BGuthrie Photos: VA -- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center -- Main Hangar

VA -- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center -- Main Hangar:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. AIRM_050825_0013.JPG: Pitts Special S-1C "Little Stinker"
2. AIRM_050825_0047.JPG: Westland Lysander IIIA: During World War II, Allied Westland Lysander crews flew highly classified clandestine missions from England over Axis territory. Many of their operational missions remain locked in official secrecy. The Lysander, also known as "Lizzie," could land in and take off from places normally unrecognizable as airfields -- pastures, fields, even forest clearings -- and was effective at inserting special agents deep into enemy territory. This Lysander was built in Canada in 1942. Little is known about its service history, but it likely flew as an aerial tow plane. It is painted in the colors of 136 Squadron RAF, which was based at the Royal Air Force's Tempsford Airfield. There, Lysanders flew missions to supply resistance forces and transport agents to and from occupied Europe.
3. AIRM_050825_0061.JPG: Vought-Sikorsky XR-4C: The XR-4 served as the prototype for the world's first mass-produced helicopter. It made its first flight six weeks after the United States entered World War II. The XR-4 quickly broke many helicopter records, including a 1,225-kilometer (761-mile) flight from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Wright Field, Ohio, where it became the first helicopter to enter service with the U.S. military. By late 1943, it had completed its mission to prove the value of the helicopter in military service. Sikorsky produced 130 R-4 helicopters, 55 of which went to the Army Air Forces, 23 to the Coast Guard and Navy, and 52 to Great Britain. The Army Air Forces mainly used the R-4 as a trainer, but 20 R-4s served in the Pacific and Burma theaters during the last 16 months of the war. They performed liaison and rescue duties, including the first medical evacuations by helicopter.
4. AIRM_050825_0065.JPG: Northrop N-1M [the flying wing]
5. AIRM_050825_0096.JPG: Focke-Achgelis Fa 330A
6. AIRM_050825_0104.JPG: Heinkel He 219 A Uhu: Heavily armed with up to eight cannons and guided to its target by radar, the Heinkel He 219 Uhu (Eagle Owl) was one of the Luftwaffe's most formidable night fighters. It was the first German aircraft fitted with a steerable nosewheel, and the first aircraft in history to enter service fitted with ejection seats. On the aircraft's first mission in 1943, a single He 219 shot down at least five British bombers. The Museum's airplane is an He 219 A-2 built in late 1944 and the sole survivor of its type. Little is known about its wartime operational history. British forces captured the airplane at Grove, Denmark, in May 194 and turned it over to the U.S. Army Air Forces for evaluation and testing. Shipped to Freeman Field, Indiana, it was flown for less than 13 hours before being transferred to the Smithsonian.
7. AIRM_050825_0127.JPG: Junkers Ju 52/3m
8. AIRM_050825_0142.JPG: Bowlus BA-100 Baby Albatross The Baby Albatross is one of the most successful kit-built sailplanes. William Hawley Bowlus designed it, and in 1938 he began selling kits that included all of the essential parts needed to build the aircraft. A complete Baby Albatross kit could be bought for less than one-third the price of other ready-to-fly sailplanes. Pilots built more than 50 of them. The start of World War II ended sales, but Bowlus succeeded in making soaring more accessible by offering this attractive kit airplane.
9. AIRM_050825_0172.JPG: Hiller XH-44 Hiller-Copter: In 1944, at the age of 19, Stanley Hiller Jr. designed, built, and test piloted the XH-44, the first helicopter with coaxial rotors to fly in the United States. The XH-44 was also the first helicopter to fly successfully with all-metal blades and a rigid (hingeless) rotor. Hiller used the counter-rotating coaxial configuration to distinguish his helicopters from Sikorsky's single main rotor designs that dominated the industry in the mid-1940s. The first tie-down tests of the XH-44 took place on Hiller's parents' driveway. The initial flight tests occurred at the University of California at Berkeley's football stadium, where Hiller was a student. He initially tested the XH-44 with amphibious floats in his family's swimming pool. Up-scaled coaxial Hiller designs failed to sell, but his company prospered after introducing its popular single-rotor UH-12.
