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According to my mother, the first word I said was "airplane" ("oh-pane") at around 11 months of age when a P-38 flew over the park we were in. I've had a love affair with airplanes and the people who are involved with airplanes ever since, which has become my career as an aviation historian and author.

I built my first model, a Strombecker all-wood P-80 (that dates me!) at age 6, after watching my father build other wood models for me. I quickly graduated to plastic models when I found Mr. Twist's Fix-It Shop on South Gaylord Street in Denver, with its corner shelves full of wondrous kit boxes. I built my first biplane (a Hawk Models Nieuport 17 - still available from Testors) before I was old enough to know that "biplanes are hard." With time out in the 1960s after graduating from high school for the Navy and college and "The Sixties" I returned to the hobby in 1970 and haven't left since.

I became a screenwriter in Hollywood in the 1980s, after first getting published as an aviation author in the 1970s in Air Enthusiast Quarterly. I love the fact that William Green, who wrote the first "serious aviation book" (All The World's Aircraft 1954) that I got my father to buy for me was the first person to publish me. I've flown the back seat of an F-4E Phantom for an article on the Wild Weasels in Air Force Magazine, and had 20 minutes stick time in Jim Nissen's 1918 Curtiss JN-4D Jenny back in 1979 for an article in Plane and Pilot, and been in everything in between over the past 47 years. When I worked in politics in Sacramento during the 1970s, I was a member of a club that flew Stearman N747JR (we called ourselves in as "Boeing 747 Junior") and got around 100 hours in that fun machine.

I'm one of the original members here of iModeler, and consider it the best model club on the planet.

Author of "Fabled Fifteen: The Pacific War Odyssey of Carrier Air Group 15", "Pacific Thunder: the Pacific War from Wake island to Leyte Gulf," "Tidal Wave: From Leyte Gulf to Tokyo Bay," "The Frozen Chosen: The First Marine Division and the Battle of Chosin Reservoir," "Holding The Line: the Naval Air Campaign in Korea," and "MiG Alley: The US Air Force in Korea - 1950-53" which will be released on November 26.

My most recent book, "Clean Sweep: VIII Fighter Command Against the Luftwaffe 1942-45" will be published by Osprey on May 23.

My wife of 27 years finally escaped Parkinson's on February 20 and sailed west to the unknown land beyond the sunset where she once again paints seascapes with her friends, her cats.

You can order all of them here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Thomas+McKelvey+Cleaver&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Review: Airplane Porn! A big checkmark on the ol’ bucket list

I think I first saw a photo of the Red Arrows maybe 40+ some years ago, back when they were flying Gnat trainers. I was knocked dead by them. Over the years after, I used to say to myself, "I gotta go to the UK, and see the Red [...]

Airfix Spitfire XIV back in stock!

For those who missed it first time around, it's back, at the very attractive price of 21 pounds. Just a superb kit, you're nuts not to get one. (link)

Modelsvit 1/48 Curtiss XP-55 "Ascender"

HISTORY The Curtiss XP-55 Ascender was a response to Circular Proposal R-40C, issued on November 27, 1939, which called for a fighter more effective than any currently operational - with a superior top speed, rate of climb, [...]

The H-K B-17G test shot has arrived!

A nice simple cardboard box full of plastic parts just arrived. I even have to get the instructions via e-mail and it's a good thing I took advantage of the Sprue Brothers decal sale and got the Kits World B-17G stencil decals and [...]

9-0-9 has crashed

Sad news. Flew with her 10 years ago. (link) What's a real "joy killer" is the thought it was some 70-year old $5 part that failed, as a warbird restorer friend told me a few years ago was going to be the cause of the end of [...]

Hasegawa 1/48 A6M3 Model 32 “Houkoku”

HISTORY The A6M2 Model 21 Zero revealed it was slightly underpowered when it entered combat in 1941. Mitsubishi answered this problem with the A6M3, powered by an uprated Sakae 21 engine, which used a two-speed supercharger for better [...]

Meng 1/48 F-51D Mustang, 2 Squadron SAAF, Korea

HISTORY Following the outbreak of war in Korea on June 25, 1950, and the UN Security Council resolution of June 26 calling on North Korea to cease its aggression and requesting that UN members come to the defense of South Korea, the South [...]

Airfix 1/48 Mosquito PR XVI

David Thomas has lamented that there are no PR Mosquitos here at iModeler. I thought to correct him, and then realized I hadn't posted this article about doing the Airfix PR XVI. So now there is a PR Mosquito at iModeler! History: The one [...]

Old School Modeling: Monogram 1/48 F-80C Shooting Star

HISTORY The technological revolution in aircraft design and operation that resulted from the successful development of jet engines brought about more technological change in the five years between the end of World War II and the Korean War [...]

Hasegawa P-38H: Tommy McGuire and the 475th Fighter Group

The P-38H is an “odd duck” in the P-38 line - part P-38G, part P-38J. The P-38F was followed in June 1942 by the P-38G, using more powerful 1,400 hp Allisons and equipped with a better radio. A dozen of the planned P-38G production [...]