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  • Republic P-47D (Bubble Canopy Version)

    Please note: (Aug. 2023) The museum recently took the P-47D(sn 45-49167) off public display in preparation for its departure as part of an aircraft exchange. This “bubble canopy” aircraft was painted by museum Restoration Specialists to reflect the P-47D-40 Five by Five flown by Col. Joseph

  • RAF Alert Shack

    The dispersal, or Royal Air Force alert shack, sat at the end of a runway and sheltered pilots standing alert waiting to defend the area from enemy attack. It was boring duty and one pilot claimed to have counted every board and nail in the flimsy building. Pulling alert was like an actor waiting to

  • RAF Accumulator Trolley (Battery Start Cart)

    These trolleys were a common sight at airfields around Britain during World War II. Both the Royal Air Force and U.S. Army Air Forces made use of battery carts to provide additional starting power for the piston engines of their combat aircraft. This particular trolley is equipped with an attached

  • Rocket-Assist Takeoff

    On Aug. 12, 1941, the first Air Corps rocket-assist takeoff was made by a Wright Field test pilot, Capt. Homer Boushey, using a small civilian-type Ercoupe airplane. Subsequent refinements of this technique were made for assisting heavily-loaded airplanes in taking off from limited space. This

  • Research & Development at McCook Field

    When the United States entered World War I, an urgent need developed for an active research and development program for military aviation. A site was selected at Dayton, Ohio, because of its location relative to America's industrial complex, and on Oct. 18, 1917, McCook Field was established. For

  • Roma Tragedy

    In 1920 the Army Air Service purchased a 410-foot long semi-rigid dirigible, the Roma, from Italy. Disassembled and shipped to the United States, the reassembled airship made its first flight in America from Langley Field, Va., on Nov. 15, 1921. Dissatisfied with the Roma's performance, the Army Air

  • Round-the-Rim Flight

    In its desire to test the long-range capabilities of the airplane, the Air Service decided to fly a Glenn Martin bomber completely around the periphery of the U.S. The flight, which began at Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., on July 24, 1919, was made in a counterclockwise direction. Since time and

  • Research & Development in the Interwar Years

    Gyroscopic ControlsThe fuselage section of a Sperry "Messenger" airplane was converted into an experimental "guided missile" in 1922. Gyroscopic equipment was installed in the airplane to control its altitude and direction of flight. Later refinements of gyro controls led to the development of

  • Refueling Wagon

    This is an early type 283-gallon capacity refueling wagon for servicing airplanes with gasoline. While this trailer carried enough gas for refueling nine World War I Sopwith Camel airplanes, it would require 181 such tankloads of jet fuel to refuel a single B-52H bomber of the 1970s.Click here to

  • Regulation U.S. Army Air Service Pilot's Flying Outfit, WWI

    The goggles, leather helmet and long leather coat were standard items, though airmen used a wide variety of styles. The silk scarf protected the pilot's neck from chafing as he constantly scanned the sky for enemy aircraft. Boots, leather leggings and riding-style breeches were standard items from