REPUBLIC P-47D THUNDERBOLT (REPLICA)
The P-47 Thunderbolt was the largest single engine fighter of WWII. It entered combat with the 56th and 78th Fighter Groups in April of 1943. There its shortcomings soon became evident. It could easily be out turned and out climbed by the nimble German single seat fighters. On the plus side, it had a fantastic roll rate, tremendous hitting power and in a sustained dive, was unmatched. Its large size led to its being called the Juggernaut, which was quickly shortened to Jug. The plane soon developed a reputation for its toughness and its ability to return home, even after sustaining severe battle damage. Later models had use of a ventral drop tank which allowed it to escort bombers to the German border. Rate of climb was improved with the use of a paddle blade propeller. As introduced, the P-47 was called a Razorback. Because of a rearward visibility problem, a major design change brought about the Bubble-top canopy version you see before you today.
With the introduction of the P-51 Mustang as a bomber escort, the P-47 was switched to close air support where once again, its ruggedness and its tremendous hitting power were proven.
BAYERISCHE FLEUGWERKE MESSERSCHMITT BF-109 (REPLICA)
The Messerschmitt BF 109, sometimes called ME 109 was one of the first true fighters of its time. Incorporating such advances as all metal construction, closed canopy, retractable landing gear, and powered by a liquid cooled inverted 12 cylinder engine. It also had two separate cooling systems for the engine. If one system was damaged in battle, it could be shut down. The engine was mounted in two large castings that were attached to the main bulkhead with quick release screws. The plumbing and electrical connections were color coded and grouped in one location, when possible. The entire engine could be removed and replaced in a matter of minutes. The wings could be removed without the need of equipment to support the fuselage. The landing gear had a very narrow track, making it unstable on the ground. Approximately 10% of all BF 109’s were lost in takeoff and landing accidents.
The BF 109 first saw service during the Spanish Civil War with the German Condor Legion, and was still in service at the end of WWII. The BF 109 was the most produced single seat warplane during WWII. It was credited with more aerial victories than any other aircraft. Over one hundred BF 109 pilots were credited with the destruction of 100 or more each, enemy aircraft, some as high as 300.
During 1942, the Germans started to replace the BF 109 with the Focke-Wulf 190 fighter. The BF 109 continued fighting in a multitude of roles on multiple fronts. The aircraft was also supplied to Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
After the war, the BF 109 was produced in Czechoslovakia and Spain, which ended production in 1958.
NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION RF-86F SABRE
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic combat aircraft built for the Air Force. This was North American Aviation’s first attempt at a jet powered fighter in the 1940’s. The design incorporated the swept back wing concept originally developed by the Germans during World War II.
The F-86 was a basic single engine, single seat fighter with six 50 cal. M3 Browning machine guns with a total of 1,800 rounds of ammunition, with a radar gun sight. The fighter was introduced at the beginning of the Cold War and became operational in 1948.
The F-86 was the primary US air-combat fighter during the Korean War. Although the MIG-15 could out climb and turn the Sabre, the Sabre was more than a match for the MIG-15, with a kill ratio of 14 to 1.
There were 9,860 F-86’s built, one of the most produced western jet fighters in the Cold War era. The F-86 was fielded as a front line fighter by the US until 1957. Different variants continued to be used all over the world until 1969. Portugal retired their last F-86 in 1980.
The F-86 may have been the first aircraft to break the sound barrier. Although it was designed as a subsonic aircraft, it is capable of breaking the sound barrier in a dive. Unofficially, George Welch broke the sound barrier while in a dive on the first test flight on 1 October, 1947. Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier on 14 October, 1947 in the rocked propelled Bell X-1 during level flight, making it the first true supersonic aircraft. Five years later, on 18 May, 1953, Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier flying a Canadian built F-86 Mk3.
The F-86 displayed is the reconnaissance variant, the RF-86F. This is a very rare aircraft, one of only two remaining in the United States.
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS TA-4J SKYHAWK
The Skyhawk is a relatively lightweight aircraft with a max take-off weight of 24,500 lbs. The attack version of this aircraft could carry a bomb load equivalent to that of WW II B-17.
It was designed by Douglas aircraft’s Ed Heinemann, and because of its nimble performance and speed, picked up the nickname “Heinemann’s Hot Rod.” It was also widely known as the “Scooter.” It is small enough that its wings don’t fold. Rare among naval aircraft.
The TA-4J displayed is a dedicated trainer version based on the A-4F. It lacks a weapons system and was equipped with a less powerful J-52 engine.
The A-4 stayed in production until 1979, making it the longest continuously produced tactical bomber in US history.
