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BluFly 🛩
@blufly.media
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A humans-in-the-loop feed for the aviation community. If made by people and flying between the surface and the Kármán Line you'll find it on BluFly. Read the current issue at https://blufly.media/2025/11. (📸 ©2024 Cheryl Goodwin | Good 2 Go Photography)
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We weren't aware on this day in 1940 – eighty-five years ago 😲 — the legendary DH.98 Mosquito first flew. For this reminder, we thank the People's Mosquito project, which, by the way, is building a *brand-new* Mossie. Well worth checking out. | 🛩️ ⚔️ 🥇 | 🔗 www.peoplesmosquito.org.uk/2025/11/25/8...
A black and white profile view of the DH.98 Mosquito prototype aircraft on or around the date it flew or the first time; November 25, 1940. The aircraft in the picture is either accelerating for take-off or is in the process of landing. The tailwheel is elevated and the aircraft is moving from left to right in the frame. The flaps are partially deployed. Given that this is the prototype, it is uniform grey; that is, with no camouflage. The number « W4050 » is painted on the fuselage just ahead of the empennage. A Royal Air Force roundel is also painted on the side of the fuselage, as is the RAF 'fin flash' painted on the vertical stabiliser. There appears to be grass in the foreground adjacent to the runway. The same grass is also visible beyond the runway, leading up to a line of trees in the distance. The sky is uniform grey. (📸 Royal Air Force via Wikimedia Foundation in the public domain)
November 25, 2025 at 6:36 PM
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The 2025 edition of the Recreational Aviation Foundation's photo contest has wrapped up, and this is just one example, amongst many, of the beautiful work submitted this year. Check out all the other winners with the link. (📸 Jim Stevenson | RAF) | 🛩️ 🥇 | 🔗 www.theraf.org/2025-raf-pho...
A blue bush plane in flight is viewed from above set against the background of rocky, mountain terrain dotted with patches of snow. It is flying from left to right in the frame and slightly toward the camera. The pilot is visible and appears to be looking at the camera plane. The aircraft is equipped with large, balloon-type tires suitable for rough terrain. The upper surface of the leading edge of the wing has a strip of orange turbulator devices. On the tip of the wing, in orange letters, is the word « MAULE ». On the vertical stabiliser is a stylised buck (ie. animal) set against an orange background. The lighting suggests an overcast day, but the sky is not visible, by which this could be confirmed. Original caption from source: « RAF Mission: Jim Stevenson - Near the Kennicott Glacier, Alaska » (📸 Jim Stevenson | RAF)
November 21, 2025 at 6:49 PM
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An example of the outstanding collection of images of the London Gliding Club's Dunstable 'clubhouse', with thanks to the excellent staff at the Royal Institute of British Architects. (📸 Christopher 'Kit' Nicholson (1904-1948) | RIBA Collections) | 🛩️ 🪽 🎨 🥇 | 🧵 1/2 | 🔗 www.ribapix.com/search?q=Lon...
A rendering by architect Christopher Nicholson's design for the London Gliding Club's 'clubhouse'. It's an elevated, almost isometric view of the building drawn with either pastels or coloured pencils. A glider is shown in the foreground of the building. It's an attractive building in what is now often described as the Mid-Century Modern style. In the top left of the drawing are the letters « LGC ». In the bottom left are the letters « 25 ». In the bottom right are the words « CHRISTOPHER NICHOLSON ¶ REGISTERED ARCHITECT ¶ 100 FULHAM ROAD LONDON S.W.3 ». In the top right is the round logo of the Royal Institute of British Architects. (📸 Christopher David George Nicholson (1904-1948) | RIBA Collections)
November 21, 2025 at 2:51 PM
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« Design and Flight Test of an Air-Launched Medical Aid Delivery Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle » by Samuel A. Cherkauer, Carson J. Karle, Evan M. Hiland, Cameron N. Brown, Isaac R. Wetherbee, Jordan P. Richert, Danielle C. McCormick, Jacob M. Sander, … | 🛩️ ⚔️ 🏫 📡 🥇 | 🧵 1/2 | 🔗 www.mdpi.com/3567564?utm_...
