Trip to the National Museum of the US Air Force

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

It was really hard to get a decent shot of this one so I've supplemented the one recent picture I took of it with a few ones taken years ago.

The Starfughter was also designs in the early 50s' It was the first aircraft type to hold the world speed record (1,1401.19mph) and world altitude record (103,395 ft) at the same time. 300 Starfighters were used by the USAF, and an additional 1,700 either built in the US or License built were used by other Air Forces including Canada, West Germany, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Taiwan and Japan

 
Last edited:
The F-105 stemmed from a project to replace the F-84F with a supersonic tactical fighter bomber. The prototype first flew in 1955 but the F-105D did not fly until 1957 and they saw much action during the Vietnam War.

 
Last edited:
The F-104Gs were two seat F-104Fs converted to "Wild Weasel" aircraft with the addition of electronic counter-measure equipment.

 
Last edited:
The F-106 Delta Dart was an improved version of The F-102 Delta Dagger, entering service with the Air Force in 1959. The F-106 was originally designated F-102B, but due to structural changes and a larger engine the decision was made to change it to F-106. The two aircraft look very similar, the biggest differences between the two visually is the differently shaped tail fin, the lack of fairings on either side of the jet exhaust in the 102, and the jet intakes on the 106 being behind the cockpit.
 

Attachments

  • P2177713.JPG
    92 KB · Views: 82
  • P2177703.JPG
    93.7 KB · Views: 80
  • P2177704.JPG
    97 KB · Views: 109
  • P2177705.JPG
    90.8 KB · Views: 73
  • P2177706.JPG
    86.5 KB · Views: 75
  • P2177708.JPG
    98.6 KB · Views: 75
  • P2177710.JPG
    97.2 KB · Views: 77
The F-4 was designed for the Navy first flying in 1958. The Air Force started using them in with the F-4C model. Production ended in 1976 after more than 2,600 Phantoms were made.
The F-4 went to Vietnam in 1965 flying Air to Air missions against the North Vietnamese Air Force. The aircraft on display was flown by WW II ace Col. Robin Olds in which he destroyed two MiG-17s in a single day.
In the fighter-bomber roll The F-4 could carry twice the normal bomb load of a B-17 Flying Fortress during WW II.

 
Last edited:
The RF-4C is a tactical reconnaissance version of the Phantom. The aircraft on display served in Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Europe, Cuba and the Middle East. During Desert Shield/Desert Storm, it flew a record total of 172 missions, When retired in 1994, it had more than 7,300 hours of flying time.

 
Last edited:
In 1960 the DoD combined the USAF's requirement for a new tactical fighter-bomber with a Navy need for a new air superiority fighter. The Air Forces F-111A first flew in late 1964 getting to squadrons in 1967, wile the Navy's F-111B was canceled. A unique at the time feature of the F-111 was its variable-geometry wings. While in the air, the wings could be swept forward for takeoffs, landings or slow speed flight, and swept rearward for high-speed flight.
The F-111A on display saw action in Vietnam with the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing

 
Last edited:
The F-111F was equipped with an all- infra-red targeting system that could track and designate ground targets for smart bombs. The F-111F was one of the most effective Allied aircraft in Operation Desert Storm, flying more than 2,400 sorties against Iraqi targets.

 
Last edited:
Northrop started a design for a small low cost fighter in the late 1950s under the company designation N-156 The project was split into two designs, The N-156T (trainer) and N-156F (fighter)
The N-156T soon attracted the attention of the Air Force and became the T-38 Talon, but there was little interest in the fighter version so development continued at a lower priority as a private venture by Northrop, until eventually an order for three prototypes F-5s were placed by the Air Force as a low-cost fighter that could be supplied under the Military Assistance Program to supply to less-developed nations.

The F-5s saw limited use by the USAF , but did see extensive service in a multitude of foreign nations including Iran, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Norway, Greece, Taiwan and Spain among others.

The YF-5A on display, one of three original prototypes. Sorry it's not a better picture, but I even went through the pictures I took 2 years ago and could find nothing better of the F-5.

 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread