Martin B-26 Marauder

The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe.

After entering service with the U.S. Army, the aircraft got a reputation as the "Widowmaker " due to the early models' high rate of accidents during takeoff and landings. The Marauder had to be flown by exact airspeeds, particularly on final approach and when one engine was out. The 150 mph (241 km/h) speed on short final was intimidating to pilots who were used to much slower speeds, and whenever they slowed down below what the manual stated, the aircraft would stall-out and crash. The B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were re-trained and after aerodynamics modifications (increase of wing span and incidence, to give better take off performance, and a larger fin and rudder). After aerodynamic and design changes, the aircraft distinguished itself as "the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front" according to a United States Army Air Forces dispatch from 1946. The Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any USAAF bomber. A total of 5,288 were produced

The B-26 Marauder was used mostly in Europe but also saw action in the Mediterranean and the Pacific. In early combat the aircraft took heavy losses but was still one of the most successful medium-range bombers used by the U.S. Army Air Forces. The B-26 was initially deployed on combat missions in the South West Pacific in the spring of 1942, but most of the B-26s subsequently assigned to operational theaters were sent to England and the Mediterranean area.



By the end of World War II, it had flown more than 110,000 sorties and had dropped 150,000 tons (136,078 tonnes) of bombs, and had been used in combat by British, Free French and South African forces in addition to U.S. units. In 1945, when B-26 production was halted, 5,266 had been built.


General characteristics

• Crew: 7: (2 pilots, bombardier, navigator/radio operator, 3 gunners)
• Length: 58 ft 3 in (17.8 m)
• Wingspan: 71 ft 0 in (21.65 m)
• Height: 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m)
• Wing area: 658 ft2 (61.1 m2)
• Empty weight: 24,000 lb (11,000 kg)
• Loaded weight: 37,000 lb (17,000 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 radial engines, 1,900 hp (1,400 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 287 mph (250 knots, 460 km/h) at 5,000 feet (1,500 m)
• Cruise speed: 216 mph (188 knots, 358 km/h
• Landing speed: 114 mph (90 knots, 167 km/h))
• Combat radius: 1,150 mi (999 nmi, 1,850 km)
• Ferry range: 2,850 mi (2,480 nmi, 4,590 km)
• Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
• Wing loading: 46.4 lb/ft² (228 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.10 hp/lb (170 W/kg)

Armament

• 12 × .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns
• 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg)

** Martin B-26 Marauder- Warbird Fare

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North American B-25 Mitchell

The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.

The B-25 was named in honor of General Billy Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. The B-25 is the only American military aircraft named after a specific person. By the end of its production, nearly 10,000 B-25s in numerous models had been built.




The B-25 first gained fame as the bomber used in the 18 April 1942 Doolittle Raid, in which 16 B-25Bs led by the legendary Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, attacked mainland Japan four months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The mission gave a much-needed lift in spirits to the Americans, and alarmed the Japanese who had believed their home islands were inviolable by enemy troops. While the amount of actual damage done was relatively minor, it forced the Japanese to divert troops for the home defense for the remainder of the war. The raiders took off from the carrier USS Hornet and successfully bombed Tokyo and four other Japanese cities without loss. However, 15 subsequently crash-landed en route to recovery fields in Eastern China. These losses were the result of the task force being spotted by Japanese fishing vessels forcing the bombers to take off 170 mi (270 km) early, fuel exhaustion, stormy nighttime conditions with zero visibility, and lack of electronic homing aids at the recovery bases. Only one landed intact; it came down in the Soviet Union, where its five-man crew was interned and the aircraft confiscated. Of the 80 aircrew, 69 survived their historic mission and eventually made it back to American lines.

B-25 on Doolittle Raid

General characteristics

• Crew: six
• Length: 52 ft 11 in (16.1 m)
• Wingspan: 67 ft 6 in (20.6 m)
• Height: 17 ft 7 in (4.8 m)
• Wing area: 610 sq ft (57 m²)
• Empty weight: 21,120 lb (9,580 kg)
• Loaded weight: 33,510 lb (15,200 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 41,800 lb (19,000 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Wright R-2600 "Cyclone 14" radials, 1,850 hp (1,380 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 275 mph (239 kn, 442 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 230 mph (200 kn, 370 km/h)
• Combat radius: 1,350 mi (1,170 nmi, 2,170 km)
• Ferry range: 2,700 mi (2,300 nmi, 4,300 km)
• Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
• Rate of climb: 790 ft/min (4 m/s)
• Wing loading: 55 lb/ft² (270 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.110 hp/lb (182 W/kg)

Armament

• 12–18 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
• 2,000 lb (900 kg) ventral shackles to hold one external Mark 13 torpedo
• 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) bombs + eight 5 in (130 mm) high velocity aircraft rockets (HVAR)
• 6,000 lb (2,700 kg)

** North American B-25 Mitchell - Warbird Fare

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Bell P-63 Kingcobra

The Bell P-63 Kingcobra was a United States fighter aircraft developed in World War II from the P-39 Airacobra in an attempt to correct that aircraft's deficiencies. Although the aircraft was not accepted for combat use by the United States Army Air Forces, it was successfully adopted by the Soviet Air Force.

The Soviets developed successful group aerial fighting tactics for the Bell fighters and P-39s scored a surprising number of aerial victories over German aircraft, mostly Junkers Ju-87 Stukas and bombers but including many advanced fighters as well.

Low ceilings, short missions, good radios, a sealed and warm cockpit and ruggedness contributed to their effectiveness. To pilots who had once flown the tricky Polikarpov I-16, the aerodynamic quirks of the mid-engined aircraft were unimportant. In the Far East, P-63 and P-39 aircraft were used in the Soviet invasion of Manchukoku and northern Korea.

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 32 ft 8 in (10.0 m)
• Wingspan: 38 ft 4 in (11.7 m)
• Height: 12 ft 7 in (3.8 m)
• Wing area: 248 sq?ft (23 m²)
• Empty weight: 6,800 lb (3,100 kg)
• Loaded weight: 8,800 lb (4,000 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 10,700 lb (4,900 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Allison V-1710-117 liquid-cooled V-12, 1,800 hp (1,340 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 410 mph (660 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,620 m)
• Range: 450 mi[30] (725 km)
• Ferry range: 2200 mi (3,540 km)
• Service ceiling: 43,000 ft (13,100 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (12.7 m/s)
• Wing loading: 35.48 lb/sq?ft (173.91 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.20 hp/lb (0.34 kW/kg)

Armament

• 1× 37 mm M4 cannon firing through the propeller hub
• 4× 0.50 in (12.7mm) M2 Browning machine guns
• 1,500 lb (680 kg) bombs

** Bell P-63 Kingcobra - Warbird Fare

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Bell P-39 Airacobra

The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service at the start of World War II. It was the first fighter in history with a tricycle undercarriage and the first to have the engine installed in the center fuselage, behind the pilot. Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the lack of an efficient turbo-supercharger, limiting it to low-altitude work. The P-39 was used with great success by the Soviet Air Force, who scored the highest number of individual kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type. Other important users were the Free French and co-belligerent Italian air forces. Together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, these aircraft became the most successful mass-produced fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell.

The Airacobra saw combat throughout the world, particularly in the Southwest Pacific, Mediterranean and Russian theaters. Because its engine was only equipped with a single-stage, single-speed supercharger, the P-39 performed best below 17,000 feet (5,200 m) altitude. In both western Europe and the Pacific, the Airacobra found itself outclassed as an interceptor, its earliest proposed role, and the type was gradually relegated to other duties. It often was used at lower altitudes for such missions as ground strafing.

