Featured Kit
CAC CA-13 Boomerang
The CAC Boomerang, sometimes known as “Australia’s Panic Fighter” was designed and built in haste in the gloomy months immediately following the Pearl Harbor attack, advancing from the drawing board to first flight in only 16 weeks. It was a highly effective ground support aircraft with good firepower and armor protection, but being underpowered, lacked the speed to be an effective interceptor. It has the distinction of never having shot down a single enemy aircraft, but when scrambled in time could and did scare Japanese bombers off, preventing them from hitting their assigned targets on several occasions.
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B-58 Hustler
When it entered service in March 1960, the Convair B-58 Hustler was the world’s first supersonic bomber, capable of exceeding Mach 2. Powered by four big General Electric J-79 turbojets, the B-58 claimed nearly 20 world speed and altitude records. The B-58 could fly in “on the deck” at nearly Mach 1, hit its target, then exit at altitude with a Mach 2 dash. Serving with Strategic Air Command from 1960 to 1970, it could be airborne 5 minutes from a ground alert.
F-14D Tomcat
Originally developed as a carrier fighter with a heavy emphasis on the fleet defense role, over its 30-plus year career from initial deployment in 1974, the F-14 Tomcat evolved into a multi-role aircraft capable of attack and reconnaissance missions. A two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather air superiority fleet defense interceptor serving the U.S. Navy from 1974 to 2006, it stymied critics who predicted it would be retired upon the introduction of the F/A-18 Hornet in 1983.
F-94B Starfire
Derived from the successful Lockheed T-33 trainer, the F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet powered all-weather day/night interceptor that would see action in the Korean War. Equipped with a powerful radar, it was the first operational United States Air Force fighter fitted with an afterburner and first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat in Korea, replacing the F-82 Twin Mustang in providing fighter escort to B-29 night raiders.
Fiat G.55 Centauro
The Fiat G.55 was an excellent mid- to late-war interceptor and a serious contender for Italy’s best fighter of World War II. The most telling fact about the G.55 is that the German Luftwaffe, which held quality military hardware in high regard, adopted it in limited numbers once Italy surrendered to the Allies in the Fall of 1943. Whether in German or Italian hands, it threatened Allied bomber formations and was certainly a match for the likes of the P-51 Mustang.
Grumman Gulfhawk
The Grumman Gulfhawk was built in 1936, converted from the Grumman F3F that was in service with U.S. Navy aircraft carriers at the time. It would thrill spectators at air shows in Europe and the United States for the next 12 years, until 1948. In the U.S., it was a feature attraction at such meets as the Cleveland Air Races, the Miami All-America Air Show, and the 1939 New York World’s Fair, demonstrating precision aerobatics and the then-new technique of dive bombing.
Junkers F.13
Designed and built in Germany during the closing months of World War I, the Junkers F.13 was the first all-metal, cantilever-wing monoplane airliner and a truly modern aircraft for its time. Providing air passenger service starting in 1919, Junkers’ (and possibly the world’s) first commercial airplane featured a cockpit accommodating two pilots and a fully enclosed, heated cabin seating four passengers in the same comfort to be found in automobiles of the day.
Mitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryu
The Mitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryu (Flying Dragon) was the most advanced bomber in the Japanese military during World War II. Although classed by the Japanese as a heavy bomber, its twin engines and bomb load of 1,764 lbs, compared to the average B-17 bomb load of 4,500 lbs. made it comparable to the Martin B-26 Marauder, a medium bomber. Designated “Peggy” by the Allies, its combat debut was in torpedo attacks during the battle off Taiwan in October 1944.
Lockheed PV-1 Ventura
Lockheed’s PV-1 Ventura was conceived in 1940 as a patrol bomber derived from the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar commercial transport. Its baptism of fire was not a success as it could not operate as a day bomber in Europe without fighter escort, but it excelled as a patrol bomber and attack aircraft in the South Pacific, particularly during the Solomons Campaign where it was primarily used with great effect against enemy shipping and submarines.
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This Day in Aviation History
October 6, 1983
First flight of the Bell Helicopter Company Model 406. subsequently designated the OH-58D Kiowa reconnaissance helicopter.