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  • Stearman PT-13D Kaydet

    The United States and several Allied nations used the Kaydet as a standard primary trainer from the late 1930s to the end of World War II. Originally designed in 1933 by Lloyd Stearman for the civilian market, it received the designation PT-13 Kaydet when the U.S. Army Air Corps adopted it in 1936.

  • Vultee L-1A Vigilant

    The L-1 liaison aircraft, originally designated O-49, was the military version of the civilian Stinson Model 74. It marked the transition between heavier and larger observation aircraft used by the Air Corps in the 1930s and the lighter liaison "grasshopper" type aircraft represented by the L-series

  • WWII Era Gliders

    WWII Era GlidersPublished November 4, 2022Note:  These aircraft were offered for exchange as part of NMUSAF Solicitation 22-003 (Closed).WWII Era Gliders, owned by the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF) and determined excess to collection needs.  Gliders are not airworthy or

  • Bristol Beaufighter

    The British Bristol Beaufighter filled the need for an effective night fighter in the U.S. Army Air Forces until an American aircraft could be produced. The Beaufighter had first entered operational service with the Royal Air Force in July 1940 as a day fighter. Equipped with a very early Mk IV

  • Consolidated B-24D Liberator

    The B-24 was employed in operations in every combat theater during World War II. Because of its great range, it was particularly suited for such missions as the famous raid from North Africa against the oil industry at Ploesti, Rumania, on Aug. 1, 1943. This feature also made the airplane suitable

  • Lockheed C-60A Lodestar

    Note: This aircraft has been placed in storage.The C-60 is a twin-engine transport based on the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar. During World War II, the Army Air Forces used the aircraft for training and for transporting personnel and freight. First flown in 1940, the Model 18 was originally designed as

  • Eagle Squadrons

    On the other side of the world, Americans flocked in droves to British and Canadian recruiting stations. Approximately 15,000 joined the Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force where, as a rule, they were assimilated into various flying units.The exception was the famed Eagle Squadrons which,

  • General Headquarters Air Force

    A milestone was reached in Air Force history in March 1935 when the War Department established the General Headquarters (GHQ) Air Force. Going far beyond the traditional role of supporting Army ground troops on the battlefield, it was to serve as a central striking force for long-range bombardment

  • Lt. Gen. Frank M. Andrews

    Before his premature death in 1943, Frank Maxwell Andrews played a major role in building the small U.S. Army Air Corps of the 1930s into the powerful U.S. Army Air Forces of World War II. Furthermore, he had become one of the key military commanders in the United States' armed forces. Born in

  • Early Free-Fall Parachute

    The first successful Army test jump with a free-fall parachute was made by Mr. Leslie Irvin at McCook Field on April 28, 1919, using a chute designed by Floyd Smith and Guy Ball, both civilian employees at McCook.The parachute on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, one of