FLYING Magazine Also Went to War 80 Years Ago

Exploits of the Greatest Generation graced pages in many ways in the publication once known as Popular Aviation.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, May 09, 2025 at 10:45 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Sometimes the Axis and Allies shared a Popular Aviation cover, as happened in January 1940, when the headlines were 'MORE ALLIED-NAZI WARPLANE PHOTOS!' and 'In This Issue Canada Goes To War.' [Courtesy: Meg Godlweski]

Key Takeaways:

FLYING Magazine (then Popular Aviation) chronicled World War II's impact on aviation, covering the European conflict before U.S. entry and the subsequent American mobilization.
Early coverage detailed European aircraft technology, military preparations, and practical issues faced by airmen, such as British pilots modifying life vests for better visibility.
As the U.S. geared up for war, the magazine highlighted the push for aviation careers, the conversion of civilian aircraft production to military use, infrastructure adaptations, and the significant entry of women into the aviation workforce.

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This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The United States’ entry into the war followed the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. For Great Britain, France, and Canada, hostilities began several years earlier, and Popular Aviation—what we now know today as FLYING Magazine— was writing about it.

I spent a day at the Museum of Flight in Seattle looking at back issues and seeing what the publication was doing before and during WWII.