10. AIRM_050825_0182.JPG: SpaceShipOne: This covered craft is SpaceShipOne, the first privately-built and operated craft to make an orbital flight and then reflight within a two-week period. It will be unveiled down at the Mall later. As the Smithsonian announcement stated: Paul G. Allen, Microsoft co-founder and sole funder of SpaceShipOne, announced plans to donate the spacecraft to the Smithsonian during the National Air and Space Museum's annual Trophy awards ceremony on March 9 [2005]. Allen, designer Burt Rutan and the SpaceShipOne team were the winners of the 2005 National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Current Achievement. Plans call for SpaceShipOne to arrive at the museum's flagship building on the National Mall in Washington in late September. It will hang in the museum's central Milestones of Flight gallery between Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis and Chuck Yeager's Bell X-1. Later in the year, the 1903 Wright Flyer -- the world's first airplane -- will return to its hanging position in the Milestones gallery following the end of its special eye-level display on the building's second floor. ... SpaceShipOne is the first privately owned and operated spacecraft to exceed an altitude of 62 miles (100 km) twice within a period of 14 days, a feat that captured the $10 million Ansari X-Prize, designed to encourage development of space tourism. On Oct. 4, 2004, pilot Brian Binnie took SpaceShipOne 70 miles (112 km) above the Earth. On Sept. 29, pilot Mike Melvill flew the vehicle 64 miles (102 km) above the Earth. SpaceShipOne flew previously on June 21, 2004, with Melvill piloting and exceeding an altitude of 62 miles. Although equipped with three seats, SpaceShipOne has only been flown solo. To qualify for the Ansari X-Prize, it carried the pilot and the equivalent weight of two passengers. Its design, featuring a bullet-shaped forward fuselage and splayed wings, will be studied for adaptation for larger space tourism vehicles. ... SpaceShipOne will be the fifth Rutan-designed vehicle in the museum's collection. The Mall building's south lobby gallery features Rutan's Voyager aircraft, which in 1986 made the first nonstop, non-refueled flight around the world.
11. AIRM_050825_0199.JPG: Kaman K-225: This K-225 was the first helicopter to fly with a gas turbine-driven transmission. Turbines offered important advantages: improved reliability, easier maintenance, and higher power-to-weight ratios, which allowed for larger loads, increased safety, and lower operating costs. Kaman built the K-225 in 1949 as a commercial model, mainly for use as a crop duster. In 1951, Kaman replaced the reciprocating engine that originally powered this K-225 with a gas turbine to demonstrate the potential of jet-powered helicopters to the U.S. Navy. While delivering the aircraft, William R. Murray performed a loop to demonstrate the K-225's maneuverability. The K-225 served as the basis for Kaman's successful HTK, HOK, and H-43 series of military helicopters. The engine currently on the aircraft is not original.
12. AIRM_050825_0211.JPG: P-V Engineering Forum PV-2: Built under the direction of Frank Piasecki, the PV-2 proved the P-V Engineering Forum's expertise in helicopter design. Although the PV-2 was a prototype civil commuter aircraft, nearly all of Piasecki's subsequent helicopters were large tandem-rotor military models. The PV-2 was the first helicopter to use dynamically balanced blades, which improved stability and reduced vibration. In 1943, the U.S. Navy, under pressure from Congress for ignoring the helicopter's potential for antisubmarine warfare, began looking for an established manufacturer other than Sikorsky, which was committed to producing helicopters for the Army Air Forces. An October 1943 demonstration of the PV-2 at Washington's National Airport earned Piasecki the Navy contract for the milestone XHRP-X transport helicopter, as well as the first individual helicopter license issued by the Civil Aeronautics Authority.
13. AIRM_050825_0229.JPG: Autogiro Company of America AC-35: Built in 1936 for a Department of Commerce competition to create an aerial "Model T," the innovative, two-seat AC-35 Autogiro could take off or land in a distance of 52 meters (173 feet). After folding back the rotors, the pilot could switch engine power to the rear wheel and drive down the road at a speed of 40 kilometers (25 miles) per hour. The AC-35 initially suffered from stability problems, but further experimentation made it safe and relatively easy to fly. The prototype performed well, but the $12,500 price tag -- several times the average family income of 1936 -- did not meet the goal of an affordable $700 aircraft. Harold Pitcairn's Autogiro Company of America built only this one AC-35 but continued to work on an improved version. World War II and the advent of the practical helicopter spelled an end of Pitcairn's hopes for mass production of the Autogiro.
14. AIRM_050825_0246.JPG: Bensen B-6 Gyroglider: Igor Bensen designed this Gyroglider in 1954 as a means to introduce teenagers and aviation enthusiasts to the thrills of flight with minimal cost. The pilot relied on an automobile or other vehicle to pull the aircraft aloft. The movement of air through the rotor disc caused the blades to autorotate, which provided lift. The Gyroglider needed a relative wind speed of 32 kilometers (20 miles) per hour to remain airborne. Kit plans and critical parts for the production B-7 version were available starting at $100. The kit included options for either skids or wheeling landing gear, which required steel-soled shoes for braking. Towed aircraft did not require certification unless the pilot detached the towrope in flight. Bensen later modified a B-7 Gyroglider with a motor, resulting in his highly successful Gyrocopter line.
