Aviation History Articles

Researched articles by Charles E. MacKay, drawn from his published books on Scottish and military aviation history.

• Beardmore Aviation: The Scottish Industrial Giant That Built Airships, Carriers and Aero-Engines

  How William Beardmore and Co built HMS Argus, the R34 airship, the Tornado engine behind R101 and more aircraft at Dalmuir, Scotland, from 1913 to 1930.

• The Clydeside Aviation Revolution: How Glasgow's Shipyards Built Aircraft in the Great War

  How Glasgow's Clydeside shipyards built aircraft, airships and aero engines in the Great War: Beardmore, Weir, Denny, the R34 and Red Clydeside, fully sourced.

• German Aircraft of the Great War 1914-1918: From the Fokker Eindecker to the Albatros and the Fokker D.VII

  How German Great War aircraft evolved from the Fokker Eindecker to the Albatros fighters and the Fokker D.VII, 1914-1918, by aviation historian Charles E. MacKay.

• British Aircraft of the Great War: The RFC, RNAS and the Fighters of 1914-1918

  How Britain built its Great War air arm: RFC and RNAS fighters, bombers, seaplanes and flying boats of 1914-1918, and the procurement system that supplied them.

• Messerschmitt Me 262: The First Operational Jet Fighter, 1944-1945

  The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the first operational jet fighter, entering Luftwaffe service in 1944. Read its development, combat record and why it came too late.

• The British Nuclear Deterrent in the Jet Age: V-Bombers and the Cold War

  How Britain built its Cold War nuclear deterrent: V-bombers, German rocket origins, Blue Steel, Polaris and Thor. Charles E. MacKay's archival aviation history.

• North American F-86 Sabre: The RAF's Cold War Swept-Wing Fighter

  How the North American F-86 Sabre, built by Canadair, armed 12 RAF squadrons in 1950s NATO Germany. Korea, MiG Alley and the Bechers Brook ferry flights explained.

• The Luftwaffe in 1945: Jets, Fuel, Pilots and the Final Collapse

  How the Luftwaffe collapsed in its final year: Me 262 jets grounded for fuel, synthetic oil output destroyed, and a pilot force gutted by undertraining.

• Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown: Test Pilot, Carrier Landings and the Records That Still Stand

  Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown flew 487 aircraft types and logged 2,407 carrier landings. Inside his records, the first jet deck landing and the steam catapult.

• Arado Ar 234 Blitz: The World's First Operational Jet Bomber and Reconnaissance Aircraft

  The Arado Ar 234 Blitz was the world's first operational jet bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. Its design, the Normandy sortie of 2 August 1944, and Remagen.