces used its MiG-21Ms (about a hundred in total compromising 1/3 of the entire air force) during the Slovenian War, Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War and again during the 1999 Kosovo War and NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Except during the NATO intervention, the aircraft had no air opposition and was mainly used in a ground-attack role. Detailed records show at least six were shot down by AA defences in Croatia and Bosnia and another 24 were destroyed by NATO, most while on the ground. In 1993, Croatia purchased about 40 MiG-21s in violation of arms embargo, but only 25 of these entered service, while the rest were used for spare parts. Croatia used them alongside the four that defected from the JNA mainly for ground attack missions.

Africa

During the Cold War MiG-21s were supplied to many sub-Saharan African nations by the Soviets. Their most notable use in combat occurred during the Angolan Civil War in the hands of the People's Air and Air Defence Force of Angola. Cuban Air Force pilots also flew MiG-21s over Angola during the War. Both Angolan and Cuban MiG-21s often had encounters with, and were downed by, South African Air Force Mirages.

Variants

  • Ye-2 (NATO : "Faceplate") : Swept-wing prototype.
  • Ye-4 (I-500) : The first delta wing prototype of the MiG-21.
  • Ye-5 (NATO "Fishbed") : Delta wing research prototype.
  • Ye-6 : Three pre-production aircraft.
  • MiG-21 : The first series of fighters.
  • MiG-21F (NATO : "Fishbed-B") : Single-seat day fighter aircraft. It was the first production aircraft, with 40 machines being made. The MiG-21F carried 2160 liters of fuel in six internal fuel tanks and was powered by a Tumansky R-11 turbojet engine with 5740kgf of thrust, and armed with two 30-mm NR-30 cannons 60 shells each, it was also capable of carrying two bombs ranging from 50 to 500 kg each. Prototype Ye-6T was redesignated MiG-21F.
  • Ye-50 : Swept-wing research prototype.
  • Ye-66 : Single-seat version, built for breaking the world speed record.
  • Ye-66A : Built to break the world altitude record.
  • Ye-66B.
  • Ye-76.
  • Ye-150 : Interceptor prototype, essentially an enlarged MiG-21.
  • Ye-152 (NATO "Flipper") : Bigger than a MiG-21, the Ye-152 'Flipper' was a high-performance aircraft, which achieved at least 3 world records.
  • MiG-21F-13 (NATO "Fishbed-C") : Single-seat, short-range day fighter. The MiG-21F-13 was the first mass-production model. The MiG-21F-13 was powered by a Tumansky R-11 turbojet engine, it was armed with two Vympel K-13 (AA-2 'Atoll') air-to-air missiles, and one 30-mm NR-30 cannon with a 30 shell magazine. The Type 74 is the Indian Air Force designation. The MiG-21F-13 was made in China, and designated Chengdu J-7 or F-7 for export.
  • MiG-21FL : Export model of the MiG-21PF. Built under license in India as the Type 77.
  • MiG-21I (NATO "Analog") : Testbed for the wing design of the Tu-144 (NATO : 'Charger') supersonic transport.
  • MiG-21SPS : Version built for East Germany.
  • MiG-21P (NATO "Fishbed-D / Fishbed-E") : Single-seat, limited all-weather interceptor fighter. Armed with two air-to-air missiles only.
  • MiG-21PF (NATO "Fishbed-D / Fishbed-E") : Single-seat, limited all-weather fighter, equipped with a RP21 Sapfir radar. The MiG-21PF is the second production model. Prototype Ye-7, Type 76 Indian Air Force designation.
  • MiG-21PF (SPS) (NATO "Fishbed-E")
  • MiG-21PFM (NATO "Fishbed-F") : Single-seat, limited all-weather fighter, with upgraded radar and a more powerful engine. Improved version of the MiG-21PFS.