The most successful use of the P-39 was in the hands of the Soviet Air Force (VVS). The usual nickname for the well-loved Airacobra in the VVS was Kobrushka, "little cobra", or Kobrastochka, a portmanteau of Kobra and Lastochka (swallow), "dear little cobra". The low-speed, low-altitude turning nature of most air combat on the Russian Front suited the P-39's strengths: sturdy construction, reliable radio gear, and adequate firepower. Russian pilots appreciated the cannon-armed P-39 primarily for its air-to-air attack capability.


General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 30 ft 2 in (9.2 m)
• Wingspan: 34 ft 0 in (10.4 m)
• Height: 12 ft 5 in (3.8 m)
• Wing area: 213 sq?ft (19.8 m²)
• Empty weight: 5,347 lb (2,425 kg)
• Loaded weight: 7,379 lb (3,347 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 8,400 lb (3,800 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Allison V-1710-85 liquid-cooled V-12, 1,200 hp (895 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 376 mph (605 km/h) (Redline dive speed was 525 mph)
• Range: 525 miles on internal fuel (840 km)
• Service ceiling: 35,000 ft (10,700 m)
• Rate of climb: 3,750 ft/min (19 m/s)
• Wing loading: 34.6 lb/sq?ft (169 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.27 kW/kg)
• Time to climb: 15,000 in 4.5 min at 160 mph (260 km/h).

Armament

• 1 x 37 mm M4 cannon with 30 rounds of HE ammo.
• 2 x .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns. 200 rounds per nose-gun
• 4 x .30 cal machine guns, wing mounted. 300 per wing-pod
• 500 lb (230 kg) of bombs externally

** Bell P-39 Airacobra - Warbird Fare

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Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a carrier-based dive bomber aircraft produced for the United States Navy during World War II. It replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless in US Navy service. Despite its size, the SB2C was much faster than the SBD it replaced. Crew nicknames for the aircraft included the Big-Tailed Beast (or just Beast), Two-Cee and Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class (after its designation and partly because of its reputation for having difficult handling characteristics). Neither pilots nor aircraft carrier skippers seemed to like it. Although production problems persisted throughout its combat service, it was reported that some pilots soon changed their minds about the potency of the Helldiver.

Delays marred its production. Built for the USAAF as the A-25 Shrike, by the time it was delivered it was no longer required. Substantial orders by the British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force were both cancelled due to the poor handling of the aircraft. The Truman Committee investigated Helldiver production and turned in a scathing report, which eventually led to the beginning of the end for Curtiss. However, in spite of its problems, the aircraft was flown through the last two years of the Pacific War with a fine combat record, due to the high training of its crews.

The Helldiver was developed to replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless; it was a much larger aircraft able to operate from the latest aircraft carriers of the time and carry a considerable array of armament and featured an internal bomb bay that reduced drag when carrying heavy ordnance. Saddled with demanding requirements set forth by both the U.S. Marines and United States Army Air Forces, the manufacturer incorporated features of a "multi-role" aircraft into the design.

General characteristics

• Crew: Two
• Length: 36 ft 9 in (11.2 m)
• Wingspan: 49 ft 9 in (15.2 m)
• Height: 14 ft 9 in (4.5 m)
• Wing area: 422 ft² (39.2 m²)
• Empty weight: 10,114 lb (4,588 kg)
• Loaded weight: 13,674 lb (6,202 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 16,800 lb (7,600 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Wright R-2600 Cyclone radial engine, 1,900 hp (1,400 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 294 mph (473 km/h)
• Range: 1,200 miles (1,900 km)
• Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,750 ft/min (8.9 m/s)

Armament

• 2 × 20 mm (.79 in) cannon in the wings
• 2 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns in the rear cockpit
• 2,000 lb (900 kg) of bombs or 1 × Mark 13-2 torpedo in internal bay
• 500 lb (225 kg) of bombs each on underwing hardpoints

** Curtiss SB2C Helldiver - Warbird Fare

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Northrop P-61 Black Widow

The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II. The first test flight was made on 26 May 1942, with the first production aircraft rolling off the assembly line in October 1943.

Although not produced in the large numbers of its contemporaries, the Black Widow effectively operated as a night-fighter by United States Army Air Forces squadrons in the European Theater, the Pacific Theater, the CBI Theater and the Mediterranean Theater during World War II. It replaced earlier British-designed night-fighter aircraft that had been updated to incorporate radar when it became available. After the war, the F-61 served in the United States Air Force as a long-range, all weather, day/night interceptor for Air Defense Command until 1948, and Far East Air Force until 1950.

In August 1940, a full 16 months before the United States entered the war, the U.S. Air Officer in London, Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons, was briefed on British research in RADAR (Radio Aids to Detection and Ranging), which had been underway since 1936 and had played an important role in the nation's defense against the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. General Emmons was informed of the new Airborne Intercept radar (AI for short), a self-contained unit that could be installed in an aircraft and allow it to operate independently of ground stations. In September 1940, the Tizard Mission traded British research on many aspects including radar for American production.

The P-61 was also modified to create the F-15 Reporter photo-reconnaissance aircraft for the United States Air Force. The last aircraft was retired from government service in 1954.

General characteristics

• Crew: 2–3 (pilot, radar operator, optional gunner)
• Length: 49 ft 7 in (15.11 m)
• Wingspan: 66 ft 0 in (20.12 m)
• Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
• Wing area: 662.36 ft² (61.53 m²)
• Empty weight: 23,450 lb (10,637 kg)
• Loaded weight: 29,700 lb (13,471 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 36,200 lb (16,420 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65W Double Wasp radial engines, 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) each
• Propellers: four-bladed Curtis Electric propeller, 1 per engine
• Propeller diameter: 146 in (3.72 m)
• Internal Fuel Tank : 640 gal (2,423 L) of AN-F-48 100/130-octane rating gasoline
• External Fuel Tank : Up to four 165 gal (625 L) or 310 gal (1,173 L) under the wings

Performance

• Maximum speed: 366 mph (318 kn, 589 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,095 m)
• Combat range: 610 mi (520 nmi, 982 km)
• Ferry range: 1,900 mo (1,650 mi, 3,060 km) with four external fuel tanks
• Service ceiling: 33,100 ft (10,600 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,540 ft/min (12.9 m/s)
• Wing loading: 45 lb/ft² (219 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (25 W/kg)
• Time to altitude: 12 min to 20,000 ft (6,100 m) (1,667 fpm)

Armament

• 4 × 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano M2 cannon in ventral fuselage, 200 rpg
• 4 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in remotely operated
• 4 x bombs of up to 1,600 lb (726 kg) each or
• 6 x 5 in (127 mm) HVAR unguided rockets carried under the wings or
• 1 x 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb under the fuselage

Avionics

• SCR-720 (AI Mk.X) search radar
• SCR-695 tail warning radar

** Northrop P-61 Black Widow - Warbird Fare

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Lockheed P-38 Lightning

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Named "fork-tailed devil" by the Luftwaffe and "two planes, one pilot" by the Japanese, the P-38 was used in a number of roles, including dive bombing, level bombing, ground-attack, photo reconnaissance missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings.

The P-38 was used most successfully in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as the mount of America's top aces. In the South West Pacific theater, the P-38 was the primary long-range fighter of United States Army Air Forces until the appearance of large numbers of P-51D Mustangs toward the end of the war. The P-38 was unusually quiet for a fighter, the exhaust muffled by the turbo-superchargers. It was extremely forgiving, and could be mishandled in many ways, but the rate of roll was too slow for it to excel as a dogfighter. The P-38 was the only American fighter aircraft in production throughout American involvement in the war, from Pearl Harbor to Victory Day over Japan.

