NARRATIVE

Because of its unique twin boom design, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning was the most easily recognized U.S. Army Air Force fighter in use during the Second World War. It accounted for more Japanese aircraft losses than any other American warplane and was nicknamed "the Fork-Tailed Devil" by the German Luftwaffe in the North Africa Theater. The Lightning was ideal as both a gunnery platform and a photo-reconnaissance airship because everything could be consolidated in the nose. With counter-rotating propellers and no torque, centrally concentrated firepower, twin-engine safety, hydraulically boosted ailerons and range, the P-38 was America’s first truly modern military aircraft.

SPECIFIC HISTORY

The Lightning on display was manufactured by Lockheed in the spring of 1944 as a P‑38L, S/N 44-27083, and then sent to Dallas where it was converted to a photo recon F‑5G‑6‑LO before being transferred to Tinker Field, Oklahoma. In January 1946 it was dropped from the U.S. Army Air Forces inventory and sold to civilian buyers ending up with Mark Hurd Aerial Surveys of Santa Barbara, California. Bruce Pruett of Livermore, California bought it from Hurd in 1968, essentially for scrap value. In 1990 Jack Erickson acquired it for the museum and in 1995 restoration was started, the first flight being made in early 1997.

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NARRATIVE 

The classic P-51 Mustang is one of the greatest success stories of military aviation. Originally designed for Great Britain, the North American fighter was adopted by the U.S. Army Air Force and upgraded with the powerful, reliable Rolls-Royce Merlin which powered the Supermarine Spitfire. With altitude, range, and performance, the Merlin Mustang became a world beater.
Ironically, the P-51 owed its existence to a Royal Air Force query for North American to build Curtiss P-40s at a time when British forces were being pushed off the European continent in 1940 and badly needed additional armament. North American proposed a better performing aircraft and quickly drafted the NA-73.
The Allison-powered Mustang flew 12 months after the first RAF query and logged its first combat missions in May 1942. Intended for reconnaissance, their primary "armament" was a camera , though two .30 and two .50 caliber guns were installed. Eventually 15 RAF squadrons flew the type. Meanwhile, the Army Air Force tested the XP-51 and was impressed with its performance, which exceeded the P-39 and P-40 and some marks of Spitfire in low-level performance. Beginning in 1943 the USAAF began operating photo-reconnaissance Mustangs (originally the Apache in US service) and A-36 Invader dive bombers, also with Allison engines. However, the promise of improved high-altitude performance had been noted, and a Merlin-powered XP-51B first flew in late 1942. Production B and C models began rolling out of the Inglewood and Dallas factories in 1943, and by year end the 354th Pioneer Mustang Group was escorting heavy bombers over Germany. The D model, with its 360-degree full-vision canopy, appeared in March 1944 and replaced the "razorback" models by year end. 

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The museum's P-51D Mustang was built under license to North American in 1944 by Australia's Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in Melbourne, Australia. The aircraft participated in Atomic Bomb testing by the Australians after WW II and served 10 years as a target tow plane before falling into private ownership, being acquired by the museum in 1983.

NARRATIVE 

One of the more intriguing utility/transport J-class aircraft, the Grumman J2F Duck was first delivered to the USN fleet in 1934 to perform utility duties aboard aircraft carriers and to provide a ship-shore link. It served the military for over seventeen years and was also employed by the Coast Guard in its search and rescue role. One Marine Corps squadron operated nine of them equipped with machine guns and bomb racks. Later versions of the Duck had expanded duties which included transport, target towing, smoke laying, photographic surveying and medical evacuation. A total of 645 were built and the museum’s J2F-6 one of the last remaining flyable Duck of its type in the world. 

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The museum’s J2F-6 Duck was accepted by the USN on 26 May 1945 and served as a pool aircraft at New York, Weymouth, Quonset Point and Chincateage Naval bases. In 1948 it was declared surplus and acquired by the USAF as an A-12A. The American Automotive Company bought it from the Air Force the following year for $727.00. Thereafter, it operated out of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the United States before becoming part of the museum’s collection in 1993 where it received an “in-house” restoration.

