From the archives: Bob Buck on radar
Air Facts ArchivesWhile datalink weather is all the rage these days, some 60 years ago, Captain Robert N. Buck thought another hot weather technology, onboard radar, was ready to change the world. This article originally appeared in the November, 1956 edition of Air Facts, and it's still a fascinating look at how pilots interact with new technology.
From the archives: Flying W Ranch
Air Facts ArchivesIn this trip through the Air Facts archives, we stop in June, 1963, where Richard Collins reported on a new airport just east of Philadelphia with a unique community atmosphere. The airport is still around, but the idea never caught on. Why not?
From the archives: Leighton Collins flies a Lear 24
Air Facts ArchivesIn this trip into the Air Facts archives, ride along with Leighton Collins as he gets a familiarization flight in a Lear Jet 24 in 1967. With a variety of small jets hitting the market in recent years, from the Cirrus Jet to the Eclipse, many of Collins’s reactions to flying a powerful jet 50 years ago might sound familiar. Collins concludes, "they’ve really got themselves a show horse in the Model 24."
From the archives: Bob Buck gets a Boeing 707 check out
Air Facts ArchivesThis in-depth report, originally published in the September 1960 edition of Air Facts, is Bob Buck at his best. The legendary airline pilot and author takes us along as he checks out in the Boeing 707, the defining airplane of the jet age. From practicing maneuvers to taking a check ride and flying to Europe, Buck explains how the big jet flies, why it's different and how it is changing the airline business.
From the archives: Leighton Collins flies a 747 to Paris
Air Facts ArchivesOne of the most popular stories from the Air Facts archive is Leighton Collins's spellbinding trip report from the cockpit of an early Boeing 707 on the way to Europe. In this article, we move 10 years into the future, as Collins again flies to Europe with TWA captain Bob Buck. This time they are in the larger and more advanced 747.
From the archives: Leighton Collins on angle of attack, 1965
Air Facts ArchivesThis article, originally published in the May 1965 issue of Air Facts, is a companion to Richard Collins's recent article on "The three keys to flying safely." Here, Richard's father considers the history of angle of attack as both a concept and an instrument, which offers important lessons for pilots of any airplane. This is not a new debate.
From the archives: to Hong Kong in a 707
Air Facts ArchivesOnce again the Air Facts archives offer a mesmerizing flying story from record-setting airline captain Bob Buck. In this article, from the March 1969 edition, Buck takes us from New York to all kinds of exotic places in his Boeing 707: Frankfurt, Athens, Tel Aviv, India and finally Hong Kong.
From the archives: Dick Collins on airline vs. GA flying
Air Facts ArchivesIn our latest trip through the Air Facts archives, we discovered this gem from the April 1965 issue. Here, a young Richard Collins considers the advantages and disadvantages of traveling on the airlines versus flying oneself by light airplane. Is it really worth it to fly instead of ride? Nearly 50 years later, many pilots are still asking the question--Collins answers it definitively.
From the archives: Bob Buck flies a Connie from LA to London
Air Facts ArchivesBob Buck was one of Air Facts' most popular writers in the 1950s and 60s, beloved for his first-hand accounts of the changing airline world. In our latest trip through the Air Facts archives, we fly from Los Angeles to London via the polar route, as told from the left seat of a Connie.
From the archives: Len Morgan on airline flying
Air Facts ArchivesLen Morgan was a legendary airline pilot and writer, but many readers may not know that he wrote for Air Facts before going on to Flying magazine. This article, from the December 1953 edition of Air Facts, takes us back to another era and offers a look at the life of an airline pilot during the glory days.
From the archives: Journey to Wichita
Air Facts ArchivesOne of the first articles published on Air Facts when we relaunched in 2011 was Rob Buck's delightful trip down memory lane, telling the story of a boyhood flight to Wichita with his father (legendary pilot Bob Buck). Here, we share the other side of the story: Bob Buck's account of this same flight, as told in the April 1958 edition of Air Facts.
The art of flying on silent wings
Air Facts ArchivesIn our latest trip through the Air Facts archives we share a beautiful meditation on soaring, written by legendary airline pilot Bob Buck. Bob was a pilot's pilot, and his thoughtful, evocative description of what it's like to fly without an engine will make you wish you were soaring with him. Think gliders are for wimps? Think again.
From the archives: Wolfgang Langewiesche flies across Africa
Air Facts ArchivesToday we are pleased to republish “140 in Africa,” a delightful article that will take you back in time. Legendary author Wolfgang Langewiesche shares the simple pleasures of flying low and slow across a vast continent. This originally appeared in the March, 1951 edition of Air Facts magazine.
From the archives: Molt Taylor on flying cars
Air Facts ArchivesThis article, published in the January 1959 edition of Air Facts, shows just how long we've been talking about flying cars. Molt Taylor was perhaps the most successful (or least unsuccessful) flying car entrepreneur of the last century. Many of the questions he asked are still being asked today about the Terrafugia Transition and other flying car concepts.
Time Capsule: Leighton Collins flies an early 707 to Europe
Air Facts ArchivesFrom time to time, we revisit an original Air Facts article that we think would make enjoyable and worthwhile reading today. So it is with Leighton’s “Flight 700,” his story of flying with iconic Captain Robert Buck in a 707 at the beginning of the Jet Age. This is a detailed description of a flight, and like us, you will no doubt marvel at how much has changed.