Lockheed designed the P-38 in response to a February 1937 specification from the United States Army Air Corps. Circular Proposal X-608 was a set of aircraft performance goals authored by First Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey (later Brigadier General) and First Lieutenant Gordon P. Saville (later General) for a twin-engine, high-altitude "interceptor" having "the tactical mission of interception and attack of hostile aircraft at high altitude. The Lockheed design incorporated tricycle undercarriage and a bubble canopy, and featured two 1,000 hp (746 kW) turbo-supercharged 12-cylinder Allison V-1710 engines fitted with counter-rotating propellers to eliminate the effect of engine torque, with the superchargers positioned behind the engines in the booms. Counter-rotation was achieved with the use of "handed" engines, which meant that the crankshaft of each engine turned in the opposite direction of its counterpart. The V-12 engines only required that the spark plug firing order be changed in order for the direction of the crank shaft to be reversed, according to the General Motors Allison V1710 Service School Handbook. It was the first American fighter to make extensive use of stainless steel and smooth, flush-riveted butt-jointed aluminum skin panels. It was also the first fighter to fly faster than 400 mph (640 km/h).

The first unit to receive P-38s was the 1st Fighter Group. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the unit joined the 14th Pursuit Group in San Diego to provide West Coast defense. The first Lightning to see active service was the F-4 version, a P-38E in which the guns were replaced by four K17 cameras. They joined the 8th Photographic Squadron out of Australia on 4 April 1942. Three F-4s were operated by the Royal Australian Air Force in this theater for a short period beginning in September 1942.

On 29 May 1942, 25 P-38s began operating in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. The fighter's long range made it well-suited to the campaign over the almost 1,200 mi (2,000 km)–long island chain, and it would be flown there for the rest of the war. The Aleutians were one of the most rugged environments available for testing the new aircraft under combat conditions. More Lightnings were lost due to severe weather and other conditions than enemy action, and there were cases where Lightning pilots, mesmerized by flying for hours over gray seas under gray skies, simply flew into the water. On 9 August 1942, two P-38Es of the 343rd Fighter Group, 11th Air Force, at the end of a 1,000 mi (1,609 km) long-range patrol, happened upon a pair of Japanese Kawanishi H6K "Mavis" flying boats and destroyed them, making them the first Japanese aircraft to be shot down by Lightnings.


General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 37 ft 10 in (11.53 m)
• Wingspan: 52 ft 0 in (15.85 m)
• Height: 12 ft 10 in (3.91 m)
• Wing area: 327.5 ft² (30.43 m²)
• Airfoil: NACA 23016 / NACA 4412
• Empty weight: 12,800 lb (5,800 kg)
• Loaded weight: 17,500 lb (7,940 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 21,600 lb (9,798 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Allison V-1710-111/113 V-12 piston engine, 1,725 hp (1,194 kW) each
• Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0268
• Drag area: 8.78 ft² (0.82 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 8.26

Performance

• Maximum speed: 443 mph (712 km/h)
• Stall speed: 105 mph (170 km/h)
• Range: 1,300 mi combat (1,770 km / 3,640 km)
• Service ceiling: 44,000 ft (13,400 m)
• Rate of climb: 4,750 ft/min (24.1 m/sec) maximum
• Wing loading: 53.4 lb/ft² (260.9 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.27 kW/kg)
• Lift-to-drag ratio: 13.5

Armament

• 1× Hispano M2(C) 20 mm cannon with 150 rounds
• 4× Browning MG53-2 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns with 500 rpg.
• 4× M10 three-tube 4.5 in (112 mm) rocket launchers or
• 2× 2,000 lb (907 kg) bombs or drop tanks or
• 2× 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs or drop tanks or
• 4× 500 lb (227 kg) or 4× 250 lb (113 kg) bombs or
• 6× 500 lb (227 kg) or 6× 250 lb (113 kg) bombs or
• 10× 5 in (127 mm) HVARs (High Velocity Aircraft Rocket) or
• 2× 500 lb (227 kg) or
• 2× 250 lb (113 kg) bombs

** Lockheed P-38 Lightning - Warbird Fare

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Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt (later, F-47), also known as the "Jug," was the biggest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was one of the main United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) fighters of World War II, and served with other Allied air forces. The P-47 was effective in air combat but proved especially adept at ground attack. It had eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded the P-47 could weigh up to eight tons. A modern-day counterpart in that role, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, takes its name from the P-47.

As the war in Europe escalated in spring 1940, Republic and the USAAC concluded that the XP-44 and the XP-47 were inferior to the German fighters. Republic unsuccessfully attempted to improve the design, proposing the XP-47A. Alexander Kartveli subsequently came up with an all-new and much larger fighter which was offered to the USAAC in June 1940. The Air Corps ordered a prototype in September, to be designated the XP-47B. The XP-47A, which had almost nothing in common with the new design, was abandoned.

The XP-47B first flew on 6 May 1941 with Lowry P. Brabham at the controls. Although there were minor problems, such as some cockpit smoke that turned out to be due to an oil drip, the aircraft proved impressive in its first trials. It was eventually lost in an accident on August 8, 1942, but before that mishap the prototype had achieved a level speed of 412 mph (663 km/h) at 25,800 ft (7,864 m) altitude, and had demonstrated a climb from sea level to 15,000 ft (4,600 m) altitude in five minutes.


General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
• Wingspan: 40 ft 9 in (12.42 m)
• Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
• Wing area: 300 ft² (27.87 m²)
• Empty weight: 10,000 lb (4,536 kg)
• Loaded weight: 17,500 lb (7,938 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 17,500 lb (7,938 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59 twin-row radial engine, 2,535 hp (1,890 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 433 mph at 30,000 ft (697 km/h at 9,145 m)
• Range: 800 mi combat, 1,800 mi ferry (1,290 km / 2,900 km)
• Service ceiling: 43,000 ft (13,100 m)
• Rate of climb: 3,120 ft/min (15.9 m/s)
• Wing loading: 58.3 lb/ft² (284.8 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.14 hp/lb (238 W/kg)

Armament

• 8 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns (3400 rounds)
• 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of bombs
• 10 × 5 in (130 mm) unguided rockets

** Republic P-47 Thunderbolt - Warbird Fare

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Curtiss P-36 Hawk

The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, was an American designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of the both the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation of combat aircraft—a sleek monoplane design making extensive use of metal in its construction and powered by a powerful radial engine. Obsolescent at the onset of World War II and best known as the predecessor of the Curtiss P-40, the P-36 saw only limited combat with the United States Army Air Forces, but it was used more extensively by the French Air Force, both during the Battle of France and by the Vichy France armed forces, and also by the British Commonwealth (where it was known as the Mohawk), and Chinese air units. Several dozen also fought in the Finnish Air Force against the Soviet Air Forces. With around 1,000 aircraft built, the P-36 was a major commercial success for Curtiss.

The Curtiss Model 75 was a private venture by the company, designed by former Northrop Aircraft Company engineer Donovan Berlin. The first prototype constructed in 1934 featured all-metal construction with fabric-covered control surfaces, a Wright XR-1670-5 radial engine developing 900 hp (671 kW), and typical U.S. Army Air Corps armament of one 0.3 in (7.62 mm) and one 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns firing through the propeller arc. Also typical of the time was the total absence of cockpit armor or self-sealing fuel tanks. The distinctive landing gear which rotated 90° to fold the main wheels flat into the thin trailing portion of the wing was actually a Boeing-patented design for which Curtiss had to pay royalties.

