Aviation

On 14 October 1947, the Bell X-1 rocket powered experimental aircraft, piloted by the legendary test pilot, Chuck Yeager, became the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound. To accomplish this feat, the aircraft was air-launched at 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) from the belly of a WWII bomber. In tribute to his wife, Yeager named the airplane "Glamorous Glennis".

The most capable carrier based fighter-bomber of World War II featured the largest engine available at the time: the 2,000 hp, 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial. It was the first US warplane to exceed 400 mph in level flight. The plane featured an unusual inverted gull wing to keep the undercarriage short while allowing the use of the large diameter propeller demanded by the powerful engine.

Was a long-range, Mach 3.5+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed by Lockheed and its Skunk Works® division. It was the first aircraft to be constructed mainly of titanium. At full velocity the airplane surface heats up to over 260°C+ (500 °F). A total of 3,551 missions were flown and not one Blackbird was lost due to enemy military retaliation.
Note: Skunk Works is the nickname for Lockheed's Advanced Development Programs. Skunk Works engineers have developed highly advanced, military aircraft, often in secret, since World War II.

This Lockheed Vega 5B monoplane was purchased in 1932 by the famous aviator, Amelia Earhart, who called it her “Little Red Bus”. The plane was powered by a 450 hp engine with a cruise speed of 155 mph. Flying this plane in 1932, Amelia became the first woman to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, and to make a solo nonstop flight across the United States.

The SPAD S.XIII was a World War I French single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that proved to be one of the most capable fighters of the war, as well as one of the most-produced, with 8,472 built. Many celebrated WWI pilots flew the SPAD XIII including America's highest scoring ace, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker.

The Sopwith Camel is a British World War I single-seat biplane fighter aircraft introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Unmatched in its maneuverability, it achieved more aerial victories than any other allied aircraft during the war. Also, the legendary WWI ace, Snoopy, flew this plane in his many dog fights against The Red Baron.

The Lockheed Martin F-22® Raptor® is a single-seat twin-engine fifth-generation super-maneuverable fighter aircraft that uses stealth, speed, agility, precision and situational awareness, combined with air-to-air and air-to-ground combat capabilities, makes it the best overall fighter in the world today.

The F-86 Sabre is a United States transonic jet fighter, first deployed during the Korean War. As the first US swept-wing fighter, the F-86 Sabre was engineered to counter the Soviet MiG-15. Produced by North American Aviation, the F-86 was considered one of the most important combat aircraft during the early 1950s.

The PBY Catalina was one of the most widely flown amphibious aircraft during WWII. During the war, it was used in anti-submarine warfare and as a long-range patrol bomber, a convoy escort, and a cargo transport. Our model is based on the airworthy Catalina, Miss Pick Up, which is located in the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, UK. It represents a U.S. Army Air Forces aircraft lost to enemy action in Europe at the end of March 1945.
To learn more about her, go to catalina.org.uk

The Mitsubishi Zero was considered to be the most capable carrier-based fighter aircraft in the world when it first entered combat in 1940. Its superior capabilities were in part due to its amazingly light weight that made it one of the fastest, most maneuverable and one of the longest-ranged single-engine fighter aircraft of World War II. However, that tradeoff in weight was at the price of not having self-sealing fuel tanks which made it prone to catching fire and exploding when struck by enemy fire, and no armor protection for either the pilot or the engine.

The Hughes H-4 Hercules nicknamed the Spruce Goose by critics, was designed as a transatlantic transport plane for use during World War II though it was not completed until after the war. Due to restrictions during the war on the use of aluminum and also concerns about weight, the plane was built almost entirely of birch wood. It was the largest amphibious plane to ever fly though that was only one brief flight on November 2, 1947. The aircraft remains in good condition and is currently on display at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, USA.

B-17 Flying Fortress was a World War II heavy bomber. Its turbo-supercharged radial engines gave it the necessary high-altitude performance to fly above the effective range of antiaircraft artillery.

The most widely produced and strategically important British single-seat fighter of World War II. The Spitfire, renowned for winning victory laurels in the Battle of Britain (1940-41), served in every theatre of the war and was produced in more variants than any other British aircraft.

Ford Trimotor was the world’s first luxury airliner when it took to the skies in the late 1920s. Nicknamed the “Tin Goose”, it featured an aluminum corrugated sheet-metal body and wings and was powered by three 420-hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engines. Due to its rugged dependability Admiral Byrd chose it for his attempt to be the first person to fly over the South Pole, which he did on November 28, 1929.

Served as a high-altitude escort fighter and a low-level fighter-bomber for the allied forces during World War II. It was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single piston engine. The plane was designed and built around its powerful 2000 horse power Pratt and Whitney radial engine. Due to its thick and massive appearance, it came to be known as ‘The Jug.’

Air Force One is the official call sign for any Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States, though the term most commonly refers to the two Boeing 747 jets bearing the iconic Water and Steel Blue livery.

The Boeing 747 Air Force One, houses an executive suite and private office for the President, as well as a medical annex and communications room featuring at least 19 televisions and 87 telephones. The plane can fuel in midair, contains countermeasures against anti-aircraft missiles and features special shielding to protect the electronics from an electromagnetic pulse resulting from a nuclear attack.