Although now painted as a Naval Air Test Center aircraft, this Fury was in fact operated by VMF-232 "Red Devils", MCAS Kaneohe Bay, HI for its short service life in the mid-1950s. This is one of only two FJ-2s in preservation, although there are also a number of the more powerful FJ-3s surviving

This is actually an ex-USAF T-33A, 58-0480, presented to represent a Navy TV-2 during the Korean War period. It was obtained from the George T Baker Aviation School at Miami where it had been used as a ground instructional airframe registered N63311

Accepted in 1954, this 'Spad' has quite a record. Its first combat cruise came with VA-25 "Fist of the Fleet" on board USS Midway in 1965, during which time it was part of a mission that engaged North Vietnamese MiG-17s, one of the enemy jets being shot down. After operating with VA-52 "Knightriders" aboard the carrier USS Ticonderoga in 1966-1967, it was back with VA-25, this time on USS Coral Sea for a 1967-1968 cruise. During these three deployments, it logged 219 combat missions. In February 1968 it flew the USN's last A-1 combat mission and was ferried to the NAM in 1969

First flown in 1948, the F7U was ahead of its time and the capabilities of available power plants, being dubbed the "Gutless Cutlass". Plagued with weaknesses, over a quarter of the 320 F7Us built were lost to accidents. From 1954 this one flew with VF-83 (Oceana), VF-212 (Moffett), VA-151 (Alameda) and NARTU (Los Alamitos). Displayed in a Los Angeles park from 1960, it was restored from 1991. I was delighted to shoot this having recently acquired the wonderful new Crecy book on the Cutlass, co-authored by the owner of another F7U being restored for flight

This Cougar is painted in the colours of the unit with which it first operated, VF-142 based at NAS Miramar, from 1953 to 1956. Latterly deployed aboard USS Boxer, it was then transferred to VF-144. Next going to the Navy Reserve in 1957, it went into storage at Litchfield Park, AZ in 1959. Moving to NAS China Lake, CA in 1962 it was struck off and was seen on display at NAS Point Mugu, CA in the mid-1980s before joining the NAM in 1990

The Guardian was the largest single-engine piston-powered carrier aircraft to see service, flown in the ASW role till 1955 when replaced by the S2F Tracker. Used for maritime patrol in the Korea, it was unpopular with pilots being underpowered and heavy on the controls, suffering a high accident rate. This example was flown by VX-1 from NAS Key West and Naval Reserve units before disposal in 1956. Operated by Aero Union as tanker N3144G/E30 from 1962, it was later painted back into these USN colours and operated as a warbird before going to the museum in 1993

Records suggest this Banshee did not in fact fly with VMJ-1 which served in Korea as painted, instead remaining in the US with training unit VMJ-2 and later two USN squadrons. After being retired in 1958 it was put on show as a children's plaything in a park at Vero Beach, FL, the cockpit being filled with concrete. From 1989 it underwent an extraordinary restoration at Pensacola for the NAM and is now presented with every instrument correctly in place

Although effectively only a stopgap model until more advanced helicopters were introduced, the HO5S was widely used in the Korean War by the USMC for observation, scouting and medevac. This example is displayed in the colours of VMO-6 with whom it served in Korea before being damaged and returned to the US after a brief detachment in Japan. Moving to VMO-1 at MCAS New River, NC it was civilianised as N8003E by 1963 and entered the Naval Aviation Museum around 1988

This is former US Army UH-1H 68-16182, which was handed over to the South Korean Army in an unknown year. In 2018, it was first preserved at Chuncheon Air Base, but by 2021 it had been transferred to the Seoul war Memorial.

The museum closed in 2015 and the Bell along with other airframes (C-47/B-25/SA330 and Aero Commander) have all moved. Plans for a National Museum of Energy Technology to replace it have yet to come to fruition.

The Stalin Line Museum near Minsk depicts the history of the Stalin Line, a defence network to protect Minsk from German invasion. A row of aircraft is present here as well, like this An-2 with faded bort 03 yellow.

The history of this Tracker remains a mystery. It is supposed to be former USN 136595 which was delivered to the JMSDF as 4108 in 1957 and was last noted there in 1976. In 1978, it appeared in the US civil register as N207AK (to be used as fire bomber by the State of Alaska), but apparently it was never taken up as such. In 1995, it emerged in the Seoul war memorial, initially with serial 6707, which is former USN Tracker 136707 (c/n 616). Some reports indicate that the latter aircraft indeed was delivered to the RoKAF in 1972 and later went to the navy. So 6595 might be fake.

This unique two-seat trainer captured at Lechfeld was operated by Watson's Whizzers as '555/Willie' till flown to Cherbourg, the nose gear collapsing on landing. A replacement nose cone was fitted and it was shipped to the US in July 1945. Sent to Patuxent River for flight tests as BuNo 121448, it was then given to the Naval Aviation Museum, going on show at Willow Grove, PA from 1946 till 1993 when loaned for use as a pattern for the production of flying replicas. Static restoration in its 1944 marks was completed at Everett in 2000 and it returned to Willow Grove till 2007 when moved to NMNA

This aircraft was developed in 1953, right after the Korean war by the RoKAF Technical School and is generally seen as the start of South Korea's domestic aerospace industry. In 1960, it was transferred to a civil flight school in Daegu. In 2004, the fuselage of the aircraft was salvaged from the Kyeongsang Technical High School in Daegu and a restoration project started. Two new aircraft were built in 2011, both of which are now preserved as well. It is thought that this aircraft at the KAI museum is the restored aircraft with the original fuselage.

Not much is known about this U-17A that was active with the South Korean Navy from 1967 until 1984 and used in for reconnaissance, liaison, and light transport duties.

The Stalin Line Museum near Minsk depicts the history of the Stalin Line, a defence network to protect Minsk from a German invasion. A row of aircraft is present here as well, like this MiG-23MLD, which is the ultimate fighter version of the MiG-23, with code 14 white.

Really F-BASS which was built for Air France in 1953, then in 1964 transferred to the French Air Force for long-distance transport duties. Retired in 1967 and became "Restaurant Le Bréguet" here at Fontenay, but long since abandoned. The only surviving example of the Breguet 763 Deux Pont!

A former Luftwaffe Fiat G-91R 32+83

Gateguard at Soesterberg

Bolivia was one of the first customers of the Pilatus PC-7. FAB-452 has c/n 112 and is seen here in display at Cochabamba air base.