The prototype first flew on 6 May 1935, reaching 281 mph (452 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m) during early test flights. On 27 May 1935, the prototype was flown to Wright Field, Ohio, to compete in the USAAC fly-off for a new single-seat fighter but the contest was delayed because the Seversky entry crashed on the way to the contest. Although its competitor, the Seversky P-35, also underperformed and was more expensive, it was still declared the winner and awarded a contract for 77 aircraft. However, on 16 June 1936, Curtiss received an order from USAAC for three prototypes designated Y1P-36. The USAAC was concerned about political turmoil in Europe and about Seversky's ability to deliver P-35s in a timely matter, and therefore wanted a backup fighter. The Y1P-36 (Model 75E) was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830-13 Twin Wasp engine producing 900 hp (671 kW) and further enlarged scalloped rear canopy. The new aircraft performed so well that it won the 1937 USAAC competition with an order for 210 P-36A fighters.

Its extremely low wing loading of just 23.9 pounds per square foot gave it outstanding turning performance, and its high power-to-weight ratio of 0.186 hp/lb gave it superb climbing performance as well, especially for the time, although its lack of an engine supercharger handicapped it at high altitudes. Compared to the Allison-engined P-40, the P-36 shared the later P-40's traits of excellent high-speed handling, of roll rate that improved at high speed and of relatively light controls at high speed. However, it was underpowered affecting its acceleration and top speed and it did not accelerate in a dive as well as the P-40


General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 28 ft 6 in (8.7 m)
• Wingspan: 37 ft 4 in (11.4 m)
• Height: 8 ft 5 in (2.6 m)
• Wing area: 235.94 ft² (21.92 m²)
• Empty weight: 4,567 lb[14] (2,076 kg)
• Loaded weight: 5,650 lb (2,560 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 6,010 lb[14] (2,732 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-17 Twin Wasp air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,050 hp (783 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 313 mph (272 knots, 500 km/h) at 8,500 ft, 2,960 m
• Cruise speed: 270 mph (235 knots, 432 km/h)
• Range: 625 mi (543 nmi, 1,006 km) at 270 mph (419 km/h), 860 mi (748 nmi, 1,385 km) at 200 mph
• Service ceiling: 32,700 ft (9,967 m)
• Rate of climb: 3,400 ft/min (17 m/s)
• Wing loading: 23.9 lb/ft² (116.8 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.186 hp/lb (306w/kg)

Armament

• 1 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine gun
• 1 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun

** Curtiss P-36 Hawk - Warbird Fare

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Grumman F8F Bearcat

The Grumman F8F Bearcat (affectionately called "Bear") was an American single-engine naval fighter aircraft of the 1940s. It went on to serve into the mid-20th century in the United States Navy and other air forces, and would be the company's final piston engined fighter aircraft.

The Bearcat concept was inspired by the early 1943 evaluation of a captured Focke-Wulf Fw 190 by Grumman test pilots and engineering staff. After flying the Fw 190, Grumman test pilot Bob Hall wrote a report directed to President Leroy Grumman, who then personally laid out the specifications for Design 58, the successor to the Hellcat. Design 58 closely emulated the design philosophy of the German fighter, although no part of the Fw 190 was copied. The F8F Bearcat stemmed from Design 58 with the primary missions of outperforming highly maneuverable late-model Japanese fighter aircraft such as the A6M5 Zero. A role which later developed was that defending the fleet against incoming airborne suicide attacks (kamikaze).

Work on the Grumman G-58 Bearcat began in 1943 with the intention to provide the U.S. Navy with a high performance derivative of the Grumman F6F Hellcat. The specifications called for an aircraft able to operate from the smallest carrier, primarily in the interceptor role. The F6F's Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine was retained but compared to the Hellcat, the Bearcat was 20% lighter, had a 30% better rate of climb and was 50 mph (80 km/h) faster. To achieve this, the range was necessarily sacrificed.

In comparison with the Vought F4U Corsair, the initial Bearcat (F8F-1) was marginally slower but was more maneuverable and climbed more quickly. Its huge 12 ft 4 in Aero Products four-bladed propeller required a long landing gear (made even longer by the mid-fuselage position of the wing), giving the Bearcat an easily-recognized, "nose-up" profile. The hydraulically operated undercarriage used an articulated trunnion which extended the length of the oleo legs to lengthen when down; as the undercarriage retracted the legs were shortened, enabling them to fit into a wheel well which was entirely in the wing. An additional benefit of the inward retracting units was a wide track, which helped counter propeller torque on takeoff and gave the F8F good ground and carrier deck handling. For the first time in a production Navy fighter, a bubble canopy offered 360° visibility.

The target loaded weight of 8,750 lb/3,969 kg (derived from the land-based German aircraft) was essentially impossible to achieve as the structure of the new fighter had to be made strong enough for aircraft carrier landings. Structurally the fuselage used flush riveting as well as spot welding, with a heavy gauge 302W aluminum alloy skin. Armor protection was provided for the pilot, engine and oil cooler; weight saving measures include restricting the internal fuel capacity to 160 gal (606 l) and limiting the fixed armament to four .50 cal Browning M2/AN machine guns, two in each wing.

As a weight-saving concept the designers came up with detachable wingtips; if the g-force exceeded 7.5 g then the tips would be allowed to snap off, leaving a perfectly flyable aircraft still capable of carrier landing. While this worked very well under carefully controlled conditions in flight and on the ground, in the field, where aircraft were repetitively stressed by landing on carriers and since the wings were slightly less carefully made in the factories, there was a possibility that only one wingtip would break away with the possibility of the aircraft crashing. This was replaced with an explosives system to blow the wings off together, which also worked well, however this ended when a ground technician died due to accidental triggering. In the end the wings were reinforced and the aircraft limited to 7.5 g.


General characteristics

• Length: 28 ft 3 in (8.61 m)
• Wingspan: 35 ft 10 in (10.92 m)
• Height: 13 ft 10 in (4.21 m)
• Empty weight: 7,650 lb (3,207 kg)
• Loaded weight: 10,200 lb (4,627 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 13,460 lb (6,105 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-30W two-row radial engine, 2,250 hp (1,678 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 455 mph (405 kn, 730 km/h)
• Range: 1,105 mi (1,778 km)
• Service ceiling: 40,800 ft (12,436 m)
• Rate of climb: 6,300 ft/min (32.0 m/s)
• Power/mass: 0.22 hp/lb (360 W/kg)

Armament

• 4 × 20 mm (.79 in) M3 cannon
• 4× 5 in (127 mm) unguided rockets
• 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs

** Grumman F8F Bearcat - Warbird Fare

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Grumman F6F Hellcat

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft developed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy (USN) service. Although the F6F bore a family resemblance to the Wildcat, it was a completely new design powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800. Some tagged it as the "Wildcat's big brother". The Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair were the primary USN fighters during the second half of World War II.

The Hellcat was the first USN fighter for which the design took into account lessons from combat with the Japanese Zero. The Hellcat proved to be the most successful aircraft in naval history, destroying 5,271 aircraft while in service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps (5,163 in the Pacific and eight more during the invasion of Southern France, plus 52 with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during World War II). Postwar, the Hellcat aircraft was systematically phased out of front line service, but remained in service as late as 1954 as a night-fighter in composite squadrons.