15. AIRM_050825_0251.JPG: Bensen B-8M Gyrocopter "Spirit of Kitty Hawk": Designed by Igor Bensen, the B-8M became one of the most popular homebuilt aircraft of the 20th century. This powered Gyrocopter variant of the B-8 Gyroglider first flew in 1957. Airflow created by the aircraft's forward motion caused the unpowered blades to autorotate and generate lift. Unlike a helicopter, the Gyrocopter could not hover or take off vertically, but it could make nearly vertical descents. The "Spirit of Kitty Hawk" was a testbed for the B-8M series. It carried its name by matching the passed, duration, and distance of the Wright brothers' first powered flights for a 60th anniversary celebration at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. In 1967 and 1968, it set 12 gyroplane records for speed, distance, and altitude. Its air show performances helped established gyroplanes as a new category of sport aircraft.
16. AIRM_050825_0265.JPG: Gyro 2000 Ikenga 530Z: In the early 1980s, artist and industrial designer David Gittens began developing an innovative, low-cost gyroplane that could transport medical personnel and equipment to remote villages in the poorer nations of the world. Unfortunately, potential buyers were more interested in less peaceful applications, and Gittens had to abandon his goal of a "future link" connecting stricken areas with the wider world. The Ikenga's simple construction and capability to take off and land in short distances on unprepared surfaces made it ideally suited for use in remote areas. Its tractor engine made it more stable than the pusher configuration of most modern gyroplanes. Test pilot Mark Hallet rode motorcycle-style, with his heels controlling the rudder pedals. "Ikenga" refers to the ceremonial mask that embodies humanity's creative life force in the Ibo mythology of Eastern Nigeria.
17. AIRM_050825_0276.JPG: Kellett XO-60: The XO-60 represents the final evolution of the Autogiro before it became obsolete. In 1943, Kellett produced one XO-60 and six YO-60s for Army Air Forces evaluation. The XO-60's slow speed and almost vertical takeoff and landing ability made it seem ideal for military observation duty. However, the arrival of the Sikorsky R-4 helicopter, and the XO-60's inability to hover, limited payload, and ground resonance problems, kept the experimental aircraft from production. Kellett equipped the XO-60 with a dump takeoff clutch, which allowed the engine to spin up the rotor before takeoff. The pilot then set collective pitch and caused the aircraft to lift nearly vertically, while the clutch switched power to the tractor propeller to pull the aircraft forward in autorotation. However, jump takeoffs and near-vertical landings were difficult maneuvers and resulted in several accidents.
18. AIRM_050825_0285.JPG: RotorWay Scorpion Too: The Scorpion homebuilt helicopter was a highly successful kit that began production in 1968. The Scorpion was initially sold as a single-seat model, but the Scorpion Too with its extra passenger seat became much more popular. When first sold in the early 1970s, the Scorpion Too kit cost about $7,000, including an economical Evinrude marine motor as its power plant. The kit's relatively low cost made the design competitive with fixed-wing kits. Designer B.J. Schramm intended the Scorpion series for recreational use under the experimental aircraft category, in which it has been quite successful. The basic design has undergone significant changes through the years, and the later "Exec" variations proved popular with kit builders and helicopter enthusiasts who could not otherwise afford expensive production aircraft.
19. AIRM_050825_0299.JPG: Ultraflight Lazair SS EC: Police officers in Monterey Park, California, began flying this ultralight during the summer of 1984. It replaced an American Aerolights Double Eagle (displayed nearby) that the city operated two years earlier. From its fully enclosed, armored cockpit, police conducted surveillance above the international field hockey competitions staged in Monterey Park's stadium during the Summer Olympics, watched the stadium gates, and assisted in crowd control. As pilot Bruce Logan noted, "During 14 days of competition, there were no reported incidents of auto burglary, theft or malicious mischief while we were in the air." Inability to obtain insurance for the Lazair caused Monterey Park to ground the aircraft about 1986, but the program drew interest from the Alabama corrections department and law enforcement organizations in Australia, Japan, and Jordan.
20. AIRM_050825_0319.JPG: Robinson R44 Astro G_MURY: Beginning in the mid-1950s, most new helicopter designs used gas-turbine engines in place of reciprocating (piston) models. When Frank Robinson introduced the R44 in 1992, he altered this trend in the light-utility class by using a low-cost reciprocating powerplant combined with a simple teetering rotor system, which significantly reduced purchase and operating costs but not performance. G-MURY has flown around the world twice with Jennifer Murray at the controls. From May 10 to August 8, 1997, with her instructor, Quentin Smith, she became the first person to pilot a piston-powered helicopter around the world, and the first woman to fly a helicopter around the world. From May 31 to September 6, 2000, Murray made her second around-the-world flight, becoming the first woman to do so solo in a helicopter.