  • MiG-21PFS (NATO "Fishbed-F") : Single-seat, limited all-weather fighter, with upgraded radar and a more powerful engine.
  • MiG-21 (NATO "Fishbed-G") : Experimental short take-off and landing aircraft.
  • MiG-21R (NATO "Fishbed-H") : Single-seat tactical reconnaissance version of the MiG-21PFM.
  • MiG-21RF (NATO "Fishbed-J") : Single-seat tactical reconnaissance version of the MiG-21MF.
  • MiG-21S (NATO "Fishbed-J") : Single-seat interceptor fighter version, equipped with an RP-22 radar and an external gun pod. (Incorrectly identified by NATO as the MiG-21PFMA); E-8, Type 88 Indian Air Force designation.
  • MiG-21SM : Single-seat interceptor fighter version, powered by a Tumansky R-13-300 turbojet engine.
  • MiG-21PFV : High-altitude version (perekhvatchik forsirovannij visotnij, high-altitude boosted interceptor).
  • MiG-21M : Export version powered by a Tumansky R-13 turbojet engine. Built under license in India as the Type 96.
  • MiG-21MF : Export version powered by a Tumansky R-13 turbojet engine.
  • MiG-21MF (NATO "Fishbed-J") : Single-seat multi-role fighter version, equipped with a RP-22 radar, powered by a Tumansky R-13-300 turbojet engine.
  • MiG-21MF-R : After the MiG-21R was withdrawn from service in the Bulgarian Air force in 1995, a group of engineers fitted the MiG-21MFs with the recon containers from the MiG-21Rs.
  • MiG-21SMT (NATO "Fishbed-K") : Single-seat multi-role fighter version, powered by a Tumansky R-13 turbojet engine. Increased fuel and ECM capability. (E-9, block 94 and 96)
  • MiG-21bis (NATO "Fishbed-L") : Single-seat multi-role fighter and ground-attack aircraft. The final production model. This version is powered by a Tumansky R-25-300 turbojet engine, and carries 2880 liters of fuel. The engines are capable of "extreme afterburner" for up to 3 min - increasing the thrust from 7100 kgf to 9900 kgf. It can accelerate from 600 km/h to 1100 km/h in 18 seconds (the MiG-29 does it in 11,6 sec). The climb rate is 225 m/s. In comparison the F-14 has a climb rate of 152 m/s, the Mig-17F 65 m/s, the F-16A 215 m/s.
  • MiG-21bis (NATO "Fishbed-N") : Single-seat multi-role fighter and ground-attack aircraft.
  • MiG-21U (NATO "Mongol-A") : Two-seat training version of the MiG-21F-13. Type 66 Indian Air Force designation.
  • MiG-21US (NATO "Mongol-B") : Two-seat training version. Type 68 Indian Air Force designation.
  • MiG-21UT : Two-seat trainer.
  • MiG-21UM (NATO "Mongol-B") : Two-seat training version of the MiG-21MF. Type 69 Indian Air Force designation.
  • JJ-7 : Two-seat training version of the J-7.
  • FT-7 : Export designation of the JJ-7.
  • MiG-21-93 Bison : Upgraded version for the Indian Air Force.
  • MiG-21 Lancer : Upgraded version for the Romanian Air Force done by Elbit of Israel and Aerostar of Romania. The Lancer-A version is optimized for ground attack being able to deliver precision guided munitions of eastern and western origin as well as R-60, R-73 and Python III air to air missiles. The Lancer-B version is the trainer version and the Lancer-C version is the air superiority version featuring 2 LCD MFDs, helmet mounted sight and the Elta EL/M-2032 Air combat radar.
  • MiG-21MFN : Upgraded version for the Czech Air force (navigation and communication systems for compatibility with NATO).
  • MiG-21bisD/UMD : Upgraded in 2003 for the Croatian Air force with some elements of the Lancer standard. Modernized for a 10-year period but due to be withdrawn from service in 2011. Reported to have the ability to fire Swedish RBS-15F anti-ship missiles.
  • MiG-21-2000 : Single-seat 21st century version for export buyers. Made by the IAF.

Foreign variants

China (PRC)

Chinese copies of the MiG-21 are designated Chengdu J-7 and F-7 (for export).

Czechoslovakia

Between 1962 and 1972 the MiG-21F-13 version was manufactured under license by Aero Vodochody, in Czechoslovakia. Aero Vodochody (then Středočeské strojírny, n.p.), built a total of 194 planes during this period, under the cover designation article Z-159. It followed the MiG-15 and MiG-19s built in Vodochody factory from the fifties to sixties. The sole locally-built version of the MiG-21F-13 differed externally from the Soviet-built examples by the solid dural sheet fairing behind the cockpit canopy, as opposed to the transparent one on the original Soviet MiGs. These machines were built for the Czechoslovak Air Force and also for export. The R-13-300 engines were imported from the Soviet Union.

India

The production of the MiG-21bis assembled from CKD parts and also reportedly built from scratch in India under license by Hindustan Aeronautics in Nasik lasted until 1984. Despite a series of crashes during the 90s, which led to the aircraft acquiring the nickname "flying coffin," the Indian Air Force has decided to upgrade about 128 of the MiG-21bis in its inventory to the MiG-21 "Bison" standard. They are planned to serve the Indian Air Force until 2015.

Israel

Israeli Aircraft Industries manufactured an upgrade package for the MiG-21 called the MiG-21-2000.

Israel/Romania

A joint venture between Aerostar SA and Elbit has developed the "LanceR" upgrade package for the MiG-21, and 114 MiG-21s have been upgraded to the MiG-21 LanceR configuration for the Romanian Air Force.

Russia

Russia now offers an upgrade package to bring late-model MiG-21s up to the MiG-21-93 standard. This package provides an upgrade of the avionics suite that includes installation of the Kopyo pulse-Doppler radar used by the MiG-29, which enables the aircraft to fire a greater range of modern weapons such as the beyond-visual-range Vympel R-77 air-to-air missile. The upgraded avionics also enhance the aircraft's survivability as well as its ability to engage enemy fighters. Other upgrade features include installation of a dual-screen HUD, helmet-mounted target designator, and advanced flight control systems.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 of Wikipedia ( authors )

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

  • Role : Fighter and interceptor aircraft.
  • National origin : Soviet Union.
  • Design group : Mikoyan-Gurevich.
  • First flight : 16 June 1955 (Ye-4).
  • Introduction : 1959 (MiG-21F).
  • Status : In service.
  • Primary users :
    • Soviet Air Forces (historical).
    • Indian Air Force.
    • Croatian Air Force.
    • Romanian Air Force.
  • Produced : 1959–1985.
  • Number built : 11,496 (10,645 produced in the USSR, 840 in India, 194 in Czechoslovakia).
  • Variants : Chengdu J-7.

    • Specifications (MiG-21bis)

  • Length : 15.76 m (or 51 ft 8 in).
  • Height : 4.12 m (or 13 ft 6 in).
  • Wingspan : 7.15 m (or 23 ft 5 in).
  • Wing area : 23 m² (or 247.5 ft²).
  • Wing loading : 379 kg/m² (or 77.8 lb/ft²).
  • Empty weight : 5,350 kg (or 11,800 lbs).
  • Loaded weight : 8,726 kg (or 19,200 lbs).
  • Max takeoff weight : 9,660 kg (or 21,300 lbs).
  • Maximum speed : 2230 km/h (or 1385 mph) (or Mach 1.8).
  • Range : 450 to 500 km (or 280 to 310 mi).
  • Service ceiling : 19,000 m (or 62,300 ft).
  • Rate of climb : 225 m/s, or 23,600 ft/min (with 50 per cent fuel and two AA-2 "Atoll" missiles, the MiG-21 can reach 58,000 feet (or 19,000 meters) in one minute, under favorable weather circumstances).
  • Powerplant : One Tumansky R-25-300 afterburning turbojet.
  • Thrust : 70 kN (or 15,700 lbf).
  • Thrust/weight : 0.84.
  • Armament : One centerline twin-barrelled GSh-23 23 mm cannon (PFM, MF, SMT, and bis variants) or one single-barrelled NR-30 cannon (F-13 variant). Up to 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons on two or four underwing hardpoints, depending on the variant. Early machines carried two Vympel K-13 (AA-2 'Atoll') air-to-air missiles under the wing pylons. Late models carried two K-13 and two fuel tanks under the wing pylons or combinations of four K-13 infrared- and radar-guided missiles. The Molniya R-60 (NATO reporting name AA-8 'Aphid') was also used on multiple pylons. Most aircraft carried a single 450 L (119 US gal) fuel tank on the centerline pylon.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 of Wikipedia ( authors )
Mikoyan-Gourevitch MiG-21 "Fishbed" : Your comments on this subject
Powered by Disqus
Top
Legal Credits FAQ Help Site Map

Terms of use for the services available on this site

By using this Website, Users agree to the following terms of use and rules :

Definitions

  • Webmaster : Head Administrator with all authority over the management and development of the Website.
  • Administrator : Anyone that was given by the Webmaster full or partial access to the Website's structure or with moderation rights on messages posted by Users.
  • User or Visitor : Any person visiting the Website pages.
  • Website : The following provisions apply to a single Website accessible via the www.aircraftube.com, www.aircraftube.org, www.aircraftube.net and www.all-aircraft.com. URL's
  • Service : All free informations and tools contained on the Website.
  • Comments : All text written by users on Blogs and comment pages available on the Website.
  • Media : All media available on or through the Website. One must distinguish the local media (photos, curves, drawings) and the external media (videos) which the Website refers.