Grumman was working on a successor to the F4F Wildcat well before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. While the F4F was a capable fighter, early air battles revealed the Japanese A6M Zero was more maneuverable and possessed a better rate of climb than the F4F. The F4F did have some advantages over the Zero. Wildcats were able to absorb a tremendous amount of damage compared to the Zero, and had better armament. The F4F was also much faster in a dive than the Zero, an advantage Wildcat pilots used frequently to elude attacking Zeros.

Like the Wildcat, the Hellcat was designed for ease of manufacture and ability to withstand significant damage. A total of 212 lb (96 kg) of cockpit armor was fitted to aid pilot survival, as well as a bullet-resistant windshield and armor around the engine oil tank and oil cooler. Self-sealing fuel tanks further reduced susceptibility to fire and often allowed damaged aircraft to return home. The U.S. Navy's all-time leading ace, Captain David McCampbell USN (Ret) scored all his 34 victories in the Hellcat.

Instead of the Wildcat's narrow-track undercarriage retracting into the fuselage requiring awkward hand-cranking by the pilot, the Hellcat had hydraulically-actuated undercarriage struts set wider and retracting backward, twisting through 90° into the wings, exactly as the Chance Vought F4U Corsair's landing gear did. The wing was low-mounted instead of mid-mounted and folded the same way as the later versions of the Wildcat, allowing the Hellcat to take on a compact, tucked-in appearance on a flight deck.

The last Hellcat rolled out in November 1945, the total production figure being 12,275, of which 11,000 had been built in just two years. This impressive production rate was credited to the sound original design, which required little modification once production was underway.


General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 33 ft 7 in (10.24 m)
• Wingspan: 42 ft 10 in (13.06 m)
• Height: 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m)
• Wing area: 334 ft² (31 m²)
• Airfoil: NACA 23015.6 mod root; NACA 23009 tip
• Empty weight: 9,238 lb (4,190 kg)
• Loaded weight: 12,598 lb (5,714 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 15,415 lb (6,990 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10W Double Wasp 2,000 hp (1,491 kW
• Propellers: 13 ft 1 in (4.0 m) 3-blade Hamilton Standard

Performance

• Maximum speed: 330 kn (380 mph, 610 km/h)
• Stall speed: 73 kn (84 mph, 135 km/h)
• Combat radius: 820 nmi (945 mi, 1,520 km)
• Ferry range: 1,330 nmi (1,530 mi, 2,460 km)
• Service ceiling: 37,300 ft (11,370 m)
• Rate of climb: 3,500 ft/min (17.8 m/s)
• Wing loading: 37.7 lb/ft² (184 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (260 W/kg)
• Time-to-altitude: 7.7 min to 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
• Lift-to-drag ratio: 12.2

Armament

• 2 × 20 mm (.79 in) cannon, with 225 rpg
• 4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns with 400 rpg
• 6 × 5 in (127 mm) HVARs or
• 2 × 11¾ in (298 mm) Tiny Tim unguided rockets
• 1 × 2,000 lb (907 kg) bomb or
• 1 × Mk.13-3 torpedo

** Grumman F6F Hellcat - Warbird Fare

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Consolidated B-32 Dominator

The Consolidated B-32 Dominator (Consolidated Model 34) was a heavy bomber made for United States Army Air Forces during World War II, and has the distinction of being the last Allied aircraft to be engaged in combat during World War II. It was developed in parallel with the Boeing B-29 Superfortress as a fallback design should the Superfortress prove unsuccessful. It only reached units in the Pacific during the summer of 1945, and subsequently only saw limited combat operations against Japanese targets before the end of the war. Most of the extant orders of the B-32 were cancelled shortly thereafter and only 118 B-32s of all types were built.

A test schedule of eleven missions was set up, followed by a plan to convert two of the 312th Bomb Group's four Douglas A-20 Havoc squadrons to B-32s. Project crews took three B-32s to Clark Field, Luzon, Philippine Islands in mid-May 1945, for a series of test flights completed on 17 June. The test crews were impressed with its unique reversible-pitch inboard propellers and the Davis wing which gave it excellent landing performance. However, they found a number of faults: the cockpit had an extremely high noise level, a poor instrument layout, the bombardier's vision was impaired, it was overweight and the nacelle design resulted in frequent engine fires.

The testing missions were mostly successful, and, in July, the 386th Bomb Squadron completed its transition to the B-32, flying six more combat missions before the war ended.

General characteristics

• Crew: 10
• Length: 82 ft 1 in (25.03 m)
• Wingspan: 135 ft 0 in (41.16 m)
• Height: 32 ft 2 in (9.81 m)
• Wing area: 1,422 ft² (132.2 m²)
• Empty weight: 60,278 lb (27,400 kg)
• Loaded weight: 100,800 lb (45,800 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 123,250lb (56,023 kg)
• Powerplant: 4× Wright R-3350-23A 18-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 2,200 hp (1,641 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 357 mph (310 knots, 575 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,150 m)
• Cruise speed: 290 mph[12] (252 knots, 467 km/h)
• Range: 3,800 mi (3,304 nmi, 6,118 km)
• Service ceiling: 30,700 ft[12] (9,360 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,050 ft/min (5.3 m/s)

Armament

• 10× .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
• 20,000 lb (9,100 kg)

** Consolidated B-32 Dominator - Warbird Fare

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Boeing B-29 Superfortress

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber that was flown primarily by the United States in World War II and the Korean War. The B-29 remained in service in various roles throughout the 1950s. The British Royal Air Force flew the B-29 and used the name Washington for the type, and the Soviet Union produced an unlicensed copy as the Tupolev Tu-4. The name "Superfortress" was derived from that of its well-known predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress. The B-29 was the progenitor of a series of Boeing-built bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, trainers and tankers including the B-29 variant, B-50 Superfortress. The later, jet powered B-47 Stratojet and the B-52 Stratofortress carried on the lineage.

The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II. A very advanced bomber for this time period, it included features such as a pressurized cabin, an electronic fire-control system, and remote-controlled machine-gun turrets.

Though it was designed as a high-altitude daytime bomber, in practice it actually flew more low-altitude nighttime incendiary bombing missions. It was the primary aircraft in the American firebombing campaign against the Empire of Japan in the final months of World War II, and carried the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Unlike many other WWII-era bombers, the B-29 remained in service long after the war ended, with a few even being employed as flying television transmitters for the Stratovision company. The type was finally retired in the early 1960s, with 3,960 aircraft in all built.

The most famous B-29 is the "Enola Gay", which dropped the atomic bomb 'Little Boy' on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, and "The Bockscar", another B-29, dropped 'Fat Man' on Nagasaki three days later. These two actions, along with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria on 9 August 1945, brought about the Japanese surrender, and the official end of World War II.