21. AIRM_050825_0385.JPG: Bell Model 47B: In 1946, the Civil Aeronautics Authority awarded the first civil helicopter certification to the Model 47, the first Bell helicopter type to enter production. Initial sales failed to meet expectations of a post-World War II civil aviation boom. But later versions saw significant service in the Korean War and other conflicts, and it became a highly successful commercial model, with some logging over five decades of service. The two-seat 47B was the first commercial version of Bell's pioneering Model 30. This example served over four decades as a factory demonstrator, news copter, crop duster, and trainer, and performed power line patrols and aerial photography missions. In 1989, Douglas Daigle purchased it, had it restored, and set the world's hovering record of 50 hours, 50 seconds. Its last flight, in December 2004, occurred over 57 years after its first, making it the longest-flying helicopter in history.
22. AIRM_050825_0388.JPG: Bell H-13J: Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first U.S. president to fly aboard a helicopter in this U.S. Air Force H-13J on July 12, 1957. It was one of two modified H13Js the Air Force purchased for evacuating the President to a remote command post in the event of a military confrontation with the Soviet Union. The H-13J also shuttled President Eisenhower to Washington's National Airport and his personal retreat in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lager, more comfortable models soon replaced it in presidential transport duties. Sold commercially as the Model 47 , the H-13J was a direct evolution of Bell's first helicopter, the Model 30. On the "J" models, known as "Rangers," Bell increased the seating from two to four by stretching the cabin and relocating the instrument panel to the left side of the pilot's seat.
23. AIRM_050825_0412.JPG: Lots of kiosks that are going to go up
24. AIRM_050825_0436.JPG: Kaman K-225
25. AIRM_050825_0478.JPG: Robinson R22: Helicopters are often several times as expensive to operate as comparably sized airplanes because of the complexity and maintenance needs of their rotor and transmission systems. In 1973, Frank Robinson began developing a new light helicopter that was simpler than most certified models yet not as rugged. It had light alloy construction, honeycomb-core rotor blades, and a simple teetering (semi-rigid) rotor system. The R22's low acquisition and operating costs reduced financial barriers to helicopter training and private helicopter ownership. As a result, the R22 became one of the most widely used training helicopters from the 1980s on. This is the first production R22 built and the oldest surviving example of the type. It flew extensively during its FAA certification trials. By the end of 2004, Robinson Helicopter had produced more than 3,700 R22s.
26. AIRM_050825_0501.JPG: Mitchell U-2 Superwing: Don Mitchell designed the all-wing, single-seat U-2 and flew the first one in 1979. A pilot could fly it using the small, two-cycle pusher engine or stop the engine and soar. Mitchell claimed a lift-to-drag ratio of 25:1. Pilots generally favored its flying and maintenance qualities, but some reported handling difficulty in all by light winds. A Superwing pilot set the world record altitude for Class C1 -- single-engine land aircraft not exceeding 297 kilograms (661 pounds) -- in 1984 when he flew up to 7,886 meters (25,940 feet). By the mid-1980s, Mitchell had sold more than 1,500 U-2 kits, initially priced at $2,795 less engine and paint. He estimated a building time of 250 hours plus 100 hours to install the engine and paint the aircraft. Mike Bourquin, Steve Hornyak, Jerry Pashia, Bernie Steinbaugh, and Ray Taylor helped Frank Marsh construct this Mitchell U-2 Superwing.
27. AIRM_050825_0519.JPG: Arlington Sisu 1A: Leonard Niemi's Sisu ("SEE-soo") is the most successful U.S. competition sailplane ever flown. Alvin H. Parker took off from his hometown of Odessa, Texas, at the controls of this Sisu on July 31, 1964, and flew 1,042 kilometers (647 miles), shattering a symbolic and psychological barrier that had defeated sailplane pilots for years. In his soaring anthology "On Quiet Wings," Joseph Lincoln called the 1,000-kilometer milestone, "for a good many years... the soaring pilot's four-minute on both sides of the Atlantic." John Ryan (1962), Dean Svec (1965), and A.J. Smith (1967) all won the U.S. National Soaring Championships in Sisu sailplanes. In 1967, Bill Ivans set a national speed record in a Sisu 1A at El Mirage, California, by skimming across the desert at 135 kilometers (84 miles) per hour over a 100-kilometer (62-mile) triangular course.
