Ca.1949: TOS USAF. 1955: Sheppard AFB, TX, for maintenance training. 1956: Registered N2566B, exported to Mexico for Chiapas Aero Services, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapa with c/r XA-LOU. By 1960: Open storage in Mexico City. 1978-1988: Derelict, at a farm. 1990: Returned to USA. 1991-1993: Restored to static condition for USAF Museum using components from YC-125A 48-634 (N3756Q). 1994: United States Air Force Museum, 1995: Restoration completed at the museum. Marked as 48-622, which was stationed at Wright-Patterson for cold weather testing. 2022: NMUSAF solicited for buyers. 2025: Engines removed

Taken into service in September 1954 as an F-89D and upgraded to F-89J in 1957, this aircraft was the last Scorpion in service with an operational unit and arrived at the museum in July 1969 from the Maine ANG. These days it is painted as an F-89J of the 449th FIS as per my upload from December 2024 here

More than 5,000 MiG-23s of all types were built. The MiG-23MS was designed for export and was equipped with a less sophisticated radar housed in a smaller radome. The USAF's 4477th Test Squadron, the "Red Eagles," flew this aircraft during Project Constant Peg providing realistic adversary training for US pilots. It is likely an ex Egyptian AF aircraft and was transferred to the museum in February 2017

This is an early model Soviet AF MiG-29A that was assigned to the 234th Gvardeiskii Istrebitelnii Aviatsionnii Polk (234th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment) stationed at Kubinka AB in Moscow. It was one of the six MiG-29s that made a goodwill visit to Kuopio-Rissala, Finland, in July 1986, marking the first public display of the type. In 1992 it was one of 33 MiG-29s inherited by the Moldovan AF, operated as '25 white' (ex '22 yellow') and was sold to the US in 1997 wearing its olive green camouflage

I was a bit surprised to see this unskinned glider on display at the airshow, and despaired of finding a reg for it, until I passed by again, and spoke to the gentleman who'd brought her in. This 1946 Schweizer is, in fact, the very first glider owned by what was originally the Soaring Society of Dayton, now Caesar Creek Soaring Club in Waynesville, Ohio. After her time there, she went to the Stewart family at their field in Waynesville, and then to an owner in Florida before she was rediscovered, retrieved, and is now under restoration to her former glory.

Sharing the Lane Aviation ramp with an earlier Sikorsky product on an early summer evening. Built in 1999, ex N7612S, N317MX, N76LC, N76LQ, and C-GNYO, having become C-FXGQ in 2014.

One half of Speed Hunter Aviation's display at this year's show. Based out of Warren County Airport (I68) in Lebanon, Ohio. Built in 1972.

One of many Mentors to be seen at the show this year. As noted elsewhere, though she wears 550704 under her tail, this is actually ex-USAF 55-147. Dataplate gives a manufacture date of September 1955; after military service, went to the Civil Air Patrol as N12252 in 1964, retaining that same reg with other owners to the present day.

This really is 52-1066. Chateauroux to Athens and was forced down by Yugoslavia Air Force fighters. Plane and crew were held until after some diplomatic negotiations when they were released to return to Chateauroux. 19 Sep '74: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, for storage. 27 Aug '75: Flown to the Air Force Museum. It is displayed as 51-135 of 756th Military Airlift Squadron/909th Military Airlift Group (Andrews AFB).

The USAAS adopted the SPAD XIII, a development of the SPAD VII, as its primary fighter in WWI. By the war's end, the Air Service had accepted 893 SPAD XIIIs from the French, equipping 15 of the 16 American fighter squadrons. This example went into service with the French in October 1918 so did not see war operations but was shipped to the US in 1919 and fitted with a smaller Wright-Suiza engine to replace its Hispano-Suiza. Joined Cole Palen's flying circus in 1951, becoming N2030A and bequeathed to the USAFM in 1993 where it is now displayed in the colours of 94th PS ace Eddie Rickenbacker

Designed in 1917 as a combination fighter, light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft by Capt Georges LePere, a French aeronautical engineer working for the USAAS, LUSAC stood for LePere United States Army Combat. This is the only LUSAC 11 in existence of 28 built and went to France just before the end of the war. In 1989 the museum acquired it from the Musee de l'Air in Paris. After extensive restoration, it went on display in 1992, marked as it appeared while at the Allied test facility in Orly, France, in late 1918

Originally allocated USAAF serial 42-36446. Donated in 1971 by the CAP's Greene County Composite Squadron at Xenia, OH

Dubbed the "Tommy" by its pilots, the Thomas-Morse Scout became the favourite single-seat training airplane for US pilots during WWI with nearly 600 procured for the USAAS. Some were still being used as late as the mid-1930s for movies filmed in Hollywood. This one was donated to the museum in 1965 and went on show after a two-year restoration in 2021

Taken into service by the RAF in May 1942 as DE744 and became G-ANCN in 1953 then OO-NCN in 1955 and N39DH in 1970. It won several trophies at air shows in the States before entering the USAFM in 1998

This Invader is now painted to represent a night intruder used during the Korean War by the 34th BS. My 1973 photo here

Based on existing Cierva and Pitcairn designs, in 1931 this was the first autogiro tested by the Army Air Corps at Wright Field for a possible role as a slow flying machine to observe enemy forces and control artillery fire, but it was found to have unsuitable performance

This Cessna was retired by the Civil Air Patrol in 2024 having operated it since 1986. It was the only civilian aircraft authorised to fly in and around New York City on 12 September 2001 after the 9/11 terror attacks when the airspace was otherwise closed to civil traffic, performing aerial photography of the area surrounding the destroyed World Trade Center. In March 2024 it arrived at the NMUSAF and has been put on display in the Cold War gallery

The versatile L-1 performed a variety of missions both in the US and overseas during WWII and was well suited for operations from short fields. Its duties included towing training gliders, artillery spotting, liaison, rescue, supply transport, espionage behind Japanese lines and even dropping light bombs. This one was civilianised as N66648 after the war, later changing N63229 and N4782C. It was donated to the museum in 1973 by the widow of its owner in Alaska and placed on display in 1979

The B-29 which (in)famously dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki on 9th August 1945, three days after the first dropped by "Enola Gay" on Hiroshima. Flown to the USAFM in September 1961 after storage at Davis Monthan

In November 1942 this MC-200 was damaged while landing at Benghazi K-3 airfield in Libya and was captured by British forces during the Axis retreat after the battle of El Alamein. In early 1943 it was shipped to the USA and used for tours around the country to raise War Bonds. It became derelict postwar but in 1965 went to the Bradley Air Museum, Windsor Locks, CT. From December 1989 the Aermacchi factory at Verese in Italy restored it for the USAFM and was flown as airfreight to Wright Patterson in October 1992. It is finished in the Regia Aeronautica markings as found when captured