General characteristics

• Crew: 11
• Length: 99 ft 0 in (30.18 m)
• Wingspan: 141 ft 3 in (43.06 m)
• Height: 29 ft 7 in (8.5 m)
• Wing area: 1,736 sq ft (161.3 m²)
• Empty weight: 74,500 lb (33,800 kg)
• Loaded weight: 120,000 lb (54,000 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 133,500 lb (60,560 kg) ; 135,000 lb plus combat load
• Powerplant: 4× Wright R-3350-23 and 23A turbosupercharged radial engines, 2,200 hp (1,640 kW) each
• Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0241
• Drag area: 41.16 ft² (3.82 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 11.50

Performance

• Maximum speed: 357 mph (310 knots, 574 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 220 mph (190 knots, 350 km/h)
• Stall speed: 105 mph (91 knots, 170 km/h)
• Combat range: 3,250 mi (2,820 nmi, 5,230 km)
• Ferry range: 5,600 mi (4,900 nmi, 9,000 km, (record 5,839 mi, 5,074 nmi, 9,397 km)
• Service ceiling: 33,600 ft (10,200 m)
• Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s)
• Wing loading: 69.12 lb/sqft (337 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.073 hp/lb (121 W/kg)
• Lift-to-drag ratio: 16.8

Armament

• 10× .50 in (12.7 mm) caliber Browning M2/ANs in remote controlled turrets
• 2 x .50 in and 1× 20 mm
• 3 x 2 x .50 in M2/AN with APG-15 gun-laying radar fitted as standard.
• 20,000 lb (9,000 kg) bombs, standard loadout

** Boeing B-29 Superfortress - Warbird Fare

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Consolidated B-24 Liberator

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft Company of San Diego, California. Its mass production was brought into full force by 1943 with the aid of the Ford Motor Company through its newly constructed Willow Run facility, where peak production had reached one B-24 per hour and 650 per month in 1944. Other factories soon followed. The B-24 ended World War II as the most produced Allied heavy bomber in history, and the most produced American military aircraft at over 18,000 units, thanks in large measure to Henry Ford and the harnessing of American industry. It still holds the distinction as the most-produced American military aircraft. The B-24 was used by several Allied air forces and navies, and by every branch of the American armed forces during the war, attaining a distinguished war record with its operations in the Western European, Pacific, Mediterranean, and China-Burma-India Theaters.

Often compared with the better-known B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 was a more modern design with a higher top speed, greater range, and a heavier bomb load; however, it was also more difficult to fly, with heavy control forces and poor formation-flying characteristics. Popular opinion among aircrews and general's staffs tended to favor the B-17's rugged qualities above all other considerations in the European Theater. The placement of the B-24's fuel tanks throughout the upper fuselage and its lightweight construction, designed to increase range and optimize assembly line production, made the aircraft vulnerable to battle damage. The B-24 was notorious among American aircrews for its tendency to catch fire. Moreover, its high fuselage-mounted Davis wing also meant it was dangerous to ditch or belly land, since the fuselage tended to break apart. Nevertheless, the B-24 provided excellent service in a variety of roles thanks to its large payload and long range.

The B-24's most famous mission was the low-level strike against the Ploesti oil fields, in Romania on 1 August 1943, which turned into a disaster due to attack waves getting out of sequence.


General characteristics

• Crew: 7-10
• Length: 67 ft 8 in (20.6 m)
• Wingspan: 110 ft 0 in (33.5 m)
• Height: 18 ft 0 in (5.5 m)
• Wing area: 1,048 ft² (97.4 m²)
• Empty weight: 36,500 lb (16,590 kg)
• Loaded weight: 55,000 lb (25,000 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 65,000 lb (29,500 kg)
• Powerplant: 4× Pratt & Whitney R-1830 turbosupercharged radial engines, 1,200 hp (900 kW) each
• Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0406
• Drag area: 42.54 ft² (3.95 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 11.55

Performance

• Maximum speed: 290 mph (250 kn, 470 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 215 mph (187 kn, 346 km/h)
• Stall speed: 95 mph (83 kn, 153 km/h)
• Range: 2,100 mi (1,800 nmi, 3,400 km)
• Ferry range: 3,700 mi (3,200 nmi, 6,000 km)
• Service ceiling: 28,000 ft (8,500 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,025 ft/min (5.2 m/s)
• Wing loading: 52.5 lb/ft² (256 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.0873 hp/lb (144 W/kg)
• Lift-to-drag ratio: 12.9

Armament

• 10 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in 4 turrets and two waist positions
• Short range (˜400 mi): 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) bombs
• Long range (˜800 mi): 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) bombs
• Very long range (˜1,200 mi): 2,700 lb (1,200 kg) bombs

** Warbird Fare - Consolidated B-24 Liberator

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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, the Boeing entry outperformed both competitors and more than met the Air Corps' expectations. Although Boeing lost the contract because the prototype crashed, the Air Corps was so impressed with Boeing's design that they ordered 13 more B-17s for further evaluation. From its introduction in 1938, the B-17 Flying Fortress evolved through numerous design advances.

The B-17 was primarily employed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and military targets. The United States Eighth Air Force based at Thorpe Abbotts airfield in England and the Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy complemented the RAF Bomber Command's nighttime area bombing in Operation Pointblank to help secure air superiority over the cities, factories and battlefields of Western Europe in preparation for Operation Overlord. The B-17 also participated to a lesser extent in the War in the Pacific where it conducted raids against Japanese shipping and airfields.

From its pre-war inception, the USAAC (later USAAF) touted the aircraft as a strategic weapon; it was a potent, high-flying, long-range bomber that was able to defend itself, and to return home despite extensive battle damage. It quickly took on mythic proportions, and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status. With a service ceiling greater than any of its Allied contemporaries, the B-17 established itself as an effective weapons system, dropping more bombs than any other U.S. aircraft in World War II. Of the 1.5 million metric tons of bombs dropped on Germany by U.S. aircraft, 640,000 tons were dropped from B-17s.

General characteristics

• Crew: 10
• Length: 74 ft 4 in (22.66 m)
• Wingspan: 103 ft 9 in (31.62 m)
• Height: 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m)
• Wing area: 1,420 sq ft (131.92 m2)
• Airfoil: NACA 0018 / NACA 0010
• Aspect ratio: 7.57
• Empty weight: 36,135 lb (16,391 kg)
• Loaded weight: 54,000 lb (24,500 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 65,500 lb (29,700 kg)
• Powerplant: 4× Wright R-1820-97 "Cyclone" turbosupercharged radial engines, 1,200 hp (895 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 287 mph (249 kn, 462 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 182 mph (158 kn, 293 km/h)
• Range: 2,000 mi (1,738 nmi, 3,219 km) with 2,700 kg (6,000 lb) bombload
• Service ceiling: 35,600 ft (10,850 m)
• Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s)
• Wing loading: 38.0 lb/sq ft (185.7 kg/m2)
• Power/mass: 0.089 hp/lb (150 W/kg)

Armament

• 13 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns
• Short range missions (<400 mi): 8,000 lb (3,600 kg)
• Long range missions (≈800 mi): 4,500 lb (2,000 kg)
• Overload: 17,600 lb (7,800 kg)

** Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - Warbird Fare

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Grumman F4F Wildcat

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940. Although first used in combat by the British in Europe, the Wildcat was the only United States Navy or Marine fighter in World War II 1941–42 in the Pacific Theater besides the brief appearance of the F2A Buffalo. With a top speed of 318 mph (512 km/h), the Wildcat was outperformed by the more nimble 331 mph (533 km/h) Mitsubishi Zero, but its ruggedness and tactics such as the Thach Weave resulted in an air combat kill-to-loss ratio of 5.9:1 in 1942 and 6.9:1 for the entire war.

Lessons learned from the Wildcat were applied to the faster F6F Hellcat which could outperform the Zero on its own terms. The Wildcat continued to be built throughout the remainder of the war to serve on escort carriers, where larger and heavier fighters could not be used.

