Several unmarked Mi-8s flew secretive missions over Afghanistan. The helicopters were parked on an isolated platform. Personnel nearby were often very cagey in their behaviour. But sometimes... the helicopters were parked alone, the moment for a picture taken from a passing car... The small HIP fleet was linked to the Blackwater, an American private military company.

Some hour drive from Kabul, a real massive scrapyard of the Afghan Army was found. Only few sandy path' were cleared from land-mines, so I couldn't reach these two Il-28s and a nose section of an Antonov that once served the Afghan air force. This picture was made with some 300mm, to indicate the huge dimensions of the scrapyard.

Export version of the Q-5 based on Mig-19 frame.

Several unmarked Mi-8s flew secretive missions over Afghanistan. The helicopters were parked on an isolated platform. Personnel nearby were often very cagey in their behaviour. But sometimes... the helicopters were parked only the lonely, the moment for a picture taken from a passing car... The small HIP fleet was linked to the Blackwater, an American private military company. This olive drab coloured HIP is still unidentified.

Several unmarked Mi-8s flew secretive missions over Afghanistan. The helicopters were parked on an isolated platform. Personnel nearby were often very cagey in their behaviour. But sometimes... the helicopters were parked only the lonely, the moment for a picture taken from a passing car... The small HIP fleet was linked to the Blackwater, an American private military company. This desert coloured HIP is still unidentified.

Seen displayed in the Smithsonian Museum, this aircraft carries the livery of WWI flying Ace Eddie Rickenbacker. It is shown inverted over a diorama of a WWI airfield, and is believed to be S248 of 1916 which later became NX18968 and N4727V. It was loaned by Tallmantz Aviation to NASM.

Autogyro MAI-208 is a very light multipurpose autogyro designed for ultralowvolume crop dusting, pilot training flights, sports, etc. Operated by the Moscow Aviation Institute - MAI

Several unmarked Mi-8s flew secretive missions over Afghanistan. The helicopters were parked on an isolated platform. Personnel nearby were often very cagey in their behaviour. But sometimes... the helicopters were parked alone, the moment for a picture taken from a passing car... The small HIP fleet was linked to the Blackwater, an American private military company.

Several unmarked Mi-8s flew secretive missions over Afghanistan. The helicopters were parked on an isolated platform. Personnel nearby were often very cagey in their behaviour. But sometimes... the helicopters were parked alone, the moment for a picture taken from a passing car... The small HIP fleet was linked to the Blackwater, an American private military company. See also here).

Several unmarked Mi-8s flew secretive missions over Afghanistan. The helicopters were parked on an isolated platform. Personnel nearby were often very cagey in their behaviour. But sometimes... the helicopters were parked only the lonely, the moment for a picture taken from a passing car... The small HIP fleet was linked to the Blackwater, an American private military company.

Several unmarked Mi-8s flew secretive missions over Afghanistan. The helicopters were parked on an isolated platform. Personnel nearby were often very cagey in their behaviour. But sometimes... the helicopters were parked only the lonely, the moment for a picture taken from a passing car... The small HIP fleet was linked to the Blackwater, an American private military company.

This is possibly YA-TAE. The fully unmarked light grey helicopter flew missions in support of the Afghan Security Forces as well as the Afghan government, but I do not exclude it was also used by secretive US agencies, as this helicopter was often seen on that platform.

This is YA-TAD. The fully unmarked bluish grey helicopter flew missions in support of the Afghan Security Forces as well as the Afghan government, but I do not exclude it was also used by secretive US agencies, as this helicopter was often seen on that platform. The registration was taken from a tube in the cockpit. YA-TAD was written off on 26 July 2006 on a flight from Kabul when it crashed in bad weather in mountains 35 km north-east of Khost, all sixteen crew and passengers were killed.

This Mi-24V was most probably delivered by An-22A RA-09342 on 25 November 2005. The attack helicopter got its rotorblades and being prepared for flight. Five days after its delivery, it was seen unmarked at the Afghan National Army - Air Corps (ANA-AC) platform, surrounded by Russian and Afghan technicians. The construction number was seen on the vertical parts of the wings as well as on the fuselage. This 520865 would received ANA-AC serial 89 in a few days.

As interest in the Deutsche de La Muerthe Cup Race revived in the 1930s, race car designer Ettore Bugatti began a design to compete in the speed competition. The Bugatti 100P was under construction when WWII intervened. Unfinished, the aircraft was moved from his Paris factory in 1940 as Germans advanced and stored in the countryside. In 1970 a collector in the USA bought the aircraft for the two Bugatti engines in the racer and sold the airframe for restoration. Donated to the US Air Force Museum in 1979, it was kept stored until donated to the EAA Museum in 1996 and a restoration completed.

Ex LY-UNC, VQ-BPB (of Yamal Airlines) and D-ACRC (of Eurowings). Now instructional airframe at Varia (Vantaa Vocational College). EASA Part-147 Maintenance Training Organisation FI.147.0009. [Nikon D750 + Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm/4G ED VR]

The fuselage and the engine are original, the wings and the tail unit were reconstructed after World War II.

Frits Koolhoven's designs bore his initials whoever he worked for, and here his name is also painted on the rudder of a NVI FK.31 reconnaissance fighter. Koolhoven himself is the large man talking to an officer to the left of the tailfin. First flown in 1923, the FK.31 set some world speed records with payload flown by Charles Descamps in January 1925, but was a failure in Finnish and Netherlands East Indies military service. A Netherlands army fly-off against the Fokker C.V was lost in February 1924. This is the prototype of an improved version, seen during another unsuccessful pitch against the C.V on 11 May 1925. Registration H-NACF has been worn by this airframe. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie