Multimedia

In this AVweb VODcast, former NASA lead flight director and KITPLANES editor at large Paul Dye explains why this week’s launch of the Crew Dragon spacecraft requires split-timing. It’s a little like driving a really fast car with only a few quarts of gas in the tank.

If the Supermarine Spitfire isn’t the iconic fighter of World War II, it’s in the top three. There are just a handful flying and in this video, Dave Hadfield, of Vintage Wings of Canada, shows us how to start the Merlin and then takes the airplane out for a formation photo shoot.

Beaches and airplanes go together like a salad and a toss, especially for emergency landings. But there have been fatalities when pilots land without seeing people walking or wading. In this AVweb video, Paul Bertorelli examines the risks and offers tips on landing on a beach or ditching offshore, if that’s the better option.

In late April 2020, the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds dazzled the country with a series of 12-ship flybys of major American cities. In this video, former Thunderbirds commanding officer Richard McSpadden comments on what it takes to fly those demos and formations.

You no doubt saw last week’s rare combined Blue Angels and Thunderbird flyby of several U.S. cities to honor health care workers toiling against COVID-19. But you certainly didn’t see it like this. In spectacular cockpit footage, see what the pilots see when flying a tight formation flyby.