Grumman fighter development started with the two-seat Grumman FF biplane. The FF was the first US naval fighter with landing gear which retracted, but left the tires visibly exposed although flush on either forward fuselage side. The F2F and F3F were single-seat biplane fighters which established the general outlines and landing gear configuration of what would become the Wildcat. In 1935, while the F3F was still undergoing flight testing, Grumman started work on its next fighter biplane, the G-16. The Navy favoured the monoplane Brewster F2A-1, ordering development early in 1936, but placed an order for Grumman's G-16, with the navy designation XF4F-1 as a backup in case the Brewster monoplane failed.

It was clear to Grumman, however, that the XF4F-1 would be inferior to the Brewster monoplane, so Grumman abandoned the XF4F-1, designing a new monoplane fighter, the XF4F-2. The Wildcat would retain the fuselage-mounted, hand-cranked landing gear with its relatively narrow track. In service, this would lead to distressingly common landing accidents when the landing gear did not fully lock into place. This unusual main landing gear design was originally designed by Leroy Grumman for Grover Loening in the 1920s and used earlier on all of Grumman's fighter biplanes (from the FF-1 through the F3F) of the 1930s and on the J2F Duck amphibious flying boat.

Even this new monoplane fell short against the Buffalo. The XF4F-2 was marginally faster, but the Buffalo was otherwise judged superior and was chosen for production. Grumman's prototype was then rebuilt as the XF4F-3 with new wings and tail and a supercharged version of the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radial engine. Testing of the XF4F-3 led to an order for F4F-3 production models, the first of which was completed in February 1940. France also ordered the type, powered by Wright R-1820 "Cyclone 9" radial engines, but France fell before they could be delivered and they ultimately went to the British Royal Navy, which named them "Martlets", using their own naming system early in World War II. Both the British aircraft and the US Navy's F4F-3, with an armament of four .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns, joined active units in 1940.

Although the Buffalo was the Navy's first monoplane fighter, it would prove disappointing in combat and be withdrawn early in World War II. The name "Wildcat" was officially adopted on 1 October 1941. The Wildcat's successor was the F6F Hellcat, a complete redesign which dropped Grumman's distinctive, exposed main landing gear arrangement. First flying in 1942, the Hellcat outclassed the Zero almost completely, surprising many Japanese pilots at first that often mistook the outlines for the older, slower Wildcat. The Navy would also introduce the F4U Corsair first to land and later to shipboard use which could match the top speed of the fastest land-based planes.


General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 28 ft 9 in (8.76 m)
• Wingspan: 38 ft (11.58 m)
• Height: 11 ft 10 in (3.60 m)
• Loaded weight: 7,000 lb (3,200 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-76 double-row radial engine, 1,200 hp (900 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 331 mph (531 km/h)
• Range: 845 mi (1,360 km)
• Service ceiling: 39,500 ft (12,000 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,303 ft/min (11.7 m/s)

Armament

• 4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns
• 2 × 100 lb (45 kg) bombs and/or 2 × 58 gal (220 L) drop tanks

** Grumman F4F Wildcat - Warbird Fare

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North American P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range single-seat World War II fighter aircraft. The P-51 was in service with Allied air forces in Europe and also saw limited service against the Japanese in the Pacific War. Designed and built in just 117 days, the Mustang first flew in Royal Air Force (RAF) service as a fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft before conversion to a bomber escort, employed in raids over Germany, helping ensure Allied air superiority from early 1944. As well as being economical to produce, the Mustang was a fast, well-made, and highly durable aircraft. The definitive version, the P-51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650, a two-stage two-speed supercharged version of the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, and was armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns.

The Mustang's performance, although exceptional up to 15,000 ft (4,600 m), was markedly reduced at higher altitudes. The single-speed, single-stage supercharger fitted to the Allison V-1710 engine had been designed to produce its maximum power at a low altitude. Above 15,000 feet, the supercharger's critical altitude rating, the power dropped off rapidly.

In April 1942, the RAF's Air Fighting Development Unit tested the Mustang and found its performance inadequate at higher altitudes. As such, it was to be used to replace the Tomahawk in Army Cooperation Command squadrons, but the commanding officer was so impressed with its maneuverability and low-altitude speeds that he invited Ronnie Harker from Rolls-Royce's Flight Test establishment to fly it. Rolls-Royce engineers rapidly realized that equipping the Mustang with a Merlin 61 engine with its two-speed two-stage supercharger would substantially improve performance and started converting five aircraft as the Mustang Mk X.

The numerical superiority of the USAAF fighters, superb flying characteristics of the P-51 and pilot proficiency helped cripple the Luftwaffe's fighter force. As a result, the fighter threat to US, and later British bombers, was greatly diminished by July 1944. Reichmarshal Hermann Göring, commander of the German Luftwaffe during the war, was quoted as saying, "When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up."

By 8 May 1945, the 8th, 9th and 15th Air Forces' P-51 groups claimed some 4,950 aircraft shot down, the most claimed by any Allied fighter in air-to-air combat, and 4,131 destroyed on the ground. Losses were about 2,520 aircraft. One of these groups, the 8th Air Force's 4th Fighter Group, was the overall top-scoring fighter group in Europe, with 1,016 enemy aircraft claimed destroyed. This included 550 claimed in aerial combat and 466 on the ground.

In aerial combat, the top-scoring P-51 units were the 357th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force with 595 air-to-air combat victories, and the Ninth Air Force's 354th Fighter Group with 701, which made it the top scoring outfit in aerial combat of all fighter groups of any type. Martin Bowman reports that in the European Theater of Operations, Mustangs flew 213,873 sorties and lost 2,520 aircraft to all causes. The top Mustang ace was the USAAF's George Preddy, whose tally stood at 27.5, 24 scored with the P-51 when he was shot down and killed by friendly fire on Christmas Day 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge. The P-51s were deployed in the Far East later in 1944, operating in close-support and escort missions as well as for tactical photo reconnaissance.

The Mustang began the Korean War as the United Nations' main fighter, but was relegated to a ground attack role when superseded by jet fighters early in the conflict. Nevertheless, it remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980s.

After World War II and the Korean War, many Mustangs were converted for civilian use, especially air racing.


General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
• Wingspan: 37 ft 0 in (11.28 m)
• Height: 13 ft 4½ in
• Wing area: 235 ft² (21.83 m²)
• Empty weight: 7,635 lb (3,465 kg)
• Loaded weight: 9,200 lb (4,175 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 12,100 lb (5,490 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Packard V-1650-7 liquid-cooled supercharged V-12, 1,490 hp
• Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0163
• Drag area: 3.80 ft² (0.35 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 5.83

Performance

• Maximum speed: 437 mph (703 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
• Cruise speed: 362 mph (580 km/h)
• Stall speed: 100 mph (160 km/h)
• Range: 1,650 mi (2,755 km) with external tanks
• Service ceiling: 41,900 ft (12,800 m)
• Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s)
• Wing loading: 39 lb/ft² (192 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (300 W/kg)
• Lift-to-drag ratio: 14.6
• Recommended Mach limit 0.8

Armament

• 6× 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) M2 Browning machine guns
• 2× hardpoints for up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs
• 6 or 10× T64 5.0 in (127 mm) H.V.A.R rockets

** North American P-51 Mustang - Warbird Fare

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Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk ( bears the name Tomahawk and Kittyhawk for Allied squadrons ) was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. It was used by the air forces of 28 nations, including those of most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in front line service until the end of the war. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36. By November 1944, when production of the P-40 ceased, 13,738 had been built, all at Curtiss-Wright Corporation's main production facility at Buffalo, New York.

