FREE F-15 SUPPLEMENT, PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YR COMP, TORNADO F.3 & much more…

FEATURES
TORNADO F.3 AT ITS PEAK
David Willis details the recent modifications to the Tornado F.3 and the improvements in capability these have bestowed.

TIRED OF TRAFFIC JAMS? HIRE AN AIR TAXI!
With the advent of relatively low-cost business aircraft, air taxis are becoming economically viable. Brian Walters looks at the aircraft and services available.

FASTER THAN SOUND
Ray Whitford explains the challenges faced by aerodynamicists of supersonic flight. Sixty years after the sound barrier was broken, challenges remain to reduce the size of sonic booms and the amount of pollution a supersonic transport would put into the atmosphere.

TUPOLEV TU-22M BACKFIRE – RUSSIA’S SWING-WING BOMBER
Piotr Butowski profiles the capabilities and roles of one of Russia’s most capable combat aircraft – the Tupolev Tu-22M Backfire.

UNITED AIRLINES – BACK FROM THE BRINK
One of the world’s biggest carriers, United Airlines is busy clawing its way back to profitability. Bruce Hales-Dutton assesses its prospects.

AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION
AIR International invites readers to send in their best shots from 2007 for the chance of winning some fabulous prizes.

DEATH KNELL FOR UK AEROSPACE? – 1957 DEFENCE WHITE PAPER REVISITED
Fifty years after Duncan Sandys published his infamous Defence White Paper, Andrew Brookes examines why it was written and assesses its implications today.

CHRISTMAS QUIZ
An aviation quiz to test your aeronautical knowledge.

AIRCRAFT PROFILE
NORTH AMERICAN F-86 SABRE
David Willis describes the Sabre variants that saw service with the USAF.