Aviation History - USA (2019-09)

2 AH SEPTEMBER 2019

DEPARTMENTS

ON THE COVER: A radar-equipped Messerschmitt Me-110G-4 night fighter armed with upward-firing 20mm “Shräge Musik”

cannons attacks an Avro Lancaster bomber over a burning German city late in WWII. Cover illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz.

features

5 MAILBAG

6 BRIEFING

10 AVIATORS

The opportunity to fly

fighters helped turn a

potentially troubled man,

“Screwball” Beurling,

into Canada’s leading

ace of World War II.

By Bob Gordon

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When film studios came

looking for stand-ins for

Me-109s, these license-

built Spanish Buchóns

answered the call.

By Jon Guttman

14

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44

Hurricanes, Spitfires and

Me-109s mix it up in the

classic 1969 Hollywood

movie Battle of Britain.

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SEPTEMBER 2019

26 Night Terror

The twin-engine Messerschmitt Me-110 overcame a

dismal record in the Battle of Britain to become the

most feared night fighter of World War II.

By Stephan Wilkinson

36 Roddenberry’s War

Two decades before he invented an entire universe,

Star Trek’s creator survived anti-aircraft shells, tropical

storms and a deadly jungle crash while piloting B-17s.

By Steve Birdsall

44 Making Battle of Britain

Fifty years ago, producers scrambled to find stunt doubles

for classic warbirds, and former friends and foes came

together to make an air war epic.

By Don Hollway

52 Thunder in the Cinema

Hollywood has attempted to bring authentic flying

experiences to the big screen with varying degrees of

success, as evidenced by this selection of jet age movies.

By Mark Carlson

60 Howard Hughes’

Hell’s Angels

The young millionaire combined his first two loves—flying

and movie-making—to produce a blockbuster World War I

picture featuring spectacular air combat scenes.

By Christopher Warner

16 EXTREMES

After Nikita Khrushchev

used the Tupolev Tu-

for a trip to the U.S. in

1959, the airliner set

records as the world’s

fastest turboprop.

By Robert Guttman

18 STYLE

Showcasing products of

interest to aviation

enthusiasts and pilots.

24 LETTER FROM

AVIATION HISTORY

66 REVIEWS

70 FLIGHT TEST

72 AERO

ARTIFACT

Jean Harlow and

Howard Hughes