Charming the Snake – Craig Hutain & John Cyrier on flying the Bell P-39 Airacobra

Liftoff comes at around 100 mph, but it’s more a case of allowing the airplane to fly when it wants to ... I put the airplane in a position to fly, the flight attitude I want it to be in, and I let it tell me when it’s ready to fly.”

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Headquartered just over a mile from the often frozen waters of the Niagara River and Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York, Bell Aircraft Company and its founder Larry Bell were known for doing things differently in the late 1930s. In 1937, the company debuted its radically unconventional YFM-1 Airacuda, a twin-engine, pusher-driven design that included a gunner station at the forward end of each engine nacelle to operate the airplane’s twin 37 mm cannons. Conceptualized...

PARDON THE INTERRUPTION

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All the stories featured in Flight Journal are as unique and varied as the airplanes and warriors who flew them. From popular warbirds like the P-51 Mustang and Me 109 to the Lockheed SR-71 and futuristic hypersonic fighters, we cover the whole spectrum of aviation. We’ve heard from countless readers over the years about how much they enjoy the compelling stories and beautiful photography.