A montage of fifteen figures taken from the academic paper entitled « Design and Flight Test of an Air-Launched Medical Aid Delivery Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle » by Samuel A. Cherkauer, Carson J. Karle, Evan M. Hiland, Cameron N. Brown, Isaac R. Wetherbee, Jordan P. Richert, Danielle C. McCormick, Jacob M. Sander, Max A. Welliver, Jackson A. Karlik, Nicholas Barrick, Zackary J. Bauer, and Brian D. Roth of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, published on October 30, 2025. The figures illustrate both the configuration of the subject aircraft and various aspects of its construction and operating characteristics. (📸 authors named above)
November 17, 2025 at 4:23 PM
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Fred is a legend for many avgeeks like us: « Creating a Community of Mentors to Support the Next Generation of Pilots ▫️ Fred North's worldwide mentoring programme connects young aviators with veteran peers to enhance safety. » (📸 Airbus Helicopters) | 🛩️ 🚁 🧰 🥇 | 🔗 www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/...
An all-white and otherwise unmarked Airbus H125 (formerly the Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil) is shown in an air-to-air photo. The aircraft is pictured from above, looking down, and is heading toward and slightly to the right of the camera position. The passengers inside the helicopter are visible through the cockpit windscreen. In the background is a rugged, rocky coastline dotted with some trees. A blue ocean or lake is visible beyond that. The weather appears sunny. (📸 Airbus Helicopters)
November 13, 2025 at 2:32 PM
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New Season of Behind The Wings® on @pbs.org: this excellent series returns for a seventh season, with complementary 'behind the scenes' podcasts, and episodes on the Hurricane Hunters and the enduring F-16. (📸 @noaa.gov | SrA A. Schwier-Morales, USAF) | 🛩️ 🎙️ 📹 ⚔️ 🥇 | 🔗 wingsmuseum.org/resources/po...
An image of the Lockheed WP-3D Orion nicknamed 'Kermit' and also known as one of the ‘Hurricane Hunter' aircraft. It is photographed from below and appears to be on final approach for landing set against a backdrop of a sunny sky with lots of puffy, white cumulus clouds. Inset, lower right, is a picture of a formation of four F-16 aircraft in flight over a cloud deck seen below. Original caption from source: « U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing fly in formation during a training sortie over South Korea March 14, 2014. » (📸 NOAA | SrA Armando Schwier-Morales, United States Air Force in the public domain)
November 10, 2025 at 3:44 PM
blufly.media
We're total fans of meticulous restorations — keepin’ ’em flyin’ — and this looks like another one being undertaken by the Airbase Georgia of the Commemorative Air Force. A great update on a really interesting P-47 Thunderbolt project. | 🛩️ ⚔️ 🥇 | 🧵 1/2 | 🔗 commemorativeairforce.org/news/airbase...
A montage of four photos from various stages of a restoration project of a P-47 Thunderbolt currently being undertaken by the Commemorative Air Force Airbase, Georgia. Top left: the supercharger on a forklift with a yellow rental moving van nearby. Top right: in a workshop, two men carry what appears to be the leading edge of the aircraft in the form of a bent aluminum sheet. Bottom left: the same two men carry the same part after having removed it from the yellow moving van. Bottom right: the supercharger on a forklift, but this time either being loaded onto or removed from the yellow moving van. All of these photos are montaged over a washed-out, black-and-white image of a schematic diagram seemingly from the original P-47 technical manual. It's a cut-away drawing of the aircraft's supercharger as mounted in its fuselage. (📸 Commemorative Air Force Airbase Georgia)
November 6, 2025 at 6:11 PM
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An interesting new @darpa.mil program has just opened up: the « DARPA Lift Challenge » with $6.5M in prize money. All that's required 😉 is to have your team's drone fly one hundred and ten pounds over a five-mile circuit. (📸 Alan Clarke | DARPA) | 🛩️ 📡 ⚔️ 🏫 🥇 | 🔗 www.darpa.mil/research/pro...
