Airworthy P-51D "Spam Can" in the colors of 462nd FS, 506th FG based at Iwo Jima in 1945 as flown by Capt JJ Grant inside the hangar at Planes of Fame Air Museum. The 506th FG was tasked with Very Long Range (VLR) missions over Japan, with inclement weather en route as much a threat. This aircraft was delivered on 26 July 1945 and immediately went into storage. In 1947 it went to the 31st FG serving under SAC. Later it served with ANG units in Tennessee, Vermont and West Virginia. The museum acquired the Mustang in Nov 1957, making it the longest privately-held P-51D under the same owner.

Mohawk under restoration to fly at the Planes of Fame Air Museum. These ungainly-looking aircraft served the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, near the East German border, over the DMZ and in Op Desert Storm.

Aft section on display at the Planes of Fame Air Museum. Lettering on the Type 22 fuselage denotes this Zero was a war effort contribution. At the time, Japanese towns and villages, occupied territories, companies, schools, associations and individuals contributed. Naming ceremonies were conducted when several aircraft were christened together. The tail code and blue slanted band belong to Tainan Air Group, with two horizontal bands indicating this was flown by a chūtai leader. This Naval Air Group produced famous aces like Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, Saburō Sakai, Jun-ichi Sasai and Toshio Ōta.

White 11 on display at Planes of Fame Air Museum in the markings of 1./JG 400, the first Komet Staffel. A two-wheeled red and white dolly that was attached to the retractable skid is visible in front of the replica. It would drop off as the Komet became airborne. Flight testing for the world's first operational rocket-powered fighter was carried out by Erprobungskommando (EKdo) 16 at Bad Zwischenahn. Operational fighters were flown by JG 400 under command of Luftflotte Reich, with its Staffeln typically moving in the axis of Brandis to Salzwedel, Nordholz and finally Husum to end the war.

On display at Planes of Fame Air Museum. The F4U-1A had the higher canopy with reduced framing as compared to the F4U-1 "Birdcage," which improved forward visibility. It benefited from a water injected P&W R-2800 engine. Field modifications were made to some F4U-1As to fit bomb racks.

Volksjäger on display at the Planes of Fame Air Museum. This He-162 of 2./JG 1 "Oesau" was flown by Staffelkapitän Ltn Gerhard Hanf from Leck. It carries the wolf's head emblem of III./JG 77, which was Hanf's previous unit based in Romania. The engine unit is painted in RLM 81 and the tail fins in RLM 76. After its capture, the aircraft went to Cherbourg in dismantled condition to be shipped to the USA. The He-162 was flown only once at Muroc Dry Lake by legendary test pilot Bob Hoover and donated to the Univ. of Kansas. It was acquired by Eddie Fisher and then Ed Maloney for the museum.

Airworthy Warhawk inside the hangar at Planes of Fame Air Museum. This combat veteran was delivered on 22 Jun 1943 to the RCAF. It destroyed a Japanese Fu-Go fire-balloon bomb over British Columbia on 10 Mar 1945. After the war it went to several private owners. It was acquired by the museum in 1960 and restored in 1980. The aircraft has featured in the films "Pearl Harbor" and "Valkyrie." It is painted in the markings of the 325th FG. This MTO Group wore the distinctive black and yellow checkertail on its P-40s, P-47s and P-51s.

Airworthy P-2 inside the hangar at Planes of Fame Air Museum. The Swiss Air Force needed a trainer to allow easy transition to its Bf-109s. The P-2 was designed using a Bf-109 undercarriage and Argus As 410 engine, first flown on 27 Apr 1945. This P-2 was taken on charge by the Swiss Air Force. Sold to a private owner in the UK in 1981, it found its way to the USA and was acquired by the museum. It is painted in Luftwaffe colors and is being used by the museum's pilots to transition to the Hispano HA-1112-M1L.

Rare FB-5 with the emblem of VF-6B on display at Planes of Fame Air Museum. Originally A-7104, this is one of just 27 constructed for the U.S. Navy. They were delivered from the Boeing factory in Seattle on 21 Jan 1927 by placing the aircraft on a barge in Seattle Harbour and sent to the awaiting CV-1 USS Langley, from where they made their first flights. FB-5s were USN's first fighters intended for carrier operations. These aircraft served with VF-1 on USS Langley, VF-6B aboard USS Saratoga, VF-3B at San Diego and finally with Marine squadron VF-6M "Red Devils."

On display at Planes of Fame Air Museum.

"Lucky Lady II' on display at Planes of Fame Air Museum. This SAC aircraft created history, being the first to complete a nonstop flight around the world. The standby B-50A from 63rd BS "Sea Hawks," 43rd BG took off from Carswell AFB on 26 Feb 1949 and landed back on 2 Mar 49 after flying 23,452 miles in 94 hours, 1 min. The 43rd ARS supplied four pairs of KB-29M tankers to refuel the B-50A four times, losing one. Capt James Gallagher and his crew received DFCs, the Mackay Trophy and Air Age Trophy. The B-50A was damaged BER on 13 Aug 50 after all engines failed, breaking off the tail.