28. AIRM_050825_0545.JPG: Nelson BB-1 Dragonfly: The Nelson BB-1 Dragonfly was the first motor glider produced in the United States. It first flew about 1946. In 1945, William H. Bowlus and Ted Nelson formed the Nelson Aircraft Corporation to build a two-seat, motor glider version of the popular Bowlus BA-100 Baby Albatross nicknamed the Bumblebee. When this aircraft went into production, they renamed it the Dragonfly.
29. AIRM_050825_0560.JPG: Stanley Nomad: Robert M. Stanley installed the world's first aircraft V-tail assembly on this sailplane. The Nomad had a conventional cruciform tail when Stanley finished building the airplane in June 1938. While competing later than year at the National Soaring Contest in Elmira, New York, he landed in a remote field at the end of a cross-country flight, and a souvenir hunter stole the elevator control surfaces. Stanley then replaced the entire tail with the first V-tail. Stanley later attributed many advantages to the V-tail: It was smaller, lighter, and created less drag. It flew in undisturbed air above the wake created by the wing. Its "ruddervators," which combined rudder and elevators into two surfaces, were more effective and easier to build than a three-surface tail assembly. And the ruddervators pointed upward and thus were less likely to be damaged when landing in rough terrain.
30. AIRM_050825_0581.JPG: Schweizer SGU 2-22EK
31. AIRM_050825_0599.JPG: Kreider-Reisner C-4C Challenger
32. AIRM_050825_0609.JPG: Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay"
33. AIRM_050825_0618.JPG: Nakajima J1N1-S Gekko "Irving": Nakajima designed the Gekko (Moonlight) as a three-seat, daylight escort fighter. First flown in 1941, the aircraft was modified as a night fighter in 1943 and on its first mission shot down two American B-17 bombers to prove its capability. It was redesigned to hold only two crewmen so two upward-firing guns could be mounted in what had been the radio man's cockpit. The Japanese built nearly 500 J1N1s during World War II, including prototype, escort, reconnaissance, and night fighter versions. Many were also used as Kamikaze aircraft. The few that survived the war were scrapped by the Allies. This J1N1 is the last remaining "Irving" in the world. It was transplanted from Japan to the United States, where the U.S. Army Air Forces flight tested it in 1946 and then transferred it to the Smithsonian. Its restoration, completed in 1983, took more than four years and 17,000 work-hours.
34. AIRM_050825_0631.JPG: Northrop N-1M [the flying wing]
35. AIRM_050825_0646.JPG: Vought-Sikorsky XR-4C [helicopter] Nagler-Rolz NR 54 V2 [with overhead cone]
36. AIRM_050825_0655.JPG: Nakajima J1N1-S Gekko "Irving"
37. AIRM_050825_0659.JPG: Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird
38. AIRM_050825_0664.JPG: Loon Missile: Also called the JB-2 by the U.S. Army Air Forces, the Loon was an American copy of the German pulsejet-powered V-1 "buzz bomb" of World War II. The long tube at the rear is the air-breathing pulsejet engine. Developed late in the war, the Loon was first test launched in October 1944. Loons could be launched from the ground, ships, or aircraft, but they were never used in combat. However, U.S. Navy and Army Air Forces personnel working with Loons gained invaluable experience in handling missiles. The program was canceled in 1950. The Loon was replaced by the faster and more powerful Regulus missile.
39. AIRM_050825_0677.JPG: Farman Sport: In 1919, the H & M Farman Aeroplane Company of France produced the Farman Sport two-space sport and light commercial biplane. In 1922, C.T. Ludington and Wallace Kellett of Philadelphia formed the Ludington Exhibition Company as agents for Farman aircraft. The next year, they imported their first two Sports. Their pilot flew this aircraft, serial number 15, in the 1924 "On to Dayton Race," which included flying over the treacherous Allegheny Mountains. After suffering severe damage in 1928, this airplane had its airworthiness certificate revoked. The aircraft languished for years in Pennsylvania and New Jersey until Ken Hyde of Warrenton, Virginia restored it. C.T. Ludington himself identified the aircraft, allowing Hyde to reclaim its NC-72 registration. This is the last remaining Farman Sport.
40. AIRM_050825_0694.JPG: Curtiss N-9H: The Curtiss N-9H was a seaplane version of the famous Curtiss JN-4D trainer used by the U.S. Air Service during World War I. The addition of a large central pontoon and small floats under each wingtip required a 3-meter (10-foot) increase in wingspan to compensate for the added weight. During the war, 2,500 Navy pilots trained in the N-9H. It was also used to develop tactics for ship-borne aircraft operations in 1917, using catapults mounted on armored cruisers. After the war, the N-9H was used to successfully demonstrate a compressed air turntable catapult. In July 1917, several N-9Hs were acquired by the Sperry Gyroscope Company and used for aerial torpedo experiments conducted for the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance. The N-9H was withdrawn from the U.S. Navy inventory in 1927 after 10 years of exemplary service.
41. AIRM_050825_0706.JPG: Curtiss N-9H
42. AIRM_050825_0716.JPG: Fowler-Gage Biplane: The Gage biplane is called the Fowler-Gage in recognition of Robert G. Fowler, its owner and pilot. Fowler flew the airplane on many exhibition and passenger flights in California in 1912. In his most famous flight, on April 27, 1913, he flew ocean-to-ocean across the Isthmus of Panama. With the Gage on floats, Fowler and cameraman R. E. Duhem took off from the Atlantic side and headed across Panama, with no open areas for emergency landings along the way. He landed at Cristobal an hour and 45 minutes later, having flown 83 kilometers (52 miles). Fowler continued performing exhibition and passenger flights, as well as flying linemen on inspection trips over transmission lines between Sacramento and Oroville, California, for the Great Western Power Company. He retired the airplane in 1915.
43. AIRM_050825_0725.JPG: Caudron G.4
44. AIRM_050825_0738.JPG: Halberstadt CV.IV: After the German Halberstadt CL.II fighter proved to be an effective ground attack aircraft in 1917, work began on creating an improved version specifically for that role. The resulting model, the Halberstadt CL.IV, turned out to be one of the best ground attack aircraft of World War I. It performed well in combat as a low-level attack airplane, relying on its excellent maneuverability to avoid ground fire. After supporting the desperate German offensives of 1918, CL.IVs disrupted Allied advances by striking at troop assembly points. When not on close support of ground attack missions, they engaged in escort work. Toward the end of the war, CL.IV squadrons tried to intercept and destroy Allied bombers returning from mission on bright, moonlit nights, and they flew night sorties against Allied airfields.
45. AIRM_050825_0748.JPG: SPAD XVI
46. AIRM_050825_0774.JPG: Westland Lysander IIIA
47. AIRM_050825_0788.JPG: Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star: Commonly known as the "T-Bird," the Lockheed T-33 was the only jet trainer used by the U.S. Air Force from 1948 until 1957, when the Cessna T-37 "Tweet" took to the skies. The T-Bird served as an instrument trainer, utility aircraft, and test platform. The prototype first flew in March 1948, piloted by acclaimed test pilot Tony LeVier. It was official designated T-33A about a year later. The Museum's T-33A-5-LO was accepted by the Air Force in 1954. It was delivered to the D.C. Air National Guard at Andrews Air Force Base, where it served until its transfer to the Museum in 1987. This aircraft has never been painted and has a highly polished natural metal finish. It was used mainly as a training aircraft. All its guns have been removed.
48. AIRM_050825_0842.JPG: Caudron G.4
49. AIRM_050825_0847.JPG: Baldwin Red Devil (below). After making a reputation with lighter-than-air craft, Thomas Scott Baldwin turned to heavier-than-air flying machines in 1909. In the spring of 1911, he began testing a new airplane called the Red Devil. It was similar to the basic Curtiss pusher design that was becoming quite popular with builders, but its steel-tube structure was innovative. Baldwin built about six Red Devils. Most were powered by the 60-horsepower Hall-Scott V-8 and a few by Curtiss and other engines. By mid-1911, Baldwin was training pilots, taking up passengers, and performing regularly with Red Devil aircraft at air meets. Red Devils had many variations in control surface and landing gear configuration. Some, like this one, had their forward elevators removed and single ailerons mounted between the wings, rather than at the trailing edges of both wings as on most Red Devils. Preservation of the National Collection: The National Air and Space Museum's collection includes historic aerospace artifacts of every type and time period. The Museum has an ongoing program of preservation and restoration of these treasures carried out by some of the most skilled technicians and conservators in the world. In the near future, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center will include a world-class artifact treatment facility. The fully equipped, 6,500-square-meter (70,000-square-foot) restoration hangar will enable the Museum to turn worn and tattered specimens, such as this Baldwin Red Devil, into polished jewels like the ones on display all around you. You will be able to observe the restorations in progress from surrounding mezzanines, as well as from an overlook projecting out over the hangar floor -- a unique component of the Udvar-Hazy visitor experience. Boeing-Stearman N2S-5 Kaydet (top)
50. AIRM_050825_0864.JPG: Piper J-3 Cub
51. AIRM_050825_0878.JPG: Horten Ho VI V2 [in front] Reimar Horten began to consider his sixth major design when construction began on the first Ho IV in December 1940. The Ho IV became his most successful all-wing aircraft and encouraged him to explore further the potential of high-aspect-ration wing design. He completed the first Ho VI four years later; however, this sailplane was experimental and not intended for series production, so Reimar designated the Ho VI V1 to indicate its prototype status. Then he built a second example, displayed here. The Horten Ho VI used a complex flight control system similar to that of the Ho IV and had a semi-prone position for the pilot. Flight tests uncovered a tendency for the wingtips to flutter at about 128 kilometers (80 miles) per hour.
