10 Airplanes You Won't Believe are Still Flying

10 Airplanes You Won’t Believe are Still Flying

FLYING Staff

Tuesday, July 28, 2015 at 05:11 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The article highlights a collection of vintage and rare aircraft designs that, despite their age or limited production, are surprisingly still actively flying today.
The continued airworthiness of these unique airplanes is a testament to the dedication of enthusiasts, museums, and private owners committed to their preservation and operation.
Featured aircraft span a diverse range of eras and types, from early aviation pioneers like the Blériot XI and experimental designs such as the Northrop N9MB Flying Wing, to Cold War-era jets like the Avro Vulcan and distinct business aircraft like the Beechcraft Starship.

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Dead or alive? Just as with certain celebrities who have been around for so long we might forget whether they’re still with us, or not, airplanes of a certain vintage can be hard to keep track of. How many, if any, of a long abandoned design are still flying? Sadly, the answer most often is, “none.” But sometimes you get a nice surprise, and thanks to the dedicated work of a few fanatics, a number of rare birds are still taking wing. With that in mind, here’s a small collection of airplanes that you probably thought were dead (or at least permanently mounted to a post in the ground) but which happily are still flying up a vintage storm.