Historic Flight in Spokane, Washington, has a collection of important aircraft produced between 1927 and 1957. All aircraft are fully restored and can be flown. Shown below are three of the aircraft—Grasshopper (Piper L-4J), Texan (North American Aviation T-6), and Spitfire (Vickers Supermarine)—which are on display.
Piper L-4J (Grasshopper)
According to the display:
“These diminutive ‘spotter planes’ were among the most lethal weapons the United States had in its inventory during the Second World War. The L-4 was used extensively for air observation: colloquially known as artillery spotting. Aircraft were attached to field artillery batteries and operated as Air Observation Posts (AOP) by liaison pilots and observers.”
Observation planes flew no higher than 2000 feet and would direct artillery barrages against enemy formations on the ground. The observation planes were unarmed and its was vital that the pilots take early evasive maneuvers.
The plane on display in Historic Flight was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force in 1945 and was sent to the Pacific Theater where it served on the Philippine and Ryukyu Islands.
This airplane cruises at 80mph and stalls at 32mph. It has a range of 2.5 hours with 12 U.S. gallons of fuel.
North American Aviation T-6A (Texan)
In 1937, the U.S. Army Air Corps selected North American Aviation’s T-6 advanced trainer to transition fighter pilots from primary trainers to front-line fighters. According to the display:
“This aircraft, with its Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp radial engine, was faster than the biplane primary trainers, and fully aerobatic. Its combination of speed and wight, and the need for stick and rudder skills, either confirmed an aviation career path or suggested another type of military service would be more suitable.”
A total of 15,495 T-6 trainers were built for the U.S. Army Air Corps, the Navy Air Corps, and both the British and Canadian air forces. Movie producers have converted some of the T-6s into “Hollywood Zeros” by painting them with the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero markings.
The T-6 on display in Historic Flight spent two decades in the Argentine Navy and features a thirty-caliber cockpit mounted machine gun which was used for gunnery training.
Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Ixe, SL633
This aircraft was used by the No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, Royal Air Force. This squadron was made up of pilots who had fled their homeland during the Nazi occupation.
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Stonehenge Air Museum: Military Airplanes (Photo Diary)
Historic Flight: Biplanes (photo diary)
Museums 201: World War I Fokker Airplanes (photo diary)
Museums 201: Fairchild airplanes (photo diary)