An artist's rendering, resembling a watercolour, wherein the point of view is at grass level looking out over a grace race course marked by yellow chequerboard vertical banners. The start/finish line is also shown consisting of two vertical poles joined by a cloth banner. The latter has black and white chequerboard at either end and the DARPA Lift challenge logo in the centre. The logo consists of a circular black barbell plate with the words « DARPA LIFT CHALLENGE » in white letters arranged around the periphery. Two feathered wings extend outwards to the left and right from the plate. In the foreground, two sets of barbells are shown suspended by straps from a drone which is out of frame at the top. The sky is blue with white, puffy clouds. (📸 Alan Clarke | DARPA)
November 4, 2025 at 4:48 PM
blufly.media
The « Conservation FLYer Featured Mission » for @lighthawk-org.bsky.social this month was in pursuit of the « protection for 62,500 acres of lands in Northwestern Maine ». An interesting read about this excellent work of this group. (📸 Jake Metzler) | 🛩️ 💺 🥇 | 🔗 www.lighthawk.org/what-we-do/c...
A view from a small aircraft of the forests of northwestern Maine near the border of the United States. The leading edge of the red, white, and silver wing of the photographer's aircraft is visible in the bottom right of the frame. The landscape below consists of rolling hills of yellow and green. The sky above is clear with a small band of mist on the horizon. Original caption from source: « A group of LightHawk partners have come together to pursue protection for 62,500 acres of lands in northwestern Maine known as the Magalloway region » (📸 Jake Metzler)
November 3, 2025 at 4:13 PM
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We featured DarkAero's excellent newsletter 🗞️ last month, wherein they are sharing engineering details of their 'DarkAero 1'. Here's this month's, including a video with details of the wing centre section by President and Co-Founder Ryley Karl. | 🛩️ 📹 🥇 | 🧵 1/2
A picture of the 'DarkAero 1' prototype in a test rig. It is located in a well-lit hangar. The aircraft is barely discernible amongst all the test equipment as well as the test rig itself. Original caption from source: « Ratchet straps were used during load tests of the wing mount lugs to apply simulated drag loads. » (📸 DarkAero, Inc.)
November 2, 2025 at 11:05 PM
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A brand new press release from LTA Research: « Pathfinder 1 Expands Flight Testing Area » wherein they are now « authorized to operate within an expanded flight envelope around the San Francisco Bay Area. » The accompanying image, below, is a stunner. | 🛩️ 🎈 ⚡️ 📰 | 🔗 ltaresearch.com/news/pathfin...
LTA Reseach's 'Pathfinder 1' rigid airship flies from left to right over the Golden Gate Bridge at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. The sky is clear blue. A helicopter is visible up and to the right of the airship. (📸 LTA Research)
October 28, 2025 at 11:04 PM
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Okay, we’ll bite. | 🛩️
A screenshot showing a matrix of photos all of which show airplanes of one sort or another.
October 28, 2025 at 4:00 AM
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Having kicked October off with the post below from LTA Research, it seems fitting to feature its distant ancestor as our Friday Fédèle this time. (📸 Fédèle Azari [1895-1930] | Digital image courtesy @gettymuseum.bsky.social's Open Content Program) | 🛩️ 🎈 🎨 🥇 | 🧵 1/2 | 🔗 www.getty.edu/art/collecti...
An old, sepia-toned photo of the airship 'Bodensee' inside a hangar seemingly designed for this purpose. The airship is oriented with its bow pointed toward and to the left of the camera position. The gondola, with nearly wrap-around windows, is visible below the main gas envelope. Immediately above the gondola is the word « BODENSEE » in large black, block letters. The airship appears to be undergoing some sort of maintenance, as a number of ladders stretch up the airship from the floor. On the ground below, a number of people are standing in small groups. Overhead and in the background, the intricate interior of the hangar is visible. Original caption from source: « Rigid Airship Bodensee » as well as « 1919–1921 ». (📸 Fédèle Azari [1895-1930] | Digital image courtesy the Getty Museum's Open Content Program.)
