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  • Fieseler Fi-156C-2 Storch

    Designed in 1935, the Storch was widely used during World War II by German military forces for reconnaissance, liaison and aeromedical transport. High-ranking officers also used Fi 156s as personal transports. Notable features of the Storch included its good maneuverability, extremely low stalling

  • 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

  • Maj. Don S. Gentile

    "One Man Air Force."- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower upon presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Capt. Don S. Gentile in April 1942 Major Don Gentile was an Eagle Squadron pilot and an American ace in the European Theater in World War II.Dominic “Don” Gentile, of Piqua, Ohio, is among the greatest

  • 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

  • Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell

    William "Billy" Mitchell became an untiring advocate for air power between the two world wars. His name remains synonymous with military aviation during the 1920s.The son of a wealthy United States senator from Wisconsin, Mitchell was born in Nice, France, on Dec. 29, 1879, while his parents were on

  • Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker

    Capt. Edward Rickenbacker of Columbus, Ohio, was a famous race car driver before the United States' entry into World War I. As the United States prepared to send troops to Europe, Rickenbacker was offered a position as General Pershing's chauffeur. He accepted and enlisted in the U.S.