Painted in the SVNAF colours it wore in the mid-1970s, this Bird Dog was taken on strength as an O-1A by the US Army as 51-4981 in 1951. In 1966 Cessna converted it to O-1G at Wichita and it was deployed to Vietnam. On 29 April 1975 a SVNAF major crammed his wife and five children aboard to escape advancing North Vietnamese forces. Flying out to sea in the hope of finding a rescue ship, he ran low on fuel but spotted USS Midway, its deck full with helicopters. He dropped a pleading note written on a chart and a number of Hueys and Chinooks were pushed over the side so he could land!

This is actually a UC-78B suppled to the USAAF as 43-7995 painted to represent a Navy JRC-1. Post-war it was registered N63426 and from that the false BuNo marked on the aircraft was derived

In August 1942, flying out of Louisiana this Widgeon attacked and damaged submarine U-171. It was registered to the US Department of Interior as N743 in 1948 and was sold to Kodiak Airways in Alaska becoming N2770A in 1956. In 1959 it crashed and sank but was retrieved. By now in private hands, in 1966 it was substantially damaged in a wheels-up landing at Seldovia, AK. Further ownership changes saw it registered N324BC in 1973 and N212ST in 1980. Acquired by the NAM in 1984

This Goose is painted as V190 which crashed into cliffs on Block Island, RI in April 1942. It is actually the next in series, V191 which was sold off after the war and registered as NC5538N in 1948. While with Catalina Seaplanes it was involved in three major accidents causing substantial damage. In July 1966 it landed in the wake of a tugboat causing the tail unit to distort, in January 1970 it nosed over on landing in the water wheels down and in December the same year it collided with another aircraft on the ground while taxiing at Long Beach. In 1974 registered N12CS and to museum c.1986

Some 529 T-2 Buckeyes were built between 1958 and 1970. From acceptance in 1970 this one flew with VT-26 at NAS Chase Field, TX and VT-19 then CTW-1 at NAS Meridian, MS. In 2003 it made the last carrier landing by a T-2 and in 2004 was decommissioned and sent to the Pensacola museum

From new in 1970 served Electronic Attack Squadrons (VAQ) 129, 130, 140, 137 and 129 (all at NAS Whidbey Island, WA). In 1996 transferred to Strike Aircraft Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23), NAS Patuxent River, MD, then VX-9 at NAS China Lake, CA before going back to Pat River with VX-23. It has been preserved at Pensacola since 2010, at which time it was the oldest active EA-6B, in the marks of that last unit

Taken on with VS-41 at NAS North Island in late 1968 and deployed with VAL-4 to Vietnam in early next year. Unit decommissioned in the Philippines in 1972 and by 1980 the Bronco had been assigned to VMO-4 (Marine Observation Squadron 4) at Atlanta. By 1991, transferred to VMO-1 at MCAS New River, NC. Stored at MCAS Cherry Point, NC in 1995, it was later displayed at MCAS Quantico, VA and at Charlotte before joining the Pensacola museum collection where it was restored into its VAL-4 colours

The spectacular sight found in the central atrium of the National Naval Aviation Museum. Three of these are genuine Blue Angels Skyhawks but the lead aircraft '1' marked as 154180 (which is actually in the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field) is actually 150076. There quite a few A-4s scattered around in the US masquerading as Blue Angels aircraft, often not genuine

The final development in a lineage that included the USAF's F-86 Sabre, the FJ-4 shared its general layout and engine with the earlier FJ-3, but featured a new wing and was a greatly different design in its final form. Beautifully restored in its original Marines unit markings, between 1956 and 1959 this FJ-4 operated with VMF-232 "Red Devils" from Kaneohe Bay, HI, the unit in which the FJ-2 suspended overhead in the museum also served. Demoted to the Naval Air Training Unit, NAS Glynco, GA in 1962 and stuck off in 1964 with 2,351 hours logged

This was the last production F-4B, entering service with VF-121 at NAS Miramar, CA in January 1967. By May 1972, deployed aboard USS Midway with VF-161 and was quickly credited with shooting down a MiG-19 over North Vietnam. Around 1973 it was upgraded to F-4N status and deployed aboard USS Coral Sea with VF-111. Later transferred to VMFA-314 and VF-154. Struck off at NARF Pensacola in late 1983 and put on show in its final colours as deployed aboard USS Coral Sea with VF-154 in 1982

