"apparently being shot down by a saucer. Vought SB2U Vindicators were featured in the 1941 Warner Bros. film ""Dive Bomber"". A Short Sunderland flying boat patrol bomber was the setting for much of the 1980 novel ""The Flying Porcupine"" by Richard Haligon. The novel takes its title from a nickname reputedly given to the Sunderland by German pilots thanks to its defensive armament of as many as 16 machine guns. CIA officer Jack Ryan (played by Alec Baldwin) is flown from an aircraft carrier to the submarine in a Sikorsky SH-3H Sea King in the 1990 film ""Hunt for Red"
"De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engine shoulder-winged multi-role combat aircraft, introduced during Second World War. It was one of few operational front-line aircraft of the era whose frame was constructed almost entirely of wood, and was nicknamed ""The Wooden Wonder"", and affectionately as ""Mossie"" to its crews. When Mosquito production began in 1941 it was one of the fastest operational aircraft in the world. The first variant was an unarmed, high-speed, high-altitude photo-reconnaissance aircraft. Originally conceived as an unarmed fast bomber, the Mosquito's use evolved during the war into many roles including low to"
""""". Lockheed P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is a World War II–era American piston-engined fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Allied propaganda claimed it had been nicknamed the fork-tailed devil () by the Luftwaffe and by the Japanese. The P-38 was used for interception, dive bombing, level bombing, ground attack, night fighting, photo reconnaissance, radar and visual pathfinding for bombers and evacuation missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings. The P-38"
"Lockheed P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is a World War II–era American piston-engined fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Allied propaganda claimed it had been nicknamed the fork-tailed devil () by the Luftwaffe and by the Japanese. The P-38 was used for interception, dive bombing, level bombing, ground attack, night fighting, photo reconnaissance, radar and visual pathfinding for bombers and evacuation missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings. The P-38 was"
"in World War II, ""Worry Bird"" was one of 166 surviving and 104 that could still be flown as of its listing. Worry Bird Worry Bird is a North American P-51D-25NA Mustang (ser. no. 44-73287) currently based at the Air Combat Museum at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois. The aircraft was built in 1944 and delivered to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) in the following year to serve in World War II. At the time, the P-51D was a major component of the USAAF fleet and ""Worry Bird"" escorted Allied bombers on long-range air raids in"
"of Mosquitos is at the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre in the United Kingdom, which owns three aircraft, including the first prototype, ""W4050"", the only initial prototype of a Second World War British aircraft design still in existence in the 21st century. Fighter version. The definitive bomber version. De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engine shoulder-winged multi-role combat aircraft, introduced during Second World War. It was one of few operational front-line aircraft of the era whose frame was constructed almost entirely of wood, and was nicknamed ""The Wooden Wonder"", and affectionately as ""Mossie"" to its"
"would provide a glimpse at the speed and efficiency of what was to come throughout the rest of World War II. Aircraft featured: Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Messerschmitt Bf 109, Messerschmitt Bf 110, Junkers Ju 88, Heinkel He 111, Dornier Do 17, Dornier Do 217, Junkers Ju 87, Bristol Blenheim, Fairey Battle and Junkers Ju 52. The Russian Front: Operation Barbarossa and Germany's failure to bring a quick resolution to that particular campaign was arguably the turning point of the war in Europe. Aircraft featured: Polikarpov I-153, Tupolev SB-2, Il-2, PE-2, Bf 109F/G, Ju 88, Ju 87, Ju 52/3m, Yak-9,"
"Dornier Do 335 The Dornier Do 335 ""Pfeil"" (""Arrow"") was a World War II heavy fighter built by the Dornier company. The two-seater trainer version was called ""Ameisenbär"" (""anteater""). The ""Pfeil""s performance was much better than other twin-engine designs due to its unique push-pull configuration and the lower aerodynamic drag of the in-line alignment of the two engines. It was Nazi Germany's fastest piston-engined aircraft of World War II. The ""Luftwaffe"" was desperate to get the design into operational use, but delays in engine deliveries meant that only a handful were delivered before the war ended. The origins of the"