NARRATIVE

Serving mainly in World War II in the Pacific Theater, the F4U Corsair was the finest carrier-base fighter deployed by any navy and became a fast, versatile and deadly performer and perhaps the best of any U.S. fighter in that conflict. Together with the F6F Hellcat, the Corsair was responsible for the destruction of 7,295 enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat and, in downing enemy planes, it achieved a “kill-to-loss” ratio of 11 to one, the highest for any fighter plane of World War II. The Corsair first flew in May 1940 and at 440 mph, it was one of the fastest fighters of the war with a longer range than any of its counterparts in the Japanese fleet, a distinct advantage in the vast Pacific Ocean where it was most active. The most instantly recognizable feature of the Corsair was its inverted “gull wing” which accomplished two purposes: (1) it permitted a shorter landing gear while still allowing a 13-foot propeller, the biggest fitted to a fighter at the time, to clear the ground, and (2) provided aerodynamic benefits for greater streamlining. Because of the distinctive sound made by air passing through the engine’s cooling ducts, the Japanese nicknamed it “Whistling Death.” Much of the Corsair’s long nose was occupied by a single self-sealing fuel tank holding 237 gallons. This feature, together with a cockpit that was set well back along the fuselage in early models caused visibility ahead and down to be poor and contributed to the aircraft’s initial carrier landing problems and was corrected in later variants. It was not until 1944 when flatter carrier landing techniques were perfected that F4Us were used aboard U.S. Navy carriers in greater numbers, mainly in response to the growing Kamikaze attacks in the Pacific. Before production ended in 1952, the longest production run for a U.S. fighter, a total of 12,571 Corsairs were built.

SPECIFIC HISTORY

The museum’s Corsair is an F4U-7, one of the rarest surviving variants from the last of 94 built in 1952 exclusively for use by the French Navy. It saw combat in the Indo-China War in 1953-54, the Suez Canal War in 1956 and later in the Algerian War. Taken from combat service in 1963, it was flown to England where reconstruction began in 1974 to include rebuilding extensive damage forward of the firewall and repairs to three bullet holes in the fuselage. Restored to its original French markings with invasion stripes which it sported in the Suez War, it was repainted to the Marines’ colors after its acquisition by the museum in 1994 and recently painted in memory of Jesse Brown, Naval Aviator, the first African-American killed in the Korean War.

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NARRATIVE

Republic Aviation’s P-47 Thunderbolt was the biggest and heaviest armed single engine American fighter of World War II. Its sturdy construction and eight 50-caliber machine guns made it equally adaptive as a ground support aircraft or as a bomber escort fighter. P-47s often demonstrated their ruggedness and dependability by returning home with combat damage that would doom any other production fighter. The early P-47 couldn’t match the overall performance of the German fighters it faced in combat, but it could, because of its massive weight, out dive any airplane in the sky. Republic enhanced its performance by improving the turbo supercharger effectiveness in the “D” model and replacing the razor back canopy configuration with the bubble type variant that gave the pilot 360 degree visibility. A total of 15,683 Thunderbolts were built,at an average cost of $96,000, more than any other single engine fighter of the war, the “D” model being most plentiful. The P-47 saw action in every theater proving itself to be a devastating low-level ground attack aircraft and versatile enough to be an effective high altitude escort fighter as well. With its bulky shape, the Jug was a monster of a machine, yet it was fast and maneuverable.

NARRATIVE

North American Aviation, builder of the B-25 Mitchell bomber and the P-51 Mustang fighter, was also responsible for the design and production of one of the finest training and light attack aircraft in history. The AT-6 evolved from North American’s line of training aircraft that dated from 1935.  This series, the BT-9 through BT-14, along with the BC-1, was redesignated the AT (Advanced Trainer) in 1940.  The new plane was rapidly integrated into the Army aviation training program as the AT-6.  Cadet pilots advanced to the Texan after mastering flying skills in the Stearman Kaydet PT (Primary Trainer), and the Vultee Valiant BT (Basic Trainer).  U.S. Navy student pilots also flew the North American product which carried the Navy’s designation of SNJ.  During World War II, the plane was utilized in training and attack roles by several nations, including Great Britain, Canada, Australia and the Soviet Union.

Use of the Texan continued into the post war period.  In 1947, the plane was redesignated as the T-6 by the newly established U.S. Air Force and remained in active service in this country until 1958.  The aircraft has also performed in the armed forces of over fifty nations, including those of France, Israel, Spain, Brazil and New Zealand.  Modified BC-1s were known as the Harvard and Yale in Great Britain and Canada, and the Wirraway in Australia.  Since the Texan bears a resemblance to many Japanese WWII aircraft, altered T-6s have represented planes from that nation in films such as Tora, Tora, Tora, and others. 