Red 6 recovered in 2003 on display at Planes of Fame. Built in 1939 as an E-1, this combat veteran participated in the Battle of France and BoB. It was converted to an E-7, carrying a 300L drop tank or as a Jabo with an ETC 50 or ETC 500 bomb rack. The Emil went to newly formed II./JG 5 'Eismeer' on 22 Mar 1942 at Petsamo and was flown by Lt. Wulf-Dieter Widowitz. While on an escort mission, it was shot down on 4 Apr 1942 by a 2nd GIAP Hurricane Mk.IIb. Widowitz put the aircraft down on a frozen lake. The 36-victory ace was killed on 28 Jul 43 while piloting a Go-145A from Kirkenes to Petsamo.

Sunlight falls on this SNJ-5 inside the hangar at the Planes of Fame Air Museum. The trainer was accepted by the USN on 12 Oct 1944 at Dallas, Texas. It served with a number of units till Dec 1946. After being reconditioned in 1947, the aircraft went into storage till 1948. It was returned to service in Jul 1948, serving on both coasts. The aircraft was stationed at Kwajalein from Jan to Oct 1954 during the atomic bomb tests, finishing its service at NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii. Transferred to California, it was acquired by the museum in 1961 and restored to flying condition.

On display at Planes of Fame Air Museum, this Natter (Adder) replica lies with its nose cone removed to show a battery of 24x73mm Föhn rockets. The partly reusable interceptor powered by a Walter rocket motor and jettisonable solid fuel rocket motors was to be launched from a ramp to intercept bombers. The first VTO launch on 28 Feb 1945 resulted in the death of the test pilot. Due to interest by Himmler, the SS ordered 150 Natters, with 50 for the Luftwaffe. Ten Natters known as K-Maschinen were operationally deployed for Krokus-Einsatz near Stuttgart but never launched by end of the war.

On display at Planes of Fame Air Museum, this is "Wrong Way" Corrigan's Robin. An aircraft mechanic, Douglas Corrigan worked on Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, pulling the chocks away for the historic flight. Determined to emulate Lindbergh, he bought the Robin and began to modify it till it was deemed unfit for a trans-Atlantic flight. Nevertheless, Corrigan took off from New York on 17 Jul 38 heading east and landed in Ireland after 28h 13m. Claiming it to be a navigational error due to disorientation in the clouds, he was honored on his return with a ticker-tape parade down Broadway.

On display at Planes of Fame Air Museum. This sailplane was built during World War II to train cargo glider pilots. It had a single wheel instead of a skid, and the fuselage had a steel-tube structure, weighing 475 lb empty. The USAAC placed an order for 75, followed by 75 more. These were given the designation TG-4A, but the flight characteristics were quite different to those of a cargo glider. After the war, these "L-K" gliders with a 23:1 glide ratio were used to promote civilian gliding, and some were modified to achieve higher airspeeds.

On display at the Planes of Fame Air Museum. This is one of the F.2B replicas built for the 1983 film "High Road to China." None were used in the film. In WW1, the F.2A was effective by offensively using the Constantinesco synchronised forward-firing Vickers gun, with the observer acting defensively. It could outdive most German aircraft, would loop well and absorb damage. Different engines were fitted, but most F.2Bs used the 275 h.p. Falcon III. Production ended in Dec. 1926 with 4,469 Bristol Fighters built. The RAF operated these till 1932.

"Lil Bill" at Planes of Fame Museum. The military L-17 Navion started as the civilian 185hp NA145 model. It bore some resemblance to the P-51D, but had a tricycle landing gear. The USAAF became interested in 1946 and ordered 83 for observation, liaison and as trainers for ROTC, plus six as unmanned drones. Ryan Aircraft acquired manufacturing rights in 1947, delivering the L-17B and L-17C. In 1960, TUSCO acquired rights and made the L-17. By the time production ended, around 2,500 had been built.

Inside the hangar at Planes of Fame Air Museum. The sleek Duke was introduced by Beech in 1968, aimed at the owner-flown segment of the business aircraft market. It was powered by a pair of 380hp Lycoming TIO-541 six cylinder turbocharged engines driving Hartzell three-blade propellers. This Duke Model 60 was built in 1969 and is one of about 125 built. Owners found the engines expensive to overhaul and the aircraft was likened to a high-end sports car. Later models included the A60 and B60 with modified turbochargers and cabin pressurization.

One gets to appreciate the large size of this airworthy Lightning as the aircraft stands by itself in the 475th Fighter Group Museum hangar at Planes of Fame Air Museum, with its 52 ft. wingspan taking up a lot of space. During WW2 the aircraft was assigned to 483rd Air Base Squadron at Santa Maria, California for training. It wears the markings of P-38H "Skidoo" of 432nd FS "Clover", 475th FG "Satan's Angels" as flown by 1st Lt Perry J. Dahl in New Guinea, who ended the war with nine victories.