Twenty years ago, when Concorde was retired, the world became a bigger place. Concorde and the less successful Soviet Tupolev Tu-144, which was retired much earlier, were the world’s only supersonic airliners. With the industry focussed on developing more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft, a return to supersonic air travel seemed unlikely. However, what if an efficient, environmentally friendly, supersonic aircraft could be built?

Insurance is fundamentally about providing financial stability, so it is extremely important to have and to understand. This is especially true for those of us in aviation because of our industry’s high severity of losses, and even occasional fatalities.

Much has been said, although perhaps not enough, about the significance of the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope. What is so special about this telescope, and what will it reveal?

We say a sad goodbye to Kathy Wrobel, who has written many excellent articles with valuable advice on purchasing and selling aircraft, as well as aircraft ownership in general.

On 15 June 1944, 68 American Boeing B-29s took off from Chengdu in China to bomb industrial facilities in the city of Yawata in Japan. The raid could barely be called a success, but it was only the first of many air raids which would result in the destruction of dozens of Japanese cities.

Today, almost 100 years after his death, Harry Houdini remains a household name. He was world famous for escaping from chains, straightjackets and locked containers, but he did not escape the pages of aviation history.

Also known as 'The Flying Dutchman', Fokker gained fame for designing World War I era fighters, as well as various airliners.