We hope that you find the Control Towers website to be a repository of amazing stories. You can read tales of bravery and sacrifice that occurred through the history of aviation. These include accounts of pilots who trusted unproven machines, aircrew who flew through flak and night skies over occupied Europe, controllers and ground staff who kept aircraft moving during the Battle of Britain, and even civilians on the ground who were caught up in conflict.
Our aim is simple: we write these articles to honour their courage but above all, make sure these people are not forgotten about. By researching these stories, airfields, units and aircraft, Control Towers hopes to give a clearer sense of what they faced in the air and on the ground.
The Humbie Heinkel: The First German Aircraft Shot Down Over Britain in WW2
On 28 October 1939, a German Heinkel He 111 bomber came down in the Lammermuir…
Betty Lou Oliver & The Elevator: The Incredible Survival of a B-25 Crash
If you’re looking for luckiest survivor of the 1945 B-25 Empire State Building crash, you end…
The Day a B-25 Hit the Empire State Building (Bomber in the Fog)
On Saturday morning, 28 July 1945, New York was running at weekend pace. Europe’s war…
Brian ‘Sandy’ Lane: The Story Behind an Iconic RAF Spitfire Pilot
The name Brian ‘Sandy’ Lane sits naturally alongside the Battle of Britain’s best-known fighter leaders,…
Waddy’s Wagon: The Story Behind an Iconic B-29 Crew Photo
If you follow aviation accounts on social media, chances are, you might have seen this…
RAF Sleap’s Tragic History: Does it have a Haunted Control Tower?
On a clear day at Sleap (pronounced ‘Slape’), north of Shrewsbury, the watch tower (aka…