REPUBLIC AVIATION F-105D THUNDERCHIEF
In 1951 Republic Aviation began a project to develop a supersonic tactical fighter- bomber to replace the F-84F Thunderflash. The result was the F-105 Thunderchief, later affectionately nicknamed the “Thud.” The prototype YF-105 first flew on 22 October, 1955 and the first F-105D first flew 9 June, 1959. The aircraft was originally designed with a bomb bay to carry a nuclear weapon for high speed low altitude strikes against Soviet targets.
The F-105D could carry more that 14,000 lb of ordinance, a heavier load than either the B-17 or the B-24.
The F-105D was used extensively in the Vietnam War. It flew 70 percent of the air strikes against North Vietnam during the first four years. Based at Da Nang, South Vietnam and various Thailand air bases, the F-105 suffered the highest losses of any aircraft in Vietnam. Of the 883 F-105’s built, a combined 395 were lost. 334 to enemy action and 60 to operational accidents. The last F-105D was withdrawn from USAF service on 12 July, 1980.
The F-105 soldiered on as the F-105G “Wild Weasel.” Its mission was to seek out and destroy enemy radar controlled anti-aircraft weapons.
NORTH AMERICAN T-39 SABRELINER
North American designated the Sabreliner to meet the USAF UTX (Utility Trainer Experimental) requirement in 1956. The prototype first flew in September, 1958. It was powered by two General Electric YJ-85 turbojet engines, each rated at 2,500 lbs. of thrust.
The USAF ordered the T-39A version, which used two Pratt & Whitney J60-P-3 turbojets, each rated at 3,000 lbs. of thrust.
Different versions of the T-39 were equipped as a radar systems trainer for the F-105D, electronic warfare crew training for the F-105G, radar intercept officer training, and bombardier/navigator training.
North American also sold the Sabreliner as a civil transport.
MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS F-4B PHANTOM II
After losing out to the F-8U Crusader in a competition bid for a new Navy air-superiority fighter, McDonnell-Douglas began a company funded project in 1952 to produce a carrier borne fighter-bomber as a replacement for its F3H “Demon.” The outcome was the single seat, multi-role (fighter, attack, photo reconnaissance, ECM) AH-1 aircraft with a top speed of Mach 1.5.
After the purchase of two AH-1 prototypes in 1954, Navy specifications were revised to provide for a crew of two - pilot and Radar Intercept Officer. “Sparrow” and “Sidewinder” guided missile weapons systems and two General Electric J-79 engine with 17, 000 lbs. thrust each for a Mach 2+ speed. The aircraft designation was then changed from AH-1 to F4H-1 and named “Phantom”, one of the most famous aircraft in the history of military aviation. Its maiden flight occurred in 1958 with deliveries to Navy and Marine Corps squadrons beginning in 1960.
Within the space of about 28 months after its introduction, the F-4 had established 15 world aviation records including altitude (98,500 Ft) time to climb and speed, Mach 2.59. These factors, coupled with a demonstrated capability to lift a load of up to 22,000 lbs, convinced the Air Force to procure the aircraft whose performance qualities were as good as, or better than their best fighters.
Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force F-4’s were used extensively during the Vietnam Conflict as high and low level bombers delivering a wide variety of ordinance, and as a fighter downing 107 enemy aircraft in aerial combat.
Over 5,000 F-4’s were produced and it has served the air forces of twelve foreign countries. It was the only aircraft flown concurrently by the Navy and Air Force flight demonstration teams. While Navy F-4’s were replaced by the Grumman F-14 “Tomcat”, the Air Force still retains some for special mission roles. The last F-4’s were converted to QF-4 remote controlled aircraft as target drones for air to air combat practice.
LING-TEMCO-VOUGHT A-7E CORSAIR II
The A7-E is a single seat tactical close air support aircraft. Although designated primarily as a ground attack aircraft, it also has limited air-to-air capability. It was derived from the basic A-7 originally developed by LTV for the US Navy. The first A-7 made its initial flight on 27 September, 1965. Four were released to the Navy’s Flight Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland, in September, 1966 as A-7A’s. The Corsair can carry up to 15,000 pounds of externally mounted bombs, rockets and missiles on six under wing stations, and two stations on the fuselage sides. The aircraft also has an internally mounted 20 mm six-barrel cannon on the left side of the nose near the intake. The 199 A7-A’s produced were built with a Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-6 turbofan engine, with deliveries of production models beginning on 23 December 1968.
The A-7B was an upgraded version with a stronger TF30-P-8 Engine with 12,000 lbs. of thrust. A total of 196 A-7B’s were produced from February 1968 to April 1968. The 387 production A-7D’s used the TF41-A-2 engine with 15,0000 lbs. of trust. When A-7D production ended in 1967, 459 had been delivered to the United States Air Force. July, 1969 deliveries of the A-7E began to the Navy. The E version was similar to the D version with more advanced avionics than the earlier Navy models. When loaded with six Mk82 bombs and 1,000 rounds of 20 mm ammo, the A-7E could achieve a top speed of 650 miles per hour. Later E models were equipped with a FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) pod for improved night operation and furthering its all-weather capability.
