Pilot Collection (#75)

World war 2, soviet air force yakovlev yak-3 fighter in flight

J, v, stalin and sergo ordzhonikidze talking with soviet flyer v, p, chkalov at moscow central airdrome, may 1935

The crew of the ant 25-1, second plane to make a transpolar nonstop flight from the ussr to the usa in the summer of 1937, shown at the schelkovo airdrome near moscow

The soviet flyer mikhail mikhailovich gromov, hero of the soviet union, who piloted the maxim gorky plane during its
The soviet flyer mikhail mikhailovich gromov, hero of the soviet union, who piloted the " maxim gorky" plane during its test flight, (credit: sovfoto/eastfoto)

World war 2, two decorated soviet fighter pilots, senior lieutenant v, pokrovsky (left) and captain p, orlov, enjoying a game of checkers between missions, they have each shot down 10 enemy planes

France, Nice, Meeting d Aviation, April 10-25, 1910, illustration by Charles Leonce Brosse
Posters, France, 20th century. Meeting d Aviation. Nice, April 10-25, 1910. Illustration by Charles Leonce Brosse

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart at control panel before test flight

Glenn Curtis in the June Bug

Orville and Wilbur Wright

Chirok amphibious plane C017 / 7575
Chirok amphibious plane. Russian experimental super-light universal amphibious plane able to take off and land on water. Photographed in 1986

Imperial Airways aeroplane, 1931 C014 / 0462
Imperial Airways aeroplane. Shell Oil company mobile fuel tank being used to refuel the Imperial Airways Handley Page H.P.42 biplane Hanno in October 1931 at Semakh on the Sea of Galilee

Naval torpedo bombers, 1920s
Naval torpedo bombers in echelon (diagonal formation) at Hawaii in the Pacific. These bombers are late-production models of the Douglas DT-2, from the Douglas Aircraft Company

Hanriot monoplane, 1910. Piloted by 15-year-old Marcel Hanriot (1894-1961), this monoplane is being flown low over scared horses and their handlers

Northrop HL-10 lifting body aircraft C017 / 7567
Northrop HL-10 lifting body aircraft. Major Jerauld Gentry standing in front of the HL-10. This was one of a series of experimental space re-entry aircraft known as lifting body designs

Howard Hughes, US aviation pioneer C016 / 8857
Howard Hughes (1905-1976), American aviation pioneer. Hughes inherited the family estate aged 18 and dropped out of university

Thomas Sopwith, British aviation pioneer C016 / 8816
Thomas Sopwith (1888-1989), British aviation pioneer, in a Howard Wright biplane. Sopwith taught himself to fly in 1910, and won a monetary prize for a flight of 169 miles

Davis anti-submarine gun, World War I C016 / 6355
Davis anti-submarine gun. World War I-era anti-submarine gun mounted on a flying boat. The Davis gun was developed in 1910 by Cleland Davis of the US Navy

Elinor Smith, US aviation pioneer C018 / 0619
Elinor Smith (1911-2010), US aviation pioneer. Smith began learning to fly at the age of ten, flying solo at the age of fifteen

Bellanca pilots and aeroplane, 1920s C018 / 0618
Bellanca pilots and aeroplane. Italian-US aircraft engineer Giuseppe Mario Bellanca (lower centre, 1886-1960) with two Bellanca pilots and a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker aeroplane named Rosemarie

Imperial Airways aeroplane, 1931 C014 / 0463
Imperial Airways aeroplane. Imperial Airways Handley Page H.P.42 biplane Hanno in October 1931 at Semakh on the Sea of Galilee

Bleriot monoplane, Aldershot, 1912 C014 / 2042
Bleriot monoplane on the ground in Aldershot, UK, a training base for the British Army. The ICS refers to the International Correspondence Schools aviation company of London, UK

British BE2a fighter plane, World War I C014 / 2041
British BE2a fighter plane. The BE2 was a Bleriot Experimental biplane model produced by the Royal Aircraft Factory (later the Royal Aircraft Establishment)

Loening amphibian biplane, 1920s
Loening amphibian biplane. This is a US Navy Loening OL-1A model of. The Loening OL series of amphibian biplanes started in 1923

Curtiss seaplane America, 1914
Curtiss seaplane America. Aviators testing the first Curtiss Model H flying boat (called America ) in June 1914. This flying boat

Frank Whittle, caricature
Frank Whittle (1907-1996). Caricature of the British aeronautical engineer Sir Frank Whittle wearing an aeroplane. Whittle is best known as the inventor of the jet engine

Gagarin in Cuba C014 / 0750
Gagarin in Cuba. Soviet cosmonaut and first man in space Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968, centre), waving to locals during his visit to Havana, Cuba

Burgess-Dunne seaplane, 1910s. The US Burgess Company produced a range of aircraft between 1910 and 1918. This one is based on the Dunne D.8 tailless swept wing biplane

Albert Read, US transatlantic pilot
Albert Cushing Read (1887-1967), US military pilot who was commander as part of a crew of six on the first transatlantic flight in May 1919

Culver with early aeroplane radio, 1918. At left, US military engineer and pilot Colonel Clarence Curtis Culver (1872-1946) is showing an early aeroplane radio to Commander A. K

Early Wright aircraft, circa 1908-11 C017 / 7836
Early Wright aircraft, circa 1908-11. The model seen here is one of the early powered aircraft built by US aviation pioneers the Wright brothers (Orville Wright, 1871-1948; Wilbur Wright, 1867-1912)