Restorated P-40 Warhawk

The P-40 had good agility, especially at high speed and medium to low altitude. It was one of the tightest-turning monoplane fighters of the war,although at lower speeds it could not out-turn the extremely manoeuvrable Japanese fighters such as the Mitsubishi A6M Zero and Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar".

According to some sources the P-40 initially proved quite effective against Axis aircraft and contributed to a slight shift of momentum in the Allied favor. The gradual replacement of Hurricanes by the Tomahawks and Kittyhawks led to the Luftwaffe accelerating retirement of the Bf 109E and introducing the newer Bf 109F; these were to be flown by the veteran pilots of elite Luftwaffe units, such as Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG27), in North Africa.

The P-40 was generally considered roughly equal or slightly superior to the Bf 109 at low altitude, but inferior at high altitude, particularly against the Bf 109F. Most air combat in North Africa took place well below 16,000 ft (4,900 m), thus negating much of the Bf 109's superiority. The P-40 usually had an edge over Bf 109 in horizontal maneuverability, dive speed and structural strength, was roughly equal in firepower, but was slightly inferior in speed and outclassed in rate of climb and operational ceiling.

The P-40 was generally superior to early Italian fighter types, such as the Fiat G.50 and the Macchi C.200. Its performance against the Macchi C.202 Folgore elicited varying opinions. Some observers consider the Macchi C.202 superior. Clive Caldwell, who scored victories against them in his P-40, felt that the Folgore would have been superior to both the P-40 and the Bf 109 except that its armament of only two or four machine guns was inadequate. Other observers considered the two equally matched, or favored the Folgore in aerobatic performance, such as turning radius. Boyne wrote that over Africa, the P-40 and the Folgore were "equivalent".

Against its lack of high altitude performance the P-40 was considered to be a stable gun platform, and its rugged construction meant that it was able to operate from rough frontline airstrips with a good rate of serviceability.

P-40s first saw combat with the British Commonwealth squadrons of the Desert Air Force (DAF) in the Middle East and North African campaigns, during June 1941. The Royal Air Force's No. 112 Squadron was among the first to operate Tomahawks, in North Africa, and the unit was the first to feature the "shark mouth" logo, copying similar markings on some Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 110 twin-engine fighters. Inspired by 112 Squadron's usage of them in North Africa, and by the Luftwaffe's even earlier use of it, both via Allied wartime newspaper and magazine article images, the "shark mouth" logo's usage on the sides of the P-40's nose was most famously used on those used by the Flying Tigers in China.

In theatres where high altitude performance was less important, the P-40 proved an effective fighter. Although it gained a post-war reputation as a mediocre design, suitable only for close air support, more recent research including scrutiny of the records of individual Allied squadrons indicates that the P-40 performed surprisingly well as an air superiority fighter, at times suffering severe losses, but also taking a very heavy toll on enemy aircraft. The P-40 offered the additional advantage of low cost, which kept it in production as a ground attack fighter long after it was obsolete in air superiority.

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 31.67 ft (9.66 m)
• Wingspan: 37.33 ft (11.38 m)
• Height: 12.33 ft (3.76 m)
• Wing area: 235.94 ft² (21.92 m²)
• Empty weight: 6,350 lb (2,880 kg)
• Loaded weight: 8,280 lb (3,760 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 8,810 lb (4,000 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Allison V-1710-39 liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,150 hp (858 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 360 mph (310 kn, 580 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 270 mph (235 kn, 435 km/h)
• Range: 650 mi (560 nmi, 1,100 km)
• Service ceiling: 29,000 ft (8,800 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,100 ft/min (11 m/s)
• Wing loading: 35.1 lb/ft² (171.5 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.14 hp/lb (230 W/kg)

Armament

• 6 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns
• 250 to 1,000 lb (110 to 450 kg) bombs to a total of 2,000 lb (907 kg)

** Curtiss P-40 Warhawk - Warbird Fare

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Chance Vought F4U Corsair

This Chance Vought F4U Corsair has been serving U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines during World War II, It became the most capable carrier-based fighter-bomber of World War II.

Restorated F4U Corsair

The F4U incorporated the largest engine available at the time, the 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial. To extract as much power as possible, a relatively large, 13 feet 4 inches (4.06 m) Hamilton Standard Hydromatic three-blade propeller was used. To accommodate a folding wing, the designers considered retracting the main landing gear rearward, but for the chord of wing selected, it was difficult to fit undercarriage struts long enough to provide sufficient clearance for the large propeller. Their solution was an inverted gull wing, a similar layout to the one used by Germany's Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber, considerably shortening the length of the main gear legs. The anhedral of the wing's center-section also permitted the wing and fuselage to meet at the optimum angle for minimizing drag, without the need for wing root fairings. Offsetting these benefits, the bent wing was more difficult to construct and weighed more than a straight one.

Corsairs were flown by the famous "Black Sheep" Squadron (VMF-214, led by Marine Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington) (VMF is Marine Attack Squadron, an aviation unit of USMC) in an area of the Solomon Islands called "The Slot". Boyington was credited with 22 kills in F4Us (of 28 total, including six in an AVG P-40). Other noted Corsair pilots of the period included VMF-124's Kenneth Walsh, James E. Swett, and Archie Donohue, VMF-215's Robert M. Hanson and Don Aldrich, and VF-17's Tommy Blackburn, Roger Hedrick, and Ira Kepford. Nightfighter versions equipped Navy and Marine units afloat and ashore.

At war's end, Corsairs were ashore on Okinawa, combating the Kamikaze, and also were flying from fleet and escort carriers. VMF-312, VMF-323, VMF-224, and a handful of others met with success in the Battle of Okinawa.

F4U Corsair on formation

Corsairs also served well as fighter bombers in the Central Pacific and the Philippines. By spring 1944, Marine pilots were beginning to exploit the type's considerable capabilities in the close-support role during amphibious landings. Charles Lindbergh flew Corsairs with the Marines as a civilian technical advisor for United Aircraft Corporation in order to determine how best to increase the Corsair's payload and range in the attack role and to help evaluate future viability of single- versus twin-engine fighter design for Vought. Lindbergh managed to get the F4U into the air with 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) of bombs, with a 2,000 pounds (910 kg) bomb on the centerline and a 1,000 pounds (450 kg) bomb under each wing. In the course of such experiments, he performed strikes on Japanese positions during the battle for the Marshall Islands.

By the beginning of 1945, the Corsair was a full-blown "mudfighter", performing strikes with high-explosive bombs, napalm tanks, and HVARs. She proved surprisingly versatile, able to operate everything from Bat glide bombs (without sacrificing a load of 2.75 in/70 mm rockets) to 11.75 in (300 mm) Tiny Tim rockets. The aircraft was a prominent participant in the fighting for the Palaus, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Today this legendary "Whistling Death" fighters are mostly used for airshows, flybys, film and also for a warbird aerobatic airshow routine.

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 pilot
• Length: 33 ft 8 in (10.2 m)
• Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.5 m)
• Height: 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
• Empty weight: 9,205 lb (4,174 kg)
• Loaded weight: 14,669 lb (6,653 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W radial engine, 2,450 hp (1,827 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 446 mph (388 kn, 718 km/h)
• Range: 1,005 mi (873 nmi (1,617 km))
• Service ceiling: 41,500 ft (12,649 m)
• Rate of climb: 3,870 ft/min (19.7 m/s)

Armament

• 6 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 400 rpg
• 4 × 20 millimetre (0.79 in) AN/M2 cannons
• 8 × 5 in (12.7 cm) high velocity aircraft rockets
• 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) Bombs

** Chance Vought F4U Corsair - Warbird Fare

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