October 24, 2025 at 1:08 PM
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Want to make a big splash for Christmas? ❄️ Attend European Rotors on November 17–20, 2025 for a copy of Jon Davison and Jude Brazendale's new book « Climb Higher ». It's being released then, and available for order shortly thereafter. | 🛩️ 🚁 📚 📰 📅 🥇 | 🧵 1/2 | 🔗 www.robinsonheli.com/press/robins...
The cover of the book entitled « CLIMB HIGHER » by Jon Davison and Jude Brazendale. If features a Robinson R44 helicopter in profile, flying from left to right past a blue/white iceberg. The helicopter is dark in colour and the registration is indistinct. In the distance, other icebergs are visible and then a uniformly grey sky as the background. The book's title appears at the top, with the word « CLIMB » in black and « HIGHER » in white. Immediately below the title are the words « Worldwide adventures with Robinson Helicopters » in black letters. At the bottom of the cover are the words « Jon Davison & Jude Brazendale ». (📸 Robinson Helicopter Company)
October 23, 2025 at 1:01 PM
blufly.media
Like motorless flight in all its various forms and vintages? We have a @bsky.app Custom Feed for that. | 🛩️ 🪽 | 🔗 bsky.app/profile/did:...
An image of a large, white, fabric-covered sailplane which is the subject of this post. It is mostly translucent yellow/white with red accent stripes. The word « Bergflake » is painted in ornate black letters on the side of the fuselage. It is flying from right to left in the frame and is photographed from below. The sky is a pale, hazy blue with fluffy white cumulus clouds. Superimposed over the phone is the word « Motorless » along with a white wing as well as the BluFly logo. (📸 Composite RC Gliders used here with permission).
October 21, 2025 at 5:13 PM
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The results of our latest meander through the Norsk Luftfartsmuseum digital archives: we fell hard for the elegant, Mid-Century Modern lines of this Scheibe Bergfalke photographed at the Øysand glider school in the summer of 1959. (📸 See ALT) | 🛩️ 🪽 📍 🇳🇴 🥇 | 🔗 digitaltmuseum.no/021011364740...
A black and white photo of a Scheibe Bergfalks IIa at rest, apparently adjacent to a runway on a sunny day. The aircraft is oriented so the nose is pointing toward the left of the frame. The nature of the photograph reveals nothing about the actual colour of the aircraft; it appears to be uniformly grey. The registration « LN-GAI » is painted in black, block letters on the side of the fuselage and the visible upper surface of the right wing. A man is seated on the wing just to the left of the cockpit. Rolling hills with some built-up structures are visible in the distance. A hard, small shadow is being cast by the aircraft indicating high summer sun. The ground appears sandy with scrubby vegetation. Note that defects from the original photo have been digitally removed. The original, unretouched photograph is located at https://digitaltmuseum.no/0210113647403/scheibe-bergfalke-iia-brukt-i-undervisning-av-elever-pa-oysand-seilflyskole. Original caption from source (Norwegian): « Scheibe Bergfalke IIa, brukt i undervisning av elever på Øysand seilflyskole sommeren 1959. » Translated to English, by Google Translate: « Scheibe Bergfalke IIa, used in teaching students at Øysand glider school in the summer of 1959. » (📸 Norsk Luftfartsmuseum in the public domain)
October 21, 2025 at 2:17 PM
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First it was their immaculate 'Super Star' project, and now: « The Historic Junkers Ju 52 Arrives in Frankfurt ». Puts the Lufthansa Group’s Conference and Visitor Center on our must-visit list for 2026. Yours too? (📸 ©2025 Lufthansa Group) | 🛩️ 📰 📍 🇩🇪 🥇 | 🔗 newsroom.lufthansagroup.com/en/the-histo...
