FlyPast Magazine May 2025 Back Issue

VICTORY IN THE AIR 80 YEARS ON
May 2025 issue on FlyPast looks back at one of the most significant events in European history – VE Day. While it did not mark the end of hostilities overall, that significant date, 80 years ago, will always be saluted on both air and ground, as will the sacrifice and hardships endured by so many. Our cover star is ‘Damn Yankee’, a Mustang warbird proudly flying today in ‘invasion stripes’.

UNSTOPPABLE MARAUDER
Following one Martin B-26 Marauder’s astonishing survival in war-torn skies, a project is afoot to restore this famous warrior, dubbed ‘Flak-Bait’

SUPERMARINE SWIFT
It may have been overlooked in comparison to the more successful Hawker Hunter, but how good was the Swift in reality?

ITALIAN SHOWDOWN
With the end of World War Two in sight, climactic air combats during the last days of the Italian campaign are described by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

ALSO INSIDE…
We reflect on a fascinating weekend at Old Warden, lifting the covers on the Shuttleworth Collection’s masterful engineering work, while former RAF pilot Martin Willing recalls his time flying the distinctive but often-overlooked Armstrong Whitworth Argosy. Elsewhere, we share images captured in Nevada during a significant 1970s Cold War exercise, and report on the last flying Martin Mars landing for the final time, plus a Biggin Hill Spitfire that’s wearing new colours.