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NARRATIVE 

Many aviation experts consider the Douglas DC-3 to be the most successful aircraft design in history. The military model of this plane was named by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with the jeep, the bazooka and the atom bomb, as one of the four weapons that contributed significantly to the allied victory in World War Two. Today, there are still examples of this rugged and reliable aircraft plying the world’s passenger and cargo routes some sixty years after its maiden flight. It is said that a DC-3, or its military version - the C-47, takes off somewhere in the world each day. The Douglas Commercial Three was a refinement of an earlier design, the DC-1. Shortly after its initial flight in December of 1935, the aircraft was ordered by American Airways and started service on the New York to Chicago run. Other airlines, both foreign and domestic, soon began to operate this sleek and modern design commercial carrier. The United States military took an interest and ordered aircraft altered to meet their specifications. These modifications included a stronger cabin floor, a reinforced rear fuselage with large loading doors and more powerful engines. This model was designated the C-47 Skytrain which could be utilized as a cargo hauler, personnel transport, paratroop plane, ambulance and glider tug.
During World War II, the C-47 was the primary cargo and troop carrier of the American military forces and served with distinction in all theaters of the war. Noteworthy accomplishments of the Skytrooper involved the airborne delivery - by parachute and glider - of combat troops and equipment in the Allied invasions of Sicily, Burma and Normandy. The aircraft was also used by the British Commonwealth nations where it was known as the Dakota and by the Soviet Union. 
 

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The C-47B on display, an early version, was built in late 1944 and delivered to the U.S. Army in February 1945. It was sent to Great Britain and stayed there until 1952 when it was transferred to the West German Luftwaffe. In 1962 it was delivered to Sweden where it served with their Air Force until 1982 at which time it returned to the United States for storage in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1996 it was acquired by the museum and arrived here on February 17, 1997. It was then refurbished and converted to a DC-3 with the installation of carpet, seats and a galley and head.

NARRATIVE 

The Ki-43 Hayabusa, a light, fast and maneuverable fighter that excelled in dogfighting and known to the Allies as Oscar, was the most important fighter of the Japanese Army Air Force. Often being mistaken for the Zero, it saw service on every front the Japanese fought in and production continued until the surrender of Japan in August 1945. Late in the war, however, the Oscar began to show its age and was outclassed by many Allied aircraft. Towards the end it was used heavily in Kamikaze suicide attacks. A total of 5,919 were produced, of which very few remain today. 

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The museum's Oscar is powered by a 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp 14-cylinder radial engine, which is fitting since the Japanese were also under license to build Pratt & Whitney R-1830 powered Douglas DC-3 aircraft in the 1930s. This engine is only 4 inches larger in radius than the original Nakajima powerplant and fits snugly into the nacelle. The propeller is a Hamilton Standard DC-3 hub with re-profiled Lockheed Lodestar blades.

NARRATIVE 

The Boeing Stearman PT-17 was typical of the biplane primary trainer used during the late 1930s and World War II and one of the most revered by pilots. Powered by a 240 hp seven-cylinder Continental engine, it was respected for its ruggedness, ease of maintenance, low operational costs and flight characteristics. Challenging to an inexperienced pilot was its tendency to ground-loop in cross winds. Over 10,000 were built for both the U.S. Army Air Force and the U.S. Navy and today many have found a new lease of life on the warbird circuit or serving as agricultural crop dusters and spraying aircraft. 

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The aircraft on display is a typical Boeing PT-17, USAAF serial number 42-16242. This aircraft was purchased surplus from the U.S. Government in February 1946 for $770.00 by a commercial aviation company and used as a pilot trainer until it was sold in January 1955. Over the next 32 years, it would be bought and re-sold seven times before coming to the Museum's collection in 1992.   

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NARRATIVE 

Built by the Bellanca Aircraft Corporation in New Castle, Delaware in 1938 as a modification of the Airbus, the Aircruiser was considered by many pilots to be the most efficient single engine airplane ever built. It was originally intended for commercial airline passenger service, but because of regulations that prohibited the use of single-engine transports in such service, it was forced to spend its life in the bush country where it soon made a name for itself. The long and spacious cabin has room for fifteen passengers and when the seats are removed, enough floor space to carry over two tons of cargo. It is one of the few aircraft that can carry its own weight in cargo, because of its large lower stub-wings and the large airfoil wing struts. Every square foot of airframe is devoted to some useful purpose. Even the stub-wings, which assist with lift and are strong anchoring points for the landing gear, have storage area for baggage and cargo. 

SPECIFIC HISTORY

The museum’s airworthy Aircruiser was custom built in 1938 by Bellanca for the Elizade Company at a cost of $56,000 and sent to the Philippines to support a gold mining operation. In 1940 it was sold and pressed into bush service in Canada. Following a crash landing, it was restored in 1944 and continued in this service until 1968 when it ran aground while taking off fully loaded with fish. In 1972 it was rescued and restored to flying condition. The museum bought the aircraft in 1990 and keeps it in flying condition, the only Aircruiser still flying

NARRATIVE

The North American B-25 Mitchell is considered to be the best American medium bomber of World War II. Its excellent performance and good handling characteristics gave the Allies a versatile aircraft that could be used in any combat environment. With a range of 1350 miles, the B-25J could carry a 3,000 pound bomb load to the enemy. During World War II, the Mitchell became the Army Air Force’s most widely employed medium bomber. This rugged and versatile warplane performed with distinction in the skies over North Africa, Italy, Europe, China, Burma and also the Pacific, where B-25s were modified to carry a 75mm cannon, or up to twelve machine guns, in a solid nose for strafing missions. Attacking at low level, these gunships were used with devastating effect against Japanese surface vessels. The Mitchell flew in Allied squadrons in every theater of World War Two and was widely used in the strategic bombing of Germany prior to the 1944 D-Day invasion. A total of 9,816 Mitchell’s were built giving it the largest production run of any twin-engine bomber in American history. 

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The story of the most famous seaplane in aviation history began when the prototype of the Consolidated PBY Catalina first took to the air in March of 1935. It featured an internally supported parasol wing structure that was so near a true cantilever design as to need only two small struts on each side of the fuselage and stabilizing floats that retracted into the wing tips. Powered by two 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney radials, the later PBY-5A had a top speed of 179 mph and its nine-man crew could employ five machine guns for defensive purposes. The PBY had a long and distinguished career during World War II. It was a Catalina that first sighted the Japanese fleet, flying inbound to attack Midway Island in 1942, leading to a U.S. victory and a turning point in the war. A tough, dependable, and versatile aircraft, the PBY performed many roles for the Allied nations during the war, including bombing, reconnaissance, convoy escort, transport, and anti-submarine warfare. The Catalina's long-range abilities as a search and rescue seaplane saved the life of many a sailor or aviator adrift on an unfriendly sea. When production ended in 1945, some 4,000 Catalinas had been built at Consolidated plants in San Diego, Buffalo and New Orleans, the USN Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia and at Vickers and Boeing in Canada.

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The museum’s airworthy Catalina is a typical PBY-5A built by Consolidated and accepted by the U.S. Navy in March 1944. Retired from active military duty in June 1950, it was sold to Catalina Ltd. for $3,100. Following several sales in the civilian market, it was acquired by the museum in 1990 and restored to its present condition.

NARRATIVE 

The Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune was the last and most sophisticated derivative of the P2V models built for the U.S. Navy for a primary mission of anti-submarine warfare and a secondary mission of mining. First flown in 1954, it was the only production model of the Neptune to have underwing jet pods and to utilize the “Jezebel” and “Julie” submarine detection gear. 216 were produced and saw considerable service in Vietnam; used by the Navy for surveillance missions and by the Air Force for night attack. The P2V-7 followed the P2V-1 which was introduced originally to satisfy the Navy’s need for a greater range, load carrying ability and performance than that provided by flying boats. The P2V-1 was first flown in 1946 and various models of P2Vs were in service for nearly 30 years. They were the mainstay of the Navy’s land-based patrol squadrons until replaced by the Lockheed P-3 Orion. The last ASW Neptune, a P2V-7, made its final flight in February 1970 with Rear Admiral Davies, pilot of the “Truculent Turtle, as its co-pilot. 
 

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The museum’s P2V-7 Anti-Submarine Patrol bomber is a true veteran of the Cold War and was one of the last of its type to serve in the United States Navy. It was accepted by the USN in October 1961 and over the next 16 years patrolled the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific, and Mediterranean Oceans looking for and tracking submarines before being retired in 1977. It still retains much of its original radar and other submarine detection equipment.

NARRATIVE

When it was first introduced in August 1941, the FW-190 quickly proved to be superior in all but turn radius to the Royal Air Force (RAF) front-line fighter, the Spitfire Mk. V variant. The FW 190 made its air combat debut on the Eastern Front much later, in December of 1942. The FW made a significant impact seeing service as a fighter and fighter-bomber. The fighter and its pilots proved just as capable as the BF 109 in aerial combat, and in the opinion of German pilots who had flown both fighters, the FW 190 presented increased firepower and maneuverability at low to medium altitude. 

SPECIFIC HISTORY

The Collection's Focke-Wulf 190 A8 is a replica built by FlugWerk of Germany. It was one of several new reproductions that were built from the ground up, using many original dies, plans and other information from the war. Originally housed at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the Focke-Wulf was aquired by the Erickson Aircraft Collection in 2013. 

NARRATIVE 

The L-29 Delphin was Chosen as the standard trainer for all Iron Curtain air forces during the 1960s. Once qualified in the L-29, pilots would progress into the MiG-15 and MiG-21. Manufactured by the Aero Vodochody National Corporation in Czechoslovakia between 1961 and 1964, about 3,600 were built, most going to the Soviet Union. The Collection's airworthy Delphin is one of several brought to the United States from Indonesia in 1988. 

NARRATIVE 

The Grumman Wildcat, first of the Grumman “Cats,” marked the U.S. Navy's transition from biplanes to the modern era of aircraft carrier borne seapower. The September 1937 prototype was a radical redesign of an earlier Grumman biplane, the F3F. In 1939, an improved version of the aircraft, powered by a supercharged Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp, 1,200 hp. radial engine, performed well and soon went into production at the Grumman plant in Bethpage, Long Island. The Wildcat first became operational with the British Royal Navy, where it was named the Martlet. The British acquired 120 of the aircraft originally ordered by France and Greece, and with additional British orders, the Martlet served the Royal Navy well in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The Wildcat first saw combat with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on7 December 1941. The Wildcat was inferior in many ways to its main rival in the Pacific - the Mitsubishi Zero. The Japanese plane was faster and more maneuverable, but the Wildcat was better armed, sturdier, and carried protection for the fuel supply and pilot, a Japanese omission. Wildcat pilots performed admirably against a superior foe and continued in U.S. service until the end of the War being continually updated and improved. The definitive version, the F4F-4, was armed with six .50 inch machine guns and had a top speed of 318 mph. In May 1943, production of the Wildcat was shifted to General Motors' Eastern Aircraft Division at Linden, New Jersey. These airplanes were designated FM-1 and FM-2. Together, GM and Grumman produced over 8,000 aircraft. Two interesting features of the Wildcat are wings that fold back along the fuselage to allow for easier carrier storage and the manually operated landing gear. A pilot had to crank a cockpit-mounted wheel 29 times to raise or lower the apparatus.

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The museum’s Wildcat is a General Motors built FM-2 accepted by the Navy on 26 July 1945 and transferred to Naval Air Station Tillamook to be put into storage. Stricken from the Navy’s inventory in 1946, it was sold to the Wolf Point Montana School District in 1955 for $38.20 and later sold to a private owner in Washington State for $208.60. Before coming to the museum’s collection for restoration in 1991, it was owned by several individuals and used for various activities including agricultural spraying. 

NARRATIVE 

The TBF/TBM Avenger was designed to replace the Douglas Devastator as the U.S. Navy's primary torpedo attack aircraft. The prototype was first tested in August of 1941 and planes began to come off Grumman's Bethpage, Long Island production line the following January. In September 1942, due to an increasing wartime demand, the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors also began producing the Avenger, designated the “TBM,” and most of the Avengers built during WW II rolled out of Eastern's Trenton, New Jersey facility. A total of 9,839 aircraft were constructed, 2,293 by Grumman and 7,546 by General Motors. The Avenger had folding wings for easier stowage aboard aircraft carriers and was the first U.S. warplane to carry a 22-inch torpedo internally. Heavy defensive armament was provided for the three man crew. This consisted of three forward firing machine guns and two similar weapons firing to the rear, one in a power operated turret and one in a ventral position. Bombs, depth-charges, or sea-mines could replace the torpedo if required, and air-to-surface rockets were often hung on wing mountings in later versions. In June 1942, the Avenger made its combat debut in the Battle of Midway. Throughout the remaining years of the War, the aircraft played a key role in ending Japanese naval power in the Pacific Theater. It operated from island bases and also formed an integral part of the U.S. Navy's fast carrier strike force. The plane also saw wartime duty with the Royal Navy in the Pacific and European Theaters as the Martlet. After the end of World War II, the TBF/TBM performed in the military forces of the United States as well as those of allied nations. The last operational Avenger retired from Japanese service in 1962, a successful 20-year career for a rugged, reliable, and versatile aircraft. 
 

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The museum’s Avenger is a General Motors built TBM-3E. This aircraft was restored by Pacific Fighters in Idaho Falls, Idaho.  Pacific Fighters has returned this TBM back to its original condition.  It wears the markings if a VT-40 Avenger  based off the USS Suwannee in 1945.  Also notice the paint is flat.  Drab paint is period correct for this TBM. 

