Aug. 17, 2020 Flying the President Providing fast, safe, and reliable air transportation for the President of the United States is an important US Air Force mission. The President’s ability to travel all over the world at short notice is critical to projecting America’s diplomatic, military, and economic power.“Perfection is Our
June 28, 2019 FB-111A Sit-in Cockpit This crew escape module successfully ejected from an FB-111A that crashed near Pease AFB, New Hampshire, following a mechanical failure in January 1981. The General Dynamics FB-111A Aardvark was a supersonic all-weather strategic nuclear bomber used by the U.S. Air Force’s Strategic Air Command.
April 24, 2019 Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II The A-10 was designed specifically for close air support of ground forces. It is named for the famous P-47 Thunderbolt, a fighter often used in a close air support role during World War II. The A-10 is very maneuverable at low speeds and low altitudes to ensure accurate weapon delivery, and it
May 17, 2018 Fifteenth Air Force—Strategic Bombing from Italy In September 1943, the USAAF formed the Fifteenth Air Force, uniting its Mediterranean heavy bomber forces together at bases in southern Italy. The USAAF could now mount major strategic raids in southern and eastern Europe, creating even more pressure on the Luftwaffe defense. String of bombs on
May 17, 2018 Fighter Escort: “Little Friends” During the first half of the strategic bombing campaign, the USAAF lacked fighters that could escort its heavy bombers on strikes against targets in Germany. As a result, heavy bomber crews took devastating losses that threatened the continuation of the campaign. By early 1944, improvements to the
June 7, 2016 Fairchild C-82 Packet Note: Visitors are permitted to walk in this aircraft.Airlift experience during World War II demonstrated the need for a large-capacity cargo aircraft that could be loaded from ground level, and Fairchild designed the C-82 Packet to meet the U.S. Army Air Forces’ requirements. The prototype first
March 14, 2016 Fairchild C-119J Flying Boxcar Satellite CatcherThis C-119J Flying Boxcar made the world’s first mid-air recovery of an object returning from space. In August 1960, it caught the Discoverer XIV satellite using recovery gear lowered from the open rear door. This mechanism snagged the satellite’s parachute, and a winch slowly
Nov. 6, 2015 Fairchild XSM-73 Bull Goose The Fairchild XSM-73 Bull Goose was a pilotless decoy missile designed in the 1950s to simulate the radar signatures of large bombers. If several ground-launched, intercontinental-range SM-73 decoys saturated and confused enemy defenses, the real bombers had a better chance of getting through to
Nov. 4, 2015 Form for Dropped Messages Note: This item is currently in storage.This standardized form for dropped messages was used by aircraft observers to quickly report enemy ground movement to friendly troops and waiting intelligence officers. The hand-written report was dropped on Oct. 5, 1918, by pilot Lt. William C. Thomas and
Oct. 9, 2015 Fisher P-75A Eagle The Fisher Body Division of General Motors developed the P-75 Eagle to fill an urgent need for an interceptor early in World War II. The original P-75 design incorporated the most powerful inline engine available and components from other aircraft as a way to expedite production.Flight tests in late