CURRENT ISSUE
January 2015
Features
How to Survive A Helicopter Crash
Specialized—and terrifying—training helps passengers prepare for the worst.
For France and Civilization
Descendants of the volunteers who served in the famed Lafayette Escadrille shed light on why they chose to fight.
The Cub’s Badass Big Brother
The Piper PA-48 Enforcer may have been called the “Super Mustang,” but it never found its mission.
Blackbird Diaries
Stories from the fastest jet ever flown
Dark and Deep
The hunt for the most elusive particles in the universe is half a mile underground.
The Missile Men of North Vietnam
A look at the air war waged from the ground.
The Inspector's Gadgets
If the space station gets smacked by a micrometeoroid, an array of devices can find—and fix—the damage.
Departments
Anniversary Homecoming Brings AOPA Back to Its Grassroots
On its 75th anniversary, the pilots association celebrates successes and looks to the future.
Vertical Visions
The idea of connecting city centers with vertical take-off airports never quite took off.
Eye to Eye with a Bear
In 1966, a Naval aviator got an unforgettable look at an icon of the Cold War: the Soviet Tupolev Tu-95.
Shine On, Harvest Moon
In 1964, midwestern farmers and school kids got a jump on the Apollo astronauts.