Flight Journal

More than half a century after the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird set the benchmark for air-breathing aircraft speed, a new contender is beginning its climb toward that record. On March 2, 2026, aerospace startup Hermeus conducted the maiden flight of its uncrewed Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 prototype from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The short test flight marked the next step in a development program aimed at eventually surpassing the Blackbird’s famous Mach-3-plus performance. Few aircraft inspire as much fascination as the SR-71. Designed by legendary engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson and built by Lockheed’s Skunk Works division, the jet-black reconnaissance aircraft entered service during the Cold War as a high-altitude intelligence platform that could outrun virtually any threat. Constructed largely from titanium to withstand extreme temperatures generated at high speed, the SR-71 cruised at more than Mach 3 and reached an official record of Mach 3.

At the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the aircraft restoration team led by Greg Ward has been working on an extraordinary project for over a decade. Their goal: to bring an FM-2 Wildcat fighter plane, which spent 68 years at the bottom of Lake Michigan, back to life. The story of this plane’s recovery and restoration is a testament to dedication, hard work, and passion for history. The Discovery In June 2013, Ward joined Air Zoo President and CEO Troy Thrash, along with a small team, on a trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin. They were there to see the recently recovered FM-2 Wildcat 57039, which had sunk into Lake Michigan during World War II. Thrash recalled his first reaction to the sight of the wreck: “It was sitting in a pile, broken in half. The wing was shredded, the left landing gear was ripped in half...

Our story by retired RAF pilot Clive Rowley about Russian fighter pilot Anna Yegorova and the Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik she flew is as brutal as the aircraft itself and the Eastern Front conditions she fought in. Most of us are familiar with the U.S. Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), who flew training and ferry missions during the Second World War, but the Russians had three little known combat squadrons with female pilots, and Anna flew with the only operational one. There is nothing aesthetically pleasing about the Sturmovik, with its ungainly hunchback appearance and crude finish, with seemingly ill-fitting fuselage skin panels and exposed rivets. But like so many machines produced by the Soviet war machine, utility, strength, and huge production quantities were the most important requirements. The sheer numbers of IL-2 Sturmoviks produced were staggering.

You would be hard-pressed to find a more iconic warrior figure in history than the fighter ace—except maybe commanding generals or Old West gunfighters. The difference is that all of the aces have lived in the past century and some still walk among us. Their status is usually defined by enemy aircraft destroyed but, when you go deeper, it’s apparent there is much more to the man than just aerial victories. Take for example Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader, one of the RAF’s top fighter aces of World War II with 20 confirmed kills. His ace status is known to many but besides his combat accomplishments, he had to continually overcome unimaginable adversity: debilitating leg injuries, a fanatical fight to regain his flying status, exhaustive and perilous dogfights during the Battle of Britain, and being shot down and subsequent German captivity in POW camps for three years.