Airplanes Online Home Page The story of the great airplanes of WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam War and modern times with photographs and commentary


A Tribute to the Great Airplanes of WWII, the Cold War and Modern Times

North American F-86H of the United States Air Force, S/N 31525, Buzz Number FU-525
North American F-86H S/N 31525, Buzz Number FU-525

This website is a tribute to the great military planes and commercial airplanes, and to the people who design, build, fly, and service these aircraft.

We provide first-hand commentary, specifications, history and original photographs of great World War II planes such as the B-24 Liberator and the B-17 Flying Fortress, and modern-era military aircraft such as the SR-71 Blackbird as well.

Be sure to read our special sections on U.S. Presidential Aircraft & Air Force One and Aerial Tankers.

We also cover planes of the present, and future, like the C-5 Galaxy, Airbus A400M and the Eurofighter EF2000 Typhoon.

From the Enola Gay to the B-36 Peacemaker to the F-35 Lightning, and the great warbirds and civil aviation airliners in between ... we remember.

Enjoy your flight today!

Trending today at Airplanes Online
U.S. Air Force Tail Codes ... Tail Codes are markings usually on the vertical stabilizer of U.S. military aircraft that help to identify the aircraft's unit and/or base assignment and other information.A tail code is not the same as the Air Force Serial Number, Navy Bureau Number, aircraft registration number, or Buzz Number.Since 1993, all Air Force units, including Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, utilize this system. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress history, development, specifications, deployment during World War II, photos and list of surviving aircraft A Buzz Number was a large letter and number combination applied to U. S. Air Force planes after World War II and into the early 1960s. They were applied for general aerial identification of aircraft, but particularly for the identification of aircraft guilty of "buzzing" (very-low-altitude high-speed passes) over populated areas. The system was designed to be a deterrent to 8th Air Force pilots performing unauthorized low-level flying over post-war Europe. This practice created the need for ground observers to be able to identify and report an offending aircraft. U.S. Air Force B-36 Peacemaker design and development, along with photos and locations of the four surviving bombers
Airplane nose art during World War II and on modern-day aircraft F-84F Thunderstreak design, development, deployment, and photos of surviving aircraft C-17 Globemaster III of the U.S. Air Force ... development, deployment, specifications and photographs B-17 Flying Fortress history, development, specifications, deployment during World War II, photos and list of surviving aircraft
Douglas DC-3 design, development and photographs B-24 Liberator history, development, specifications, deployment during World War II, photos and list of surviving aircraft C-130 Hercules transport of the U.S. Air Force ... history, development, deployment, specifications and photos United States Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber ... history, specifications, photos

New Features

We'll be adding new features to the website in 2024, including additional stories, reviews and original photographs.

Antonov An-124 on final approach
Antonov An-124 on final approach

Some recent additions and updates:

Continued Evolution of This Aviation Website Series

The Airplanes Online Series of Websites

We launched Planes of the Past in 2012, which over time grew into a large site covering a variety of aviation-related topics. In 2015, we split the website into more focused topics based on our viewers' interests. Now we offer the following websites:

  • Airplanes-Online - World War II, the Cold War and modern day airplanes (this site)
  • AirplaneBoneyards.com - Military and airliner boneyards in the U.S., Europe & Australia
  • AirlinerSpotter.com  - Airliner spotting tips, Airbus and Boeing fleets with characteristics, comparisons and photographs
The Airplanes Online series of aviation websites
Airplanes Online Website Airplane boneyards after World War II and active boneyards today ... maps, photographs, tours and more ... visit there now! Airliner Spotter guides and tips for Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Bombardier aircraft