52. AIRM_050825_0918.JPG: Monocoupe 110 Special "Little Butch"
53. AIRM_050825_0935.JPG: Grumman G-22 Gulfhawk II
54. AIRM_050825_0964.JPG: Farman Sport. In 1919, the H. & M. Farman Aeroplane Company of France produced the Farman Sport two-place sport and light commercial biplane. In 1922, C.T. Ludington and Wallace Kellett of Philadelphia formed the Ludington Exhibition Company as agents for Farman aircraft. The next year, they imported their first two Sports. Their pilot flew this aircraft, serial number 15, in the 1924 "On to Dayton Race," which included flying over the treacherous Allegheny Mountains. After suffering severe damage in 1928, this airplane had its airworthiness certificate revoked. The aircraft languished for years in Pennsylvania and New Jersey until Ken Hyde of Warrenton, Virginia, restored it. C.T. Ludington himself identified the aircraft, allowing Hyde to reclaim its NC-72 registration. This is the last remaining Farman Sport.
55. AIRM_050825_0973.JPG: Boeing FB-5
56. AIRM_050825_0986.JPG: Benoist-Korn Type XII
57. AIRM_050825_0992.JPG: Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird
58. AIRM_050825_1040.JPG: Nemesis
59. AIRM_050825_1047.JPG: Mahoney Sorceress. Designed and built by Lee Mahoney and his father, S.C. "Mickey" Mahoney, the Sorceress was the first sport biplane to exceed 322 kilometers (200 miles) per hour on a closed course, and it reached 394 kilometers (245 miles) per hour in level flight. The aircraft proved so success that the rules governing its competition qualification were modified to such an extent that the Sorceress was forced into retirement. Fitted with only a single 135-horsepower Lycoming O-290-D2 engine, this unique metal staggerwing biplane flew to many victories during its distinguished career in the 1970s. Noted air racing pilot Don Beck purchased the Sorceress in 1972 and flew it to many more wins. Beck gave the aircraft to the Museum in 1984.
60. AIRM_050825_1063.JPG: Delta Wing Model 162 (green tips and the little seat on it)
61. AIRM_050825_1064.JPG: Eipper-Formance Cumulus 10
62. AIRM_050825_1090.JPG: Delta Wing Phoenix VI (with orange tips). Behind it is the Delta Wing Model 162 (with green tips).
63. AIRM_050825_1102.JPG: Delta Wing Phoenix VI.B (with purple tips). In 1973 and 1974, Bill Bennett experimented with many variations of the standard Rogallo wing. His experimentation led to a new line of hang gliders he named the Phoenix series. The docile and stable Phoenix VI became popular at hang glider flying schools, and its success encouraged Bennett to further develop the Phoenix series. In the Phoenix VI.B, Bennett and his chief designer, Richard Boone, added "deflexor" cables to the leading edges to stiffen and carefully curve the wing to improve flying performance and increase stability. Technicians at the factory rigged and tuned the glider so it would pitch up in high-speed flight, a built-in auto-recovery mode to help pilots recover safely from high-speed dives. The VI.B also used wing tip battens arranged in a radial pattern to stiffen the tips, which reduced drag and improved roll response.
64. AIRM_050825_1113.JPG: Bede BD-5B
65. AIRM_050825_1137.JPG: Rutan VariEze. Burt Rutan transformed the design and construction of homebuilt aircraft when he began selling plans to build the VariEze ("very easy") in 1976. Propelled by a 100-horsepower engine, the VariEze built to Rutan's specifications could carry two adults about 1,127 kilometers (700 miles) and travel about 290 kilometers (180 miles) per hour. In addition to its excellent performance, the VariEze had other attributes that appealed to many who wanted to build their own airplanes. It was an advanced design but mechanically simple, and it looked unusual. Most builders could construct a VariEze more quickly and inexpensively than many other homebuilt aircraft, and it was economical to fly and maintain. By the end of 1979, Rutan sold 4,500 plan sets.