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NARRATIVE 

The design and construction of the Douglas A-26 was the result of the U.S. Army Air Force's request for a multi-purpose light bomber, to have the capability for fast attack operations at low level, as well as precision bombing from medium altitudes, while carrying a powerful defensive armament. Three prototypes were ordered in June of 1941 and flight testing began in July of the following year. The aircraft, designated A-26B, began rolling off the production lines late in 1943 with deliveries to combat squadrons located in Europe and the Pacific starting in the autumn of 1944. By the end of World War II, 2,502 Invaders had been built at the Douglas facilities in Long Beach and El Segundo, California, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The A-26 possessed an operational range of 1,400 miles and a maximum speed of 355 mph with its two Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp 18 cylinder radial engines. The Invader proved itself to be a fast, reliable, and rugged performer. The heavy attack variant, armed with six .50 inch machine guns in a solid nose, carried four similar weapons in dorsal and ventral turrets, both remotely controlled by the gunner who sat in the rear compartment. A pilot and navigator/radio operator rounded out the remainder of the crew. Further development included the A-26C, a model designed for precision bombing with the solid gun nose being replaced with a glass enclosure. The A-26 remained in use for several years after the conclusion of World War II. With the abolishment of the "attack" category by the U.S. Air Force in 1948, the aircraft was reclassified as a B-26. In retrospect, the Invader must be considered as one of the most successful designs of the American aircraft industry. With service in both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, the operational career of the Invader lasted for over a quarter of a century.

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The Museum’s A-26B Invader was built by Douglas at its Long Beach plant and delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force in August 1945. Over the next 12 years, it was deployed with several Air Force Squadrons before being declared surplus in 1957 and put in storage. The next year it became the subject of several private sales to civilian owners and in 1995 became part of the museum collection. 
 

NARRATIVE 

Lockheed’s PV-2 is an outgrowth of the U.S. Navy’s PV-1 patrol bomber program. However, the Navy considered the PV-1 to have marginal take-off performance characteristics when completely loaded. To rectify this situation, Lockheed’s Vega Division was commissioned to revise the design to increase the aircraft’s range and handling overall performance. The redesign turned into a major project that incorporated so many changes that the resulting aircraft was given the new designation of PV-2 Harpoon. The wingspan of the PV-2 was increased to 75 feet which offered more room for additional fuel tanks and the bombardier's position was eliminated. The offensive and defensive armament for the PV-2 consisted of an assortment of 50-caliber machine guns spread among the upper and lower nose positions, the dorsal turret and the rear ventral position. The Harpoon was also capable of carrying 4,000 pounds of bombs and eight 5-inch rockets beneath the wings. In June 1943, the Navy ordered 500 PV-2s and the first model took to the air on 3 December 1943. Beginning in March 1944, over 500 were delivered and saw action in the Pacific Theater. The Navy continued to use the Harpoon until August 1948 when all existing aircraft were transferred to Naval Reserve units. Many surplus PV-1s and PV-2s were converted into executive transports or employed as crop sprayers. The museum’s Harpoon is one of only a few survivors still flying. 
 

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The Museum’s rare PV-2D was the first D model built out of a production of only 35. It operated from numerous Naval bases including NAS Alameda and NAS Cherry Point before being retired to the U.S. Navy’s aircraft storage facility at Litchfield Park, Arizona in December 1956. It began its civilian career the following year through purchase by several owners who used the craft primarily as a sprayer. It was restored to its original military configuration in 1989 and acquired by the museum in 1999. 

NARRATIVE 

The Douglas Skyraider was the result of an attempt by the U.S. Navy to combine two methods of attack: the ability to fly from aircraft carriers as well, armed with a large mixture of bombs or torpedoes carried externally. The new aircraft was flight tested in 1945, and a Navy order for 548 units soon followed. Originally designated as the Dauntless II, it later emerged as the AD-1 Skyraider and Navy and Marine Corps squadrons began receiving it in 1946. The Skyraider's design lent itself well to modification and could be altered to carry radar and searchlights for night attack, cameras for reconnaissance, and ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) gear. A new model, the AD-2, was ordered by the Navy and began rolling out of the Douglas facility in California with a strengthened wing, a higher fuel capacity, a 2,700 hp Wright radial engine that gave the AD-2 a top speed of 321 mph, a range of 915 miles, a pair of forward firing 20mm cannon and the ability to carry up to 8,000 lbs. of bombs, torpedoes, rockets, depth-charges, or sea-mines. The Skyraider saw action for the first time in the Korean War where it was used in support of ground troops and performed so well that it was described as "the best and most effective close support airplane in the world." In 1951, a final version of the Skyraider, the AD-5, was introduced with major changes that included a widening of the fuselage to accommodate an additional crew member, an increase in armament to four 20mm cannon, and a conversion kit that would allow the Skyraider to serve as a 12 person transport, freighter, or ambulance. The Skyraider flew its last missions in the skies over Vietnam, where it was superb in the ground attack role and flew until being retired in 1972 - a twenty-five year career for a robust and extremely versatile aircraft design. 

SPECIFIC HISTORY 

The museum’s Skyraider, a Douglas built AD-4W accepted by the Navy in October 1952, saw service as an anti-submarine warfare weapon at Cherry Point, Quonset Point, Philadelphia, Miramar and Norfolk Naval Air Stations. Declared surplus and put into storage in 1962, a year later it began a ten-year service with the British Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm and thereafter service with the Swedish Air Force where it was used for anti-submarine patrols and target towing until the 1980s. Finally retired for good in 1984, it was subsequently sold to several civilian buyers and finally acquired by the museum in 1991.

NARRATIVE 

Although eventually the most important dive-bomber flown by any combatant during WWII, the Dauntless began its combat career as a mediocre dive-bomber considered to be obsolete even before the United States entered the war. But for the Navy it was the principal carrier based dive-bomber in early World War II. This was the only U.S. aircraft to participate in all five naval engagements that were fought exclusively between aircraft carriers. Despite having been marked for retirement, the Dauntless sank more enemy shipping during 1942 than all other aircraft combined. In May of that year, SBD pilots from U.S. carriers were credited with 40 of the 91 enemy aircraft lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea. A month later, at Midway, SBDs sank three Japanese carriers and put another out of action. Their own attrition rate was the lowest of any carrier aircraft in the Pacific, due largely to an outstanding ability to absorb battle damage. Most importantly, the “Slow-But-Deadly” SBD destroyed the cream of the Japanese aircraft carrier fleet during the Battle of Midway. Considered to be the turning point in the Pacific War, it was credited with every confirmed hit on the enemy fleet. Ordered by the Navy in 1939, the first SBDs were delivered to the Marines and Navy carrier units in 1941. Some were produced for the Army as the A-24 Banshee. It also served with the British Royal Navy. Overall production of the Dauntless amounted to 5,936, yet the museum’s SBD is one of only a few surviving.

SPECIFIC HISTORY

It is an A-24 Army Banshee delivered in January 1943 and used as a gunnery target tug at Lakeland Air Field in Florida. Later declared surplus, it was employed as a mosquito control sprayer by the City of Portland from 1958 until 1965. It was sold to the museum in 1994 and restored to an SBD-3 as it appears today.

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NARRATIVE

The P-39 was one of America’s first-line pursuit planes in December 1941. Its unique engine location behind the cockpit caused some pilot concern, but this proved to be no more of a hazard in a crash than landing with an engine located forward of the cockpit. The Airacobra saw combat throughout the world, particularly in the Southwest Pacific, Mediterranean and Russian theaters. Because its engine was not equipped with a supercharger, the P-39 performed best below the 17,000 feet altitude and was therefore more often used for ground strafing. Bell built a total of 9,584 Airacobras of which 4,773 were delivered to the Soviet Union whose pilots preferred the aircraft for its ground attack capability. The Airacobra was one of the world’s first single-seat fighters to feature a tricycle landing gear and was fitted with car-type doors for the pilot to enter and exit. Called the “Little Shaver” by the Red Air Force, “shaving” being Russian slang for ground strafing, the P-39 gained great respect as a destroyer of German tanks and vehicles