Paul Tissandiers balloon license, 1904
Paul Tissandiers balloon license, issued by the Aero-Club de France on 7 January 1904. French aeronaut Paul Tissandier (1881-1945)

Vedrines and his military aircraft, 1910s C017 / 7832
Vedrines and his military aircraft. French aviator Jules Vedrines (1881-1919) with his military aircraft. Vedrines is at lower left, with a French soldier behind him

Walter Hinton, US aviator C017 / 7822
Walter T. Hinton (1888-1981), US aviator. Hinton joined the US Navy as a young man, seeing action in 1914. He became one of the early naval aviators

Glenn Curtiss, US aviation pioneer C016 / 4588
Glenn Hammond Curtiss (1878-1930), US aviation and motorcycle pioneer. Curtiss produced over 500 inventions and held world speed records

British aviators, early 20th century C016 / 4574
British aviators consulting a map. Powered flight began with the Wright Brothers in 1903. By the time of World War I, machine guns were in use (in background)

Bernetta Miller, US aviator C016 / 4571
Bernetta Adams Miller (1884-1972), US aviator, in a Bleriot airplane in 1911. Miller studied in Geneseo, New York state, and then in Canton, Ohio, before moving to New York City

Miller flying a Bleriot plane, 1911 C016 / 4570
Miller flying a Bleriot plane. US aviator Bernetta Adams Miller (1884-1972) flying a Bleriot airplane in 1911. Miller studied in Geneseo, New York state, and then in Canton, Ohio

North American P-51 Mustang, 1942 C016 / 4559
North American P-51 Mustang. This aircraft, manufactured by North American Aviation, entered service in 1942. It was used primarily by the US Air Force and the Royal Air Force

Farman aeroplane, 1909 C016 / 4517
Farman aeroplane in flight. The Farman planes were designed and built in France by the Farman brothers Henry and Maurice. Henry Farman bought one of the first commercially sold aeroplanes in 1907

Bell XS-1 test pilots, 1947-8 C016 / 4330
Bell XS-1 test pilots. Left to right, alongside the Bell XS-1 supersonic aircraft are: Captain Charles (Chuck) E. Yeager (born 1923), Major Gus Lundquist (1919-2008)

Lindberghs ticker-tape parade, 1927
Lindberghs ticker-tape parade. US aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974, seated at rear of car without a hat) became the first person to make a solo

Raoul Lufbery, French World War I pilot C016 / 4323
Gervais Raoul Lufbery (1885-1918), French World War I pilot. Lufbery, a French and US citizen, was initially a mechanic to the French aviation pioneer Marc Pourpe (1887-1914)

Berlin Airlift cargo aeroplanes, 1948-9 C016 / 4233
Berlin Airlift cargo aeroplanes. US Navy R4D and US Air Force C-47 aircraft being unloaded at Berlins Tempelhof Airport during the Berlin Airlift of 1948-9

Airship control car C016 / 2785
Airship control car. Pilot at the wheel in the control car of the USS Akron (ZRS-4). The USS Akron was a helium-filled rigid airship built in the USA by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation

Airship emergency control station C016 / 2784
Airship emergency control station. Pilots in the emergency control station of the USS Akron (ZRS-4). The USS Akron was a helium-filled rigid airship built in the USA by the Goodyear-Zeppelin

Cosmonaut Komarov at presentation C016 / 2695
Vladimir Mikhailovich Komarov (1927-67), Russian-Soviet cosmonaut. Komarov is at right, at left is Deputy Prime Minister of the USSR Konstantin Rudnev

Porte and seaplane America, 1914
Porte and seaplane America. British aviator Lieutenant John Cyril Porte (1884-1919) with the Curtiss Model H flying boat (called America ) that was launched on 22 June 1914

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"Pilot: Defying Gravity, Embracing Destiny" From the skies of history to the dreams of tomorrow, pilots have always been at the forefront of human ambition. Their courage and skill have shaped our world in ways unimaginable. Churchill's praise for RAF Pilots echoes through time as a testament to their unwavering dedication and heroism. In the face of adversity, they soared high, defending freedom with every flight. Elizabeth Bessie Coleman shattered barriers as she became the first African-American woman pilot. Her determination defied societal norms, inspiring generations to reach for the stars. Amelia Earhart, an iconic US aviation pioneer, fearlessly charted new horizons and proved that women could conquer any sky-bound challenge. Her legacy continues to inspire countless dreamers around the globe. The Ford V8 Pilot 1954 Green light symbolized not only automotive innovation but also represented a spirit of adventure that resonated with pilots worldwide. It was a beacon calling them towards endless possibilities in uncharted territories. Flying Officer W E Johns immortalized aviators' bravery through his captivating Biggles stories in Modern Boy magazine. His tales ignited young imaginations and instilled a sense of wonder about aviation's limitless potential. A wartime poster bearing Churchill's famous words "Never was so much owed by so many to so few" encapsulated gratitude towards those who defended nations from above during World War II—a reminder that heroes don't always wear capes; sometimes they wear wings. The Bismarck dropping its pilot serves as a poignant metaphor for letting go of old limitations and embracing new beginnings—an allegory mirrored by pilots who constantly push boundaries both within themselves and their aircrafts. Amy Johnson blazed trails as an English pilot whose pioneering spirit knew no bounds. With each flight she took, she challenged gender stereotypes while leaving an indelible mark on aviation history.