The A-7E on display was delivered to the Navy in December, 1973. Throughout its life, it was based at Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Jacksonville, FL. It was attached to a variety of squadrons beginning with VA-174 training squadron for the Navy’s east coast based squadrons (Navy designation V=fixed wing, A=attack). The marking currently displayed are those of VA-72, nicknamed the “Bluehawks.”
VA-72 and its sister squadron, VA-46, were the last two active duty Navy A-7 squadrons, and both participated in Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1991, while operating from the USS John F. Kennedy (CF-67). Upon the ship’s return to the US, the two squadrons were disestablished and the aircraft were sent to NAS Memphis, Millington, TN for storage.
BELL UH-1H IROQUOIS
The Bell HU-1 first flew in June, 1955 as the XH-40. The design was developed from the Bell H47, recognized from the television show “M*A*S*H.” The production model designation was changed from HU-1, which was the source of the nickname “Huey”, to UH-1A in 1962, under new Department of Defense Standards. The nickname was so universally used that the assigned name of the helicopter “Iroquois” is hardly known. Bell incorporated the name “Huey” into the die casting for the rudder pedals. The HU-1S went into service June 1959.
The HU-1A was equipped with an 800 shaft horsepower Lycoming T-53-L-1A turbo shaft engine. It carried seven people including pilot, co-pilot, crew chief and four passengers. With a gross weight of 7,200 lb, the maximum speed was 120 knots, with a range of 163 nautical miles.
Several versions later, the UH-1H uses a 1,400 shaft horse power Textron Lycoming T53-L-13 turbo shaft engine. The “H” model has a maximum cruise speed of 120 knots, with a range of 276 nautical miles. A total of over 16,000 Huey’s were built. 4,850 UH-1H model Huey’s were built between 1967 and 1982.
7,013 UH-1’s served in Vietnam, and of those, 3,350 were destroyed. In total, 1,074 Huey pilots were killed along with 1,103 crew members.
The Huey fuselage is the basis of the AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter. The rotor head and transmission were also used on the Cobra.
CURTISS-WRIGHT CORP P-40 WARHAWK (REPLICA)
The Curtiss P-40 was developed from the radial engine powered Curtiss P-36. The P-40 saw action at Pearl Harbor and in the Philippines, December 1941. P-40’s were flown in China in 1941 by the Flying Tigers, and in North Africa in 1943 by the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first African-American unit in the Army Air Corps.
Made famous by the Flying Tigers, the shark mouth was copied from British P-40’s who had copied it from the Messerschmitt BF-110.
The P-40 was originally conceived as a pursuit aircraft and was very agile at low and medium altitudes but suffered due to lack of power at higher altitudes. At medium and high speeds, it was one of the tightest turning early monoplane designs of the war, and it could out turn most opponents it faced in North Africa and on the Russian Front. In the Pacific Theater, like all Allied fighters, it was out turned at lower speeds by the lightweight Japanese fighters, A6M “Zero” and Nakajima Ki-43 “Oscar”, which did not possess the structural strength of the P-40 for high speed, hard turns. The P-40 usually had an edge over the German BF-109 in horizontal maneuverability, dive speed and structural strength. The P-40 was roughly equal in firepower, but was slightly inferior in speed and outclassed in rate of climb and operational ceiling.
NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION P-51D MUSTANG (REPLICA)
The North American Aviation P-51D Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter/bomber used during World War II and the Korean War. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission for license-built Curtiss P-40 fighters. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September, 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October, 1940.
The Mustang was originally designed to use the Allison-1710 engine, which, in its earlier variants, had limited high-altitude performance. It was first flown operationally by the Royal Air Force as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft, and fighter-bomber (Mustang MkI). The addition of the Rolls-Royce Merlin to the P-51B/C model transformed the Mustang’s performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft., matching or bettering that of the Luftwaffe fighters. The definitive version, the P51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 two-stage, two-speed supercharged engine.
From late 1943, P-51B’s (supplemented by P-51D’s from mid-1944) were used by the Eighth Air Force to escort bombers in raids over Germany, while the RAF’s 2 TAF and the Ninth Air Force used the Merlin-powered Mustangs as fighter-bombers, roles in which the Mustang helped ensure Allied air superiority in 1944. The P-51 was also used by Allied air forces in the North Africa, Mediterranean and Italian theatres, and against the Japanese in the Pacific theatre. During World War II, Mustang pilots claimed 4,950 enemy aircraft shot down.
At the start of the Korean War, the Mustang was the main fighter of the United Nations until jet fighters such as the F-86, took over. The Mustang then became a specialized fighter-bomber. Despite the advent of jet fighters, the Mustang remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980’s.