Accepted as a CH-46A by HMM-164 at the end of 1965 and deployed to Vietnam till March 1967 when transferred to HMM-265 (MCAF Jacksonville). Returned to Vietnam in July 1967 on search and destroy missions against Viet Cong targets, also flying Raquel Welch and Bob Hope during their tour. Soon after, shot down but repaired by January 1968, only to crash in July. Again repaired and switched to HMM-165 and then HMM-164. Returned to HMM-165 and on to H&MS-36 in 1970 and to MASDC in 1972. Emerged in 1975 with the USN as a CH-46D and served various units ending with HC-6 from 1989. To museum in 2003

Taken on charge by the Navy as a UH-2B and flown by HC-2 with service aboard USS Shangri-La and USS America, around 1975 this Seasprite was converted to SH-2F for ASW work and was assigned to HSL-31 at NAS North Island, CA. In 1995 it was passed to the National Museum of Naval Aviation (registered N8064H) and by 2018 had undergone a superb restoration by Kaman Corp

This characterful helicopter was put into service with the US Army as H-25A 51-16610 in 1953, transferring to the USN in 1958 as HUP-3 BuNo 147607. Assigned to HU-2 at NAS Lakehurst, NJ, over 1961 and 1962 it saw service aboard USS Forrestal, USS Lake Champlain, USS Saratoga and US Randolph. Redesignated UH-25C, it was placed in storage at Litchfield Park in late 1962. After being struck off in 1963 it was sold as N4953S and arrived at Pensacola for the museum in 1988

Taken on the strength with the Marines in 1962, after loan periods with the USAF and US Army (used by the latter to carry President Kennedy in Dublin), this VH-3 joined HMX-1 in 1966. Among the VIPs carried were Presidents Nixon and Ford. In 1976 it moved to more regular work with the USN's HC-6 and HC-2 at NAS Norfolk and in early 2004 made a ferry flight to Pensacola for the museum where it was restored in its "Marine One" splendour

Assigned to VMCJ-3 at MCAS El Toro on acceptance in 1959 and redesignated from F8U-1P to RF-8A in 1962, then alternating between the Marines and Navy with VFP-62 at NAS Cecil Field (with whom it was converted to RF-8G in 1966), VMJ-4 at NAS Olathe and last after a period at MASDC from 1974, with VFP-63 at NAS Miramar. Went back to MASDC in 1982 where it was placed on Celebrity Row. Moved to the NNAM at Pensacola in 2007 and restored in its VFP-62 markings, unveiled in 2016

Accepted in 1955, this T-28 flew with VT-27 at NAS Corpus Christi, TX then VT-2 at Whiting Field, FL from 1972 till struck off in 1984

Accepted by the Navy in 1958, this F11F's service career encompassed VF-51 and VF-111 at NAS Miramar and VF-33 aboard USS Intrepid before transfer to VT-26 at NAS Chase Field, TX in 1966. In 1967 it was selected for the Pensacola-based Blue Angels and performed as ship #1, being turned over to the nearby NAM at the end of the 1968 season. It was later restored to its smart VF-33 colours and placed on display. With so many jets preserved in Blue Angles or Thunderbirds colours despite not have actually flown with them, it is refreshing to see the reverse happening

The Demon arrived too late for the Korean War and all 239 had been withdrawn by 1964 so it did not get to see action in Vietnam either. Both the original F3H-1 with Westinghouse engines and the later F3H-2 with Allison J71s were underpowered and troublesome, but became the design basis for McDonnell's F-4. This example had just over two years in service with VF-121 from acceptance in 1957, then going to the Naval Air Technical Training Center at Memphis. Put on show at NAS Cecil Field, FL in 1975, it arrived at the NAM in 1999. The F3H-2M Sparrow missile version became the MF-3B in 1962

This early Crusader entered service in June 1958 with VF-174 at NAS Cecil Field, FL in a training capacity. For 18 months from November 1960 it was assigned to VF-11 also at Cecil but deployed aboard USS Franklin D Roosevelt between February and October 1961, spending much of that time shore-based at Rota, Spain. In April 1962 it briefly returned to VF-174 before transfer to VU-2 at NAS Oceana, VA. Flown to the NAM at Pensacola in 1971 and presented as a VF-24 aircraft

This magnificent exhibit is the last surviving Marlin of the 285 built, although unfortunately now too hemmed in for a clear shot. Accepted in 1956, it served VX-1 and several patrol squadrons including VP-40 with which it deployed to SE Asia from 1965 to 1967. It made the last operational flight of a Navy flying boat in May 1967, landing in San Diego Bay. In 1968 it was flown from NAS North Island to Patuxent River and put into the care of the Smithsonian/National Air Museum. In 1977 it was tranferred by barge to Pensacola and by 1990 had undergone restoration, moving inside by 2011