Two men in fluorescent yellow safety jackets look up at the fuselage of a Junkers Ju 52 which appears to be resting on some sort of transportation skid. The fuselage is oriented so that it is pointing to the right. The aircraft is mostly grey, perhaps unpainted metal, with dark blue or even black trim at the nose and then curving under the fuselage. The word « LUFTHANSA » is painted on grey metal just aft of the trim paint. Below this, the words « BERLIN-TEMPELHOF » are painted in smaller letters. The aircraft is situated in a well-lit hangar. Other equipment and people are visible just beyond the fuselage. (📸 ©2025 Lufthansa Group)
October 20, 2025 at 6:20 PM
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The Cirrus newsletter always has a nugget or two. This time it's « Transatlantic Trip in a Cirrus: 25 Countries Explored », which describes what most would call the trip of a lifetime, except Ken and Jen Kelly have even more ambitious adventures planned. | 🛩️ 🥇 | 🔗 cirrusaircraft.com/story/transa...
A man and a woman stand in front of a Cirrus Aircraft SR22T with registration « N717KK ». They are dressed in fluorescent yellow immersion suits, which presumably are required for long, overwater flights in small aircraft. They are both giving the thumbs-up sign. The aircraft behind them is sage green, dark grey, and gold combined in a curvaceous graphic pattern. The aircraft is parked on what appears to be an airport ramp, and the skies in the background are blue with some clouds. (📸 Ken and Jen Kelly)
October 16, 2025 at 6:02 PM
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We thought we'd found the ultimate in airborne opulence with the Global 8000 a few days back. Not to be outdone, Boeing Business Jets will retrofit a 747-8 to whatever spec your heart desires. 🥰 Order yours today, using the online configuration tool. | 🛩️ 🥇 | 🔗 businessjets.boeing.com/wp-content/u...
An artist's rendering of a Boeing 747-8 as it either departs or arrives from an unknown airport. It is flying toward and slightly to the right of the camera position. The extended landing gear is depicted just a metre or two above the runway. The aircraft is mainly white on the upper surfaces and navy blue on the lower surfaces of the fuselage. A gold accent stripe appears close to the curvaceous boundary between the two main colours. There is no registration number visible, although the Boeing Business Jets logo is partially visible on the vertical stabiliser. The aircraft appears to be flood-lit from above and the background is entirely black. (📸 Boeing Business Jets)
October 15, 2025 at 11:43 PM
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Okay, this is an interesting landing zone. 😱 FlyingBasket just released the story and video of their program of deliveries to the Borletti, Payer, Vedretta Pendente, and Vallaga alpine huts in the South Tyrol 🏔️ of Italy. Nice gig if you can get it. | 🛩️ 📡 📹 📰 🥇 | 🔗 flyingbasket.com/blog/news-1/...
A screenshot from FlyingBasket's video about their program of deliveries to the Borletti, Payer, Vedretta Pendente, and Vallaga alpine huts in the South Tyrol 🏔️ of Italy. The main image shows the view down from the drone at a gravel landing pad surrounded by steep cliffs falling away to the valley. In the upper right of the frame, the adjacent alpine hut is visible. A person is standing in front of the hut watching the drone deliver supplies. Three additional, smaller images are montaged over the bottom of the photo showing various aspects of the delivery operation. (📸 FlyingBasket)
October 14, 2025 at 2:37 PM
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Because dreaming is free, we can't resist the temptation to fire up the Radius Map Tool on Atlist and see where the G8000 would take us in one hop at nearly the speed of sound. Almost everywhere, it seems. Try from your home airport. (📸 Atlist) | 🛩️ | 🧵 2/2 | 🔗 www.atlist.com/radius-map-t...