"Worry Bird Worry Bird is a North American P-51D-25NA Mustang (ser. no. 44-73287) currently based at the Air Combat Museum at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois. The aircraft was built in 1944 and delivered to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) in the following year to serve in World War II. At the time, the P-51D was a major component of the USAAF fleet and ""Worry Bird"" escorted Allied bombers on long-range air raids in Germany. While the P-51 Mustang was a versatile aircraft used in many roles during the war, its role in European bombing missions"
"Liberty Belle (aircraft) Liberty Belle was a popular moniker with over two dozen known individual Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and Consolidated B-24 Liberators using the name in combat during World War II. The combat ""Liberty Belle""s were commemorated by two B-17s which used the name, with one still remaining as a static display: ""Miss Liberty Belle"" (44-83690) is displayed at the Grissom Air Museum. The Liberty Foundation flew a composite B-17 named ""Liberty Belle"" (constructed from two damaged aircraft (non-combat 44-85734 and the rear part of 44-85813)) as a warbird from 2004 until 2011, when it was destroyed in a"
"aircraft designs such as the Short Empire, the first of which was launched on 2 July 1936. The Empire was commissioned off the drawing board by Imperial Airways (later BOAC), to operate the UK's Empire Airmail scheme. A year later Shorts won a British government defence contract for a military flying boat, the Sunderland. Sharing the same basic design, but a modified upper structure, the Sunderland was one of the most effective long-range seaplanes in use. Dreaded by U-Boats, it was nicknamed ""The Flying Porcupine"" (""Fliegendes Stachelschwein"" in German), perhaps due to its extensive armament and the several prominent dorsal"
"Flying Legends"" (Duxford, UK) air display on 12 & 13 July 2008. The ""Mother and Country"", and ""The Pink Lady"" artwork was present on the right side nose area. The Pink Lady (aircraft) The Pink Lady is the nickname of a B-17G Flying Fortress bomber. Until retirement early in 2010, it was the only flying survivor to have seen action in Europe during World War II. Rolled out of the Lockheed-Vega production facility in Burbank, California in December, 1944, ""The Pink Lady"" was then only known as a B-17G-85-VE Fortress, serial number 44-8846. On March 1, 1945, 44-8846 was flown"
"Thunderbird (aircraft) Thunderbird was a high mission tally Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress of the 303rd Bombardment Group during World War II. The original plane, serial number 42-38050, was scrapped at the end of the war and no longer exists. It is now represented by a mural in the WWII galley of the National Air & Space Museum on the Mall in Washington, DC. The name also appears on a later B-17G. That restoration and replica of Thunderbird is one of the few surviving flyable B-17s, and is the largest aircraft housed at the Lone Star Flight Museum, in Houston, Texas."
"known as the Sikorsky. The Corsair has been named the official aircraft of Connecticut due to its connection with Sikorsky Aircraft. During World War II, Corsair production expanded beyond Vought to include Brewster and Goodyear models. Allied forces flying the aircraft in World War II included the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Eventually, more than 12,500 F4Us would be built, comprising 16 separate variants. F4U-1 (called Corsair Mk I by the Fleet Air Arm): The first production version of the Corsair with the distinctive ""birdcage"" canopy and low seating position. The differences over the XF4U-1"
"All American (aircraft) The All American (full name All American III) was a World War II Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress bomber aircraft that was able to return safely to its base after having its rear fuselage nearly cut off by an in-flight collision with a German fighter over enemy-held territory. The bomber's flight is said to have yielded one of the most famous photographs of World War II, and has been linked with the phrase ""Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer."" It inspired the 414th Bombardment Squadron's emblem, an image of a puppy praying atop an aircraft's tail"
"Laggin' Dragon Laggin' Dragon was the name of a Boeing B-29 Superfortress (B-29-50-MO, 44-86347 Victor number 95) configured to carry the atomic bomb in World War II. ""Laggin' Dragon"" was the last of the fifteen Silverplate B-29s delivered to the 509th Composite Group for use in the atomic bomb operation. Built at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft plant at Omaha, Nebraska, it was accepted by the USAAF on June 15, 1945, after most of the 509th CG had already left Wendover Army Air Field, Utah, for North Field, Tinian. Assigned to the 393d Bomb Squadron, Crew A-2 (Capt. Edward M."
"field for World War II, and its combination of long, heavy-duty runways and (at the time) wide-open farmland for miles in all directions was rapidly turning the field into a haven for World War II aviation enthusiasts and their restored aircraft. Former Army Air Forces P-51 Mustangs, Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, Lockheed P-38 Lightnings, B-26 Invaders, and former U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps F4U Corsairs and F6F Hellcats could be found, along with a vintage B-17 and the P-51 Mustang used in ""12 O'Clock High"". The B-17 belonged to Ed Maloney's Air Museum, B-17E, F, and G models of the"
"Hughes H-4 Hercules The Hughes H-4 Hercules (also known as the Spruce Goose; registration NX37602) is a prototype strategic airlift flying boat designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft Company. Intended as a transatlantic flight transport for use during World War II, it was not completed in time to be used in the war. The aircraft made only one brief flight on November 2, 1947, and the project never advanced beyond the single example produced. Built from wood because of wartime restrictions on the use of aluminum and concerns about weight, it was nicknamed by critics the ""Spruce Goose"", although"
"and tail, and atop the hull – it was nicknamed the ""fliegendes Stachelschwein"", or ""Flying Porcupine"" by German airmen. The experimental ""Morgenstern"" German AI VHF-band radar antenna of 1943–44 used a ""double-Yagi"" structure from its 90° angled pairs of Yagi antennas formed from six discrete dipole elements, making it possible to fair the array within a conical, rubber-covered plywood radome on an aircraft's nose, with the extreme tips of the ""Morgenstern's"" antenna elements protruding from the radome's surface, with an NJG 4 Ju 88G-6 of the wing's staff flight using it late in the war for its Lichtenstein SN-2 AI"
"animal names (Camel, Dolphin, Snipe etc.), which ended up with the Sopwith firm being said to have created a ""flying zoo"" during the First World War. Sopwith Pup The Sopwith Pup was a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good manoeuvrability, the aircraft proved very successful. The Pup was eventually outclassed by newer German fighters, but it was not completely replaced on the Western Front until the end of 1917. Remaining"
"a Sunderland operating off Norway was attacked by six German Junkers Ju 88C fighters; during the engagement, it shot one down, damaged another enough to cause it to retreat and later perform a forced landing and drove off the rest. The Germans are reputed to have nicknamed the Sunderland the ""Fliegendes Stachelschwein"" (""Flying Porcupine"") due to its defensive firepower. Sunderlands also proved themselves in the Mediterranean theatre. They flew many evacuation missions during the German seizure of Crete, carrying as many as 82 passengers. One flew the reconnaissance mission to observe the Italian fleet at anchor in Taranto before the"
"North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission. The Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Rather than build an old design from another company, North American Aviation proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out"
"(navigator), Marcena Dottoviano (bombardier), Tony Trebnik (radio operator), Jack Kromer (ball turret gunner), Frank Caldwell (waist gunner) and Bill Ewing (tail gunner) were killed in action (KIA), and Bob Fife (flight engineer/top turret gunner) was wounded and taken prisoner of war (POW). Liberty Belle (aircraft) Liberty Belle was a popular moniker with over two dozen known individual Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and Consolidated B-24 Liberators using the name in combat during World War II. The combat ""Liberty Belle""s were commemorated by two B-17s which used the name, with one still remaining as a static display: ""Miss Liberty Belle"" (44-83690) is"
"the Axis forces, he decided that a propaganda coup was required and reportedly sent a commando raid to eradicate the apes. The story goes that Winston Churchill heard of the mission and immediately tasked the RAF Regiment with protecting the apes, and thus the nickname was born.[45] Many aircraft were known by diminutives e.g. ""Spit"" for Spitfire, ""Lanc"" for Lancaster. In addition Allied air forces may have their own nicknames for British or British built aircraft, as did the enemy. For example, the ""Luftwaffe"" called the Sunderland flying boat ""Der fliegende Stachelschwein"" (""The Flying Porcupine""). There are also NATO code"
"of Canadian air bases and also to the United States Army Air Force. With production of the Mosquito in England increased to a five a day Fillingham flew a record 2,200 flights in the Mosquito. As well as the Mosquito he also flew the twin-engined De Havilland Hornet, at the time the fastest propeller aircraft in the world. With the end of the war Fillingham still had plenty to do as de Havilland produced the Dove and Heron commercial transports. He flew the prototype de Havilland Canada Chipmunk in Canada in 1946. Military aircraft were still produced and as well"
"Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin turbofan engine, straight wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). Commonly referred to by the nicknames ""Warthog"" or ""Hog"", its official name comes from the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a World War II fighter-bomber effective at attacking ground targets. The A-10 was designed for close air support (CAS) of friendly ground troops, attacking armored vehicles and tanks, and providing quick-action support against enemy ground forces. It entered service in 1976 and is the only production-built aircraft that has served in"
"during WWII, namely a Grumman TBM Avenger and a Piper J-3 (Army L-4 or Navy NE-1) ""Grasshopper"". Besides offering these as ""hands-on"" exhibits, the public may also schedule rides as a passenger in these aircraft either at the museum or at airshows where they are also exhibited. The museum began operation in 1981 with final construction completed in 2000. TBM Avenger Aircraft N53503 is a Torpedo Bomber M model World War II single engine aircraft in flying condition which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. It is long with wingspan (with wings folded, ). The"
"War II include the P-51A Mustang, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Lockheed P-38 Lightning, P-47M Thunderbolt, North American B-25 Mitchell, Douglas SBD Dauntless, Curtiss SB2C Helldiver and Grumman F6F Hellcat. Many of them were built in Southern California. Aircraft Collection Yanks Air Museum The Yanks Air Museum is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization and museum dedicated to exhibiting, preserving and restoring American aircraft and artifacts in order to show the evolution of American aviation, located at Chino Airport in Chino, California. Yanks Air Museum houses one of the largest and most historically significant collections of American aircraft including the World War II"
"108s had set endurance records. The Bf 108 was adopted into Luftwaffe service during World War II, where it was primarily used as a personnel transport and liaison aircraft. The aircraft involved in the Mechelen Incident was a Bf 108. Production of the Bf 108 was transferred to occupied France during World War II and production continued after the war as the Nord 1000 ""Pingouin"". Bf 108s and postwar Nord 1000s played the role of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters in war movies, including ""The Longest Day"", ""The Great Escape"", ""633 Squadron"", ""Mosquito Squadron"", and ""Von Ryan's Express"". Messerschmitt Bf 108"
"two rows of two. Like the Bf 108, the wings had automatic leading edge slats and could be folded when the aircraft was on the ground, allowing the complete aircraft to be transported by rail. Nord Pingouin The Nord Pingouin (, ""Auk"") was a French-built, re-engined Messerschmitt Bf 108 produced by SNCAN (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord). In 1942 the manufacture of the Messerschmitt Bf 108 was transferred to SNCAN (usually known as Nord) at Les Mureaux in occupied France. Before the liberation, 170 Bf 108s were built and Nord continued to build the aircraft using scavenged Bf"
"Force Junkers Ju 52/3m was used in the 1968 action thriller ""Where Eagles Dare"". Two Ju 52s appeared in one of the early scenes in the 2008 Second World War film ""Valkyrie"" directed by Bryan Singer and starring Tom Cruise. One aircraft was painted in a Luftwaffe scheme, the other in an all-silver finish. The 1941 Nazi propaganda film ""Stukas"", produced by Karl Ritter, described the wartime exploits of a squadron of Junkers Ju 87 ""Stuka"" dive bombers and their pilots during the Invasion of France during World War II. The Transformers Combaticon named Vortex disguises itself as an SH-2G"
"and diving on to the building. In February 1941 the Mosquito with two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and a streamlined wooden fuselage achieved 392 mph, 30 mph faster than the current Spitfire. It was used on all kinds of missions, including silencing Hermann Göring's Berlin Nazi anniversary broadcast on January 20, 1943, leading him to tell Erhard Milch, Air Inspector General that “when I see the Mosquito I am yellow and green with envy. (The British) have the geniuses and we have the nincompoops.” Initially used for high-level photo-reconnaissance, the Mosquito was adapted to precision bombing, night fighter and fighter bomber"
"Consolidated PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina, also known as the Canso in Canadian service, is an American flying boat, and later an amphibious aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. During World War II, PBYs were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escort, search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport. The PBY was the most numerous aircraft"