    • Purpose of this site

    The purpose of this non-commercial site is purely educational. Reflecting a passion, it is also there to preserve the memory of all those who gave their lives, their health or energy in the name of freedom, aviation safety or simply our passenger comfort.

    Copyright

    Some media may have escaped the vigilance of Administrators with regard to copyrights. If a user reports copyright infringement, he will be asked to prove that he is indeed the rights's owner for the concerned media. If so, his decision on the Administrator's next action will be respected: A total suppression of the Media on the Website, or the addition of some owner's reference. The publication of a media on the internet normally having as a goal to make it visible to many people, the Administrators expect in any case that the second option will be most often chosen.

    Pursuant to the Law on copyright and related rights, the user has the right to download and reproduce information on the Website for personal use and provided that the source is mentionned. They cannot however be used for commercial or advertising purposes.

    Using Blogs and filing comments

  • Moderator : The Administrator reserves the right to prevent the publication of comments that are not directly related to the Service without providing any explanation. Similarly, all insults, out of scope or unethical material will be banned.
  • Identification : Persons wishing to post a comment or use any form of contact are required to provide identification by the means of a valid e-mail address.
  • Responsibilities : Comments are posted on the Website under the unique responsability of their authors and the Administrators may in no case be liable for any statements or claims that the users might have issued.

    • As the comment system is hosted and maintained on servers external to the Website, the Administrators may in no circumstances be held responsible for the use that administrators of these servers or other third parties may have with those comments or filed data.

    Content Liability

    The Administrators carefully check the reliability of the sources used. They cannot, however, guarantee the accuracy of any information contained on the Website, partly because of the multiple sources from which they come.

    JavaScript and cookies - Storing information

    This Website imperatively uses JavaScript and cookies to function properly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Website for the retention or disclosure of personal information about Visitors. Exceptions to this rule will involve storing the Users banned for inappropriate comments they might have given as well as contact information for Users wishing to subscribe to future newsletters.

    When a user accesses the Website, the corresponding servers may automatically collect certain data, such as IP address, date and time of Website access, viewed pages and the type of browser used. This information is kept only for the purpose of measuring the number of visitors to the different sections of the site and make improvements.

    Donations - Advertising

    To continue providing the Service for free, the Webmaster reserves the right to insert advertising or promotional messages on any page of the Site. In the same idea, any donations will only by used to cover the running costs of the site, such as hosting, connection fees, hardware and software necessary for the development and maintenance of the Website.

    Links and other websites

    Administrators shall in no case be liable for the non-availability of websites operated by third parties to which users would access through the Website.

    Administrators assume no liability for any content, advertising, products and/or services available on such third party websites. It is reminded that those sites are governed by their own terms of use.

    Placing a link to third party sites or authorize a third party to include a link on their website refering to this Website does not mean that the Administrators recommend in any way the products or services offered by these websites.

    Modifications

    The Webmaster reserves the right to modify at any time without notification the present terms of use as well as all content or specific functionality that the Website offers.

    The modified terms and conditions immediately apply to the using Visitor when changes come online. Visitors are invited to consult the site regularly on the most current version of the terms and conditions

    Governing Law and Jurisdiction

    These general conditions are governed by Belgian law.

    In case of dispute regarding the interpretation and/or execution of the above terms, the parties agree that the courts of the district of Nivelles, Belgium shall have exclusive jurisdiction power.

    Credits page

    Wikipedia.org

    Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia.

    Youtube

    YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, view and share videos.

    Special thanks to all Youtube quality aviation vids providers, specially (Those I forgot, please excuse me or report) :

    Airboyd
    Andys Video
    Aviation videos archives
    Bomberguy
    Classic Aviation TV
    Historical Aviation Film Unit
    Horsemoney
    Jaglavaksoldier
    Joluqa Malta
    Just Planes
    Koksy
    Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture
    Memorial Flight
    Octane130
    Okrajoe
    SDASM archives
    Spottydog4477
    The Aviators TV
    Valentin Izagirre Bengoetxea
    Vexed123
    VonBerlich
    Zenos Warbirds

    Bundesarchiv

    The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv are the National Archives of Germany.

    FAQ

    I don't see my comments any more!

    Please note that each page has it's own comment entry. So, if you enter a comment i.e. on the B-747, you will only see it on that related page.

    General comments are accessed via the "BLOG En" button.

    Comments are moderated, so please allow some delay before they appear, specially if you are outside Europe.

    Menus are developing below the page, because they are too long!

    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.

    HELP PAGE

    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).