A map of the world in Mercator projection. The area of the map within 8000 miles of Springbank Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada is shaded to a slightly darker colour. Because of this projection, the boundary between the two areas forms a sine wave-like pattern in the area mostly below the equator. The only continent entirely beyond the 8,000 mile distance is Antarctica. (📸 Atlist)
October 14, 2025 at 2:15 AM
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« Bombardier Global 8000, the World’s Fastest Business Jet, Gets Even Faster With a New Top Speed of Mach 0.95 » Almost as startling is the 8,000 NM range. Not bad for a company that starting out making snowmobiles. 😉 (📸 Bombardier) | 🛩️ 📰 🥇 | 🧵 1/2 | 🔗 bombardier.com/en/media/new...
An image of a Bombardier G8000 business jet flying toward and slightly below the camera against the background of lower, hazy cloud deck. The aircraft is leaving a 'furrow' in a cloud layer. The tip vortices of the aircraft are leaving upward curls at the edges of the furrow. It appears to be a sunny day. It's not clear whether this photo is as it was captured or if there was some manipulation of the photo after the fact with photo editing tools. (📸 Bombardier)
October 14, 2025 at 2:15 AM
blufly.media
It's interesting, and a little surprising, to hear news of Electra's selection of UK-based Evolito for their electric power system, with all hardware to be built/assembled in the UK at Evolito's Bicester, Oxfordshire facility. More with link. | 🛩️ ⚡️ 📰 🥇 | 🧵 1/2 | 🔗 www.electra.aero/news/electra...
A graphic of a translucent Electra EL9 showing the hybrid-electric propulsion system, which appears in blue, all on a black background. The blue components include the motors in the eight nacelles on the leading edge of the wing, the battery pack in the fuselage near the centre of gravity and below the passenger compartment, along with the « turbogenerator » which is mounted aft of the passenger compartment toward the tail. These three main components are labelled with lettering on a black background. In the top left corner of the graphic, the words « Hybrid Electric Propulsion » in bold, white letters. (📸 Electra)
October 13, 2025 at 5:51 PM
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« When Aviation Volunteers Mobilize: CWoR Supports Emergency Air Exercise » We continue to be impressed by the efforts of Canadian Wings of Rescue, in this case, joining in Alliance North's 'Air Bridge 2025' exercise. Continue reading with link. | 🛩️ 🥇 | 🔗 canadianwingsofrescue.ca/when-aviatio...
A young woman climbs into a small, general aviation aircraft while it is parked in or beside a white hangar. The aircraft, pointing to the right of the frame, is shown in profile and is cropped such that the fuselage is shown from just forward of the empennage to the open, passenger side door. She has her left hand on the aft edge of the door frame and is stepping up onto the wing with her left foot. She is wearing a blue t-shirt with white lettering and black pants. She has a phone in her right pants' pocket and has sunglasses propped up on the top of her head. She has medium-length brown hair. The aircraft is white on the upper surfaces and blue on the lower. The right wing of the aircraft is in the foreground of the photo, but blurred, so as to focus attention on the person in the photograph. A flight of stairs and some windows are visible in the background. (📸 Canadian Wings of Rescue)
October 11, 2025 at 9:55 PM
blufly.media
Nothing gets us going quite like news of a new air museum opening: The Caldwell Collection, at Mustang Field of El Reno, Oklahoma, is now « open during special events and by appointment ». Their new-looking website has all the details. | 🛩️ 📍 🇺🇸 🥇 | 🔗 thecaldwellcollection.org
A montage of three photos representing various aspects of the Caldwell Collection based in El Reno, Oklahoma. Top left: an old black and white photo of the field when it was set up as a training base for the Army Air Force. Bottom left: the main hangar undergoing renovation. Bottom right: An 1930 Waco RNF biplane parked in front of a hangar. The aircraft has a red fuselage and silver wings. In the top right corner is the round, mostly black logo of the collection which says « THE CALDWELL COLLECTION AT MUSTANG FIELD » around the periphery and surrounding a stylised red biplane graphic. In the background is a graphic also showing a red biplane in front of a hangar with « THE CALDWELL COLLECTION AT MUSTANG FIELD » over the main door. (📸 The Caldwell Collection)
October 9, 2025 at 3:10 PM