Nearly a year after its famed rescue of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, The Bug was still in service despite its “arduous two-year war career.” Although it qualified for the fictitious “Plane Hall of Fame,” the aircraft was not fortunate enough to be preserved.

Lucky Bug

The Chance Vought OS2U Kingfisher was designed as a scouting aircraft.

J. M. Caiella
January 2025
There are no known photographs of 1F.1 Camel D8177, and the markings of No. 213 Squadron were not standardized, with aircraft often having personalized features. It is depicted here in one of the basic standard Camel configurations.

The Navy’s First Ace

Great Britain’s famed Sopwith 1F.1 Camel of World War I was a fearsome aircraft not only to its enemies but also to its pilots.

November 2024
With Captain Arthur H. Page on board A-7147, the Hawk is pushed to the water for the start of the 31 May 1930 Curtiss Marine Flying Trophy Race at Naval Air Station Anacostia, D.C.

Five Lives

From 1923 to 1938, one aircraft defined U.S. military aviation during the so-called Golden Age of flight.

September 2024
First Lieutenant Christian F. Schilt and his gunner, who did not fly during the Quilali flights, pose with their aircraft at Ocotal.

Little-Known Hero

Fifteen years before the Vought F4U Corsair cemented its name in history over the Pacific Ocean in World War II, the original Corsair earned its own significant place in the ...

J. M. Caiella
August 2024
Lieutenant Theodore Ellyson is in the pilot’s seat of A-1 as preparations are made for the cable test launch. The main cable ran in an inverted U-channel beneath the pontoon; thinner cables were strung near each wingtip for balance. The broad U-shaped tip guides are visible beneath the wings.

The Navy’s First

Practical flight was less than eight years old when the U.S. Navy made its first tentative commitment to put sailors aloft in heavier-than-air craft.

J. M. Caiella
June 2024
The NB-36H was the world’s first aircraft to fly with an operating nuclear reactor on board. The reactor did not power the plane but was used to obtain data on the effects of radiation on instruments, equipment, and the airframe. The NB-36H’s dark blue nose and orange radiation symbol on its tail distinguished it from a conventional B-36.

Atomic-Powered Aircraft

The program that developed the atomic bomb awarded a contract to the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Company to determine the feasibility of using nuclear energy to power an aircraft.

Norman Polmar
March 2024
A VH-60N White Hawk in flight. The aircraft was known as a “White Top” because of its livery.

The Presidential Helicopters

Helicopter transport has become a common, almost everyday means of travel for the President.

Norman Polmar
February 2024
A P-59 at rest. Note the tricycle landing gear common on Bell-produced piston-engine fighters—the P-39 Airacobra and P-63 Kingcobra, both of which were in combat in World War II.

The First U.S. Jet

The first U.S. jet-propelled aircraft was the Bell P-59 Airacomet.

Norman Polmar
December 2023
An OL-2 showing the aircraft’s two open cockpits; it could be flown with a control wheel in the forward cockpit or a control stick in the rear cockpit.

A Plane for All Seasons

The Loening OL-series amphibians were among the most popular aircraft used by the U.S. military services between the world wars, being flown by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast ...

Norman Polmar
October 2023
XC-142A taking off

The Largest V/STOL Aircraft

One of the more unusual vertical/short-takeoff-and-landing (V/STOL) aircraft flown by the U.S. military services was the Ling-Temco-Vought XC-142.

August 2023