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:

Popular Aviation (now FLYING Magazine) documented World War II from its early European stages, covering military technology, aircraft performance, and the experiences of British airmen, including practical adaptations like painting life vests yellow.
As the U.S. prepared for war, the magazine encouraged aviation careers, and the American aviation industry shifted focus from civilian to military aircraft production, adapting facilities and manufacturing to the war effort.
Once the U.S. entered WWII, the magazine highlighted crucial home front contributions, such as recruiting women for the aviation workforce ("Janes Who Made the Planes") and publishing features to help readers identify aircraft.

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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.