66. AIRM_050825_1147.JPG: Manta Pterodactyl Fledgling. Advances in low-cost lightweight airframes and power plants during the 1960s and '70s ignited public enthusiasm for a new kind of simple and inexpensive ultralight aircraft. John McCormack, president of Pterodactyl Limited, hoped to appeal to this interest with a craft that almost anyone could buy and fly. He added landing gear, an engine, and other improvements to his Manta Fledge hang glider to create the Fledgling. On July 9, 1979, John D. Peterson Jr. took off in this Fledgling from Long Beach, California. Twenty-nine days later on August 6, Peterson landed at Hilton Head, South Carolina, completing one of the earliest transcontinental flights in an ultralight aircraft. His flight covered 5,152 kilometers (3,200 miles) in a series of hops averaging 193 kilometers (120 miles). Peterson donated his Fledgling to the Smithsonian in 1980.
67. AIRM_050825_1165.JPG: Delta Wing Mariah M-9. In 1977, Bill Bennett asked his chief designer, Richard Boone, to design a new high-performance variant of Bennett's successful Phoenix line of hang gliders for experienced pilots. They named it the Mariah, and it introduced several radical features. The most significant change was the shape of the wing. The wingspan lengthened and the wing chord shortened, as the leading edge convergence angle was increased to 120 degrees. Boone also incorporated wires supported by short posts along the leading edges. By applying tension to the wires, the pilot could deflect the wings to improve flying and stall characteristics. The wing proved more responsive to pilot control but not as stable as previous gliders in the Phoenix line. Bennett and Boone believed that competent, experienced pilots could handle the high-performance wing with no trouble.
68. AIRM_050825_1170.JPG: Weedhopper JC-24C. American John Chotia crafted the basic JC-24 airframe (JC for John Chotia, 24 for his 24th design) in 1977. Few at the time could foresee how wildly successful the Weedhopper would become. During the 1980s, when ultralight aircraft were very popular, dealers in Belgium, France, and Italy sold Weedhoppers, and factories in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East built them under license. Nearly 10,000 had been sold worldwide in 1996, and dealers in the United States continued to sell single- and two-seat Weedhoppers into the 21st century.
69. AIRM_050825_1214.JPG: Delta Wing Viper 175. A trendsetter in hang glider design throughout the 1970s, Bill Bennett designed and sold a succession of popular models, including the Phoenix and Mariah series. In 1980, he introduced the Viper, which featured a stiffer, more aerodynamically efficient wing, but without a significant increase in the overall airframe weight. A pilot could assemble the Viper as rapidly and easily as previous Bennett designs. The Viper was designed to appeal to competition pilots of those with a "Hang 3" glider pilot classification, and advanced skill rating. The lower wing fabric extended from the leading edge more than halfway to the trailing edge and covered 57 percent of the lower wing surface area. Bennett devised new methods to stiffen the leading edge, and he abandoned the cumbersome, drag-inducing leading edge "deflexor" cables used on such earlier models as the Phoenix VI.B.
70. AIRM_050825_1224.JPG: Mignet HM.14 Pou Du Ciel La Cucaracha
71. AIRM_050825_1237.JPG: Delta Wing Streak. Bill Bennett, the hang gliding pioneer who founded Delta Wing Kites and Gliders in 1969, lost his leading designer, Richard Boone, in 1982. Without Boone, the company was hard-pressed to remain in the technological race to sell innovative, high-performance hang gliders. Boone hired a new chief designer, Robert England, and immediately put him to work designing a new competition hang glider to replace the aging Phoenix Viper. England created the Streak, the most advance Delta Wing hang glider yet built, but the design embodied nothing new. England borrowed heavily from the Ultralite Products Comet introduced two years earlier. The area covered by the lower wing fabric was increased over previous models to more than 87 percent. This covering could be completely removed for easier assembly or to inspect and service the internal structure.
72. AIRM_050825_1249.JPG: American Aerolights Double Eagle. This is the first known ultralight aircraft flown by police as a law enforcement tool. The Monterey Park, California, Police Department began flying it in September 1982, and it quickly became a valuable asset. However, the powerplant proved fragile, and project manager Lt. Joe Santoro grounded the Eagle after seven engine failures in six months. "Our hilly terrain and lack of appropriate forced landing sites do not allow a viable program in this community," Santoro explained, "but the concept is good." Lt. Santoro continued to believe in the idea and experimented with several other types of ultralight aircraft, including an improved and more reliable twin-engine Ultraflight Lazair SS EC, which is displayed nearby.
73. AIRM_050825_1253.JPG: Bell XV-15 Tilt Rotor Research Aircraft
74. AIRM_050825_1308.JPG: Vought-Sikorsky XR-4C
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