Wake Bill | Aviation Center

B-25 Mitchell Bomber

Introduction

The B-25 twin engined bomber was built by North American Aviation in Los Angeles. The name “B-25 Mitchell” was in honor of Major General Billy Mitchell, a pioneer in military aviation.

There were 9,816 B-25s produced by NAA in various configurations. They saw action in every theater of World War II by several Allied Air Forces.

The B-25 was a safe and forgiving aircraft. With one engine feathered, banking turns even up to 60 degrees toward the “dead” engine was easily maintained.

The tricycle made for excellent visibility while taxiing. The only complaint was the excessive noise from the engine. This was of course, in the days before pilot hearing protection.

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Curtis P-40 Warhawk

Introduction

The Curtis P-40 Warhawk that was the mainstay of the United States Army Air Corp (USAAC) in pre-World War II days.

It is a single engine, single pilot, all metal fighter, ground attack aircraft and fighter-bomber.

It was primarily used by USAAC, RAF Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force. The USSR used this type of aircraft as the “Tomahawk” which was an equivalent to the P-40.

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The Lockheed P-38J was one of the great American warplanes of WWII. It employs a radically new design with a center fuselage while the two outer booms carried twin engines, turbo superchargers, radiators, and tricycle landing gear.

The P-38 was used as a Interceptor, Dive Bomber ,Level Bomber, Night Fighter, Recon, Pathfinder for Bombers and Evacuation Missions and Long Range Escort Fighter.

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North American P-51 Mustang

Introduction

The North American P-51 Mustang was a single engined, long rage fighter/escort that was used also as a single engine bomber during World War II.

In the early days of the Korean conflict, the P-51 Mustang was the primary fighter in the United Nations arsenal. Then came the jet fighter age and the P-51 was used in a utility role such as recon aircraft, night fighter and other specialty roles.

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North American F-86 Sabrejet

Introduction

The North American F-86 Sabre Jet was America’s first swept wing fighter and used in combat during the Korean War (1949-1953). The F-86-E was pitted against the high performing USSR MIG 15.

Initially it was said that at outbreak of the war, the pilots were Soviets due to the inexperience of the North Korean and Chinese pilots. Before long however, the MiGs were piloted with Chinese and North Koreans.

Much of the dog fighting took place in what was called “MiG Alley” over the Yalu River near the North Korean and Chinese border.

Early estimates (right after the war) showed the Sabre held a 10:1 kill ratio. In later years the ratio was said to be closer to 2:1.

However the numbers seem to favor the first ratio as 792 MiGs were counted as shot down and U.S. losses of Sabres were 78.

There were 41 American pilots that were honored as “ACE” status (5 shoot downs).

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Grumman F-4F Wildcat

Introduction

The Grumman F-4 Wildcat was an carrier based fighter first used by the Royal Navy (called the Martlet) and the United States Navy in 1940.

The Wildcat was the only effective fighter in the Pacific Theater used by USN and USMC (United Marine Corp) in 1941 and 1942. It replaced the Brewster Buffalo which was considered obsolete.

Although the F-4F was outperformed by the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, in speed (318 F-4F vs 331 kts – Zero) and maneuverability , the Wildcat pilots developed superior tactics such as the “Thatch Weave”.

The F-4F had a kill ratio of 5.9 to 1 in the early stage of the war (1941-42) and an overall kill ratio of 6.9 to 1 for the remainder of the war.

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Martin 404 Sky Liner

Introduction

The Martin 404 was designed and built by the Glen L. Martin Aircraft company in the early fifties. The first flight was 21 October 1951, the first of 103 aircraft produced by Martin Aircraft.

It was a pressurized, 2 engined, short range aircraft that was purchased (not always new) by 13 U.S. Carriers and several foreign airlines.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) and United States Navy (USN) also purchased the Martin 404 and was called in the USCG/USN as the VC-3A.

Martin_RM-1Z_USCG_in_flight

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McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom

Introduction

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom is a two seat, twin engine supersonic interceptor/fighter/bomber that was adapted by USN, USMC and USAF. The F-4 is a large fighter type aircraft with maximum speed of Mach 2.2 that can carry 18,000 lbs of bombs (World War II/Korea B-29, the biggest of it’s day, could carry 20,000 lbs.)

The aircraft crew had a single pilot who sat in the front seat and the RIO (Radio Intercept Officer) sat in the rear seat. There were 5,195 F-4 Phantoms of all models built at a cost of $2.4 million (1965 $$).

The first flight of an F-4 was 27 May 1958. The last active U.S. military F-4 was retired in 1996.

The F-4, in 1959 set 13 different performance records including an absolute speed record and an absolute altitude record.

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Lockheed Constellation

Introduction

The Lockheed Constellation nicknamed the “Connie” first came off the assembly line in 1943 and the final Connie was completed in 1958. The Constellation was considered one of the best propeller driven aircraft of it’s time. There were 856 total aircraft with several variants both military and civilian built. The C-69 was the military version ordered by Army (USAAF) in 1942.

The Lockheed Connie was featured in many old movies of the 40’s and 50’s. The younger generation will never believe that you could walk out to the boarding ramp of your flight without having to go through any kind of security or screening. The only reason a chain link fence was present was for safety. Even well-wishers seeing you off could go right out with you to the boarding ramp.

Airline flying was a rich experience as food and beverage was superb, seating space was generous. However flying from New York to Los Angeles took 8-10 hours compared today’s 5 hours or less. But it was a much more enjoyable experience in the 1950s and early 1960s then it is today.

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Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker

KC-135 Refueling B-52 Stratofortress

INTRODUCTION

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling tanker used by USAF. It was the first jet powered aerial refueling tanker, replacing the propeller driven KC-97.

The KC-97 was a derivative of the B-29 Superfortress also built and designed by Boeing. The KC-135 went into service in 1957 and has been in service now 59 years and is estimated to be used until 2040

The KC-135 was born around the 1952-1953 time period. The military wanted an jet-powered tanker and Boeing had built a Boeing 367-80 prototype that eventually became the forerunner for the B-707 series.

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