FLYING HIGH FOR AMERICA | |
 | Tied down opposite is the Vought F4U-5N Corsair, a plane in production longer than any other U.S. World War II fighter. More than 12,000 were delivered to the U.S. military. Corsairs flew first in May 1940, finally entered the combat theater in late 1942 and were still used in the Korean War. The Vought Corsair brought Greg "Pappy" Boyington -- and three other Marine pilots -- the Medal of Honor. Its formidable Pratt & Whitney 2300 hp engine was almost twice the horsepower of the Wildcat and it could climb at 3,780 feet per minute. |
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[This may be a convenient time to explain the sometimes puzzling identity of planes which we know by more familiar names like Corsair. The one on view is a F4U-5N Corsair. F stands for fighter, 4 for the model number, U the manufacturer's code (Vought), 5 for the modification, and N for Night Fighter.] | |
 | The museum has its bombers, too. The PBJ-1J (B-25) Mitchell was, as every schoolchild once knew, the medium bomber chosen by Doolittle to bomb Tokyo. Some PBJs were armed with a 75mm cannon and others with forward firing 50cal machine guns as in the J model on display. With a full load the PBJ weighed 35,000 lbs and even with two 1700 hp engines topped out at only 272 mph. Older readers will remember the plane for other reasons; it was a B25 which crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building on that foggy day of July 28. 1945 (Although the three crew members and 11 on the ground were killed, the building was scarcely damaged.) |
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| The planes beyond the Corsair are lined up neither in alphabetical nor chronological order, but they constitute an impressive mix. Grumman A-6E Intruders first flew in April 1960 and were used in attack, electronic warfare and fuel supplying missions. They served extensively in Vietnam and Desert Storm. And of course were made famous by the movie "Flight of the Intruder." Showing how an attack aircraft's specifications had changed in 15 years, the Intruder could fly at 650 mph. go to 44.600 feet and carry 18,215 lbs of bombs, rockets and missiles. | |
 | Tucked into the next corner is a Mikoyan-Gurevich MIG 15 Fagot, the fighter developed by German and Russian engineers after World War II. The MIG was built in Russia, China and Poland and surprised American pilots in Korea with its superior performance. It took a rush program on the Sabre-Jet and the Fury to restore the edge to the United States. The MIG 15 had a maximum speed of 669 mph, could climb at 10,100 feet per minute and reach 51,000 feet. |
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On the other side of the MIG-15 fagot sprawls the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet with Lt. Col. G.G. Stuart's name and nickname "Smut" painted on it. The Hornet first flew in 1978 and the "Black Knights" were the first F/A-18 Fighter/Attack Squadron. F/A-18s had a top speed of 1,305 mph and during Desert Storm shot down two Iraqi Chinese-built MIG-21s.
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