As I write this, America has just celebrated another 4th of July, but sadly we have also just received notification that the IPMS USA Nationals have been cancelled due to this ongoing pandemic. For this August issue, I wanted to celebrate just over 100 years of US Military Aviation. Since the First World War, Americans have fought in the air, in their own machines with their own colours, and as volunteers with allied nations, and nations that needed pilots, even if the USA had yet to join the Allies. While their aviators, be they Army, Navy or Marine, showed their bravery, the USA has also been, as the great president Franklin D. Roosevelt put it'the Arsenal of Democracy' building machines for the British, Soviet Union, French and many more.The US would build nearly 31,000 aircraft for Lend Lease. After WWII, many a nascent air force benefitted from US aircraft surplus, allowing modellers to build a dizzying variety of P-51s, Corsairs, C-47s and many other types in a seemingly endless number of colourful liveries.

With the build features, we take you from a WWI Ace, Lt. Henry Robinson Clay, to an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with the X-47B. While I certainly intend to celebrate US Aviation in this issue, I think it also allows us to look at a nation's aircraft industry output that has had a huge influence on other countries'aircraft industries and I hope even builders of other subjects will enjoy this issue.
This month there is no Colour Conundrum as Paul was not able to provide me with a US subject in the timescale I had available. Research at the depth he does it takes a long time. I made a call for anyone wishing to have their queries answered by Paul to write in for the new'Colour Clinic'feature, don't forget to send me your queries for Paul
Finally a correction: Somehow we did not attribute the Spitfire article in the July issue. This wonderful model was built, and the article written by, Phil Jones Until next month, keep modelling!