When the Messerschmitt Me-109 first took to the air in September 1935, a new age in aviation history began. At that time, nearly all of the world’s air forces flew aircraft that were open cockpit, fixed under carriage monoplanes or bi-planes.
Willy Messerschmitt’s design incorporated many revolutionary features that were carried over from his earlier civilian sport plane, the Bf-108. Early Messerschmitt models began with the prefix “Bf” to designate Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, the firm’s name prior to 1938. Innovations in the Bf-109 included an all metal body, retractable landing gear, an enclosed cockpit and automatic wing slats to counter stalling in high speed turns. The capabilities of this new aircraft were demonstrated to the world during the 1936 Berlin Olympics and in Zurich at the Military Aircraft Competition. At the latter, it claimed top honors and received international acclaim. The 109 was placed into production shortly thereafter and made its combat debut in 1937 when the German military assisted Francisco Franco in winning the Spanish Civil War. The Me-109 went on to become the mainstay of the German Luftwaffe’s fighter force during World War II, as a fighter/bomber, photo reconnaissance plane and trainer. Throughout its lengthy career, the Messerschmitt was constantly improved to keep pace with the rapid advances in wartime aviation technology. The most numerous production series, the Me-109G, or Gustav, dates from May 1942 and was powered by the superb Daimler-Benz DB605, a 1,475 hp inline engine which gave the warplane a top speed of 387 mph. Armament carried by Messerschmitts consisted mainly of two cowl-mounted 7.9mm or 13mm machine guns and one 20mm or 30mm cannon that fired through the propeller hub. This firepower was often augmented by the addition of two wing-mounted cannon. The plane also spent the war in the air forces of other nations including those of Rumania, Hungary, Finland and Switzerland. Postwar production continued in Czechoslovakia and in Spain until 1958 and in all totaled some 35,000 units, the largest number ever built of one aircraft type. Many consider the Me-109 to be the greatest fighter plane in aviation history. This aircraft started a revolution in worldwide fighter design with its conception in 1935. Throughout the modifications in its airframe and power plant, the Messerschmitt remained a fine combat plane for the better part of a decade. Even as late as 1945, in the twilight of its Luftwaffe service, the Me-109 was able to match the performance of the allied aircraft it encountered in the skies over the collapsing German Reich. 
 

SPECIFIC HISTORY:

The aircraft on display was a Spanish built Buchon the last version of Willy Messerschmitt’s famous fighter – the German ME-109 – the scourge of Allied Forces in World War Two. The cowling used to house the powerful Rolls-Royce V-type engine gave the aircraft, designated as the HA-1112, a distinctive look with the updraft carburetor intake on the bottom. This reminded the Spanish of a large-breasted bird from Seville known as the Pouter Pigeon or Buchon, and Spain continued to produce their version of the Merlin-powered Messerschmitt well into the 1950’s, ultimately building 170 of the type. The collection’s BUCHON was one of 28 aircraft used to film the movie Battle of Britain. Jack Erickson purchased the aircraft from Connie Edwards in 1989. The collection’s newly restored (2017) airworthy aircraft was restored to fly with a lowered Allison V-1710 and fitted with genuine Bf-109 G-10 cowling and a reconfigured tail unit.

            Early in the Second World War, the U.S. Navy recognized the value of having one aircraft that could handle many different tasks. The Martin Mauler was designed to fulfill the Navy’s desire for a plane that could handle the fleet’s scout, bomber and torpedo requirements, functions previously performed by several aircraft. The Mauler was the only single-engine plane powered by the massive 3,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major 28-cylinder radial engine. This engine, of “corn cob” design, with four rows of 7 cylinders each, was reputed to be a “mechanic’s nightmare.” An example of this extraordinary engine, the largest radial ever built, can be seen in the museum’s engine display area.

            The Navy awarded both Douglas and Martin contracts to design and develop this type of aircraft and Martin wasted no time in getting their first prototype into the air in August 1944. This was the XBTM-1 (Experimental Bomber Torpedo Martin), a prodigious weightlifter with a maximum useful ordnance load of almost 11,000 lbs and a top speed of 367 mph.  However, with testing, problems began to arise, and as development continued, it was apparent that many modifications would have to be made before full production began. The massive size of this single engine airplane made it more difficult to control and pilots experienced difficulties with landing the plane both on airfields and on carriers. In the end, all or most of the Mauler’s shortcomings were corrected and eventually Martin produced an attack aircraft that was, in some ways, superior in performance to their competitor’s Douglas AD-1 Skyraider. But the uncertain test program led the Navy to reduce the original order for Martin Maulers and to look more favorably to the Douglas Skyraider which was easier to fly and maintain. It was finally concluded that the Mauler’s suitability as a land or carrier based attack aircraft was marginal and production was terminated in favor of the Skyraider after only 151 Maulers were produced.

            The museum is fortunate to have in its collection one of only four surviving Martin AM-1 Maulers. It was the eighteenth Mauler built and delivered to the Navy in August 1947. After serving at the Jacksonville, St. Louis and Norfolk Naval Air Stations, it was retired in February 1955 and transferred to the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. There it was used for weapons testing. In 1979 the Army donated it to the Bradley Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut and eleven years later it was acquired by the museum and restored to its present static condition