Scheduled Aircraft for 2011

The C-47 was a military derivative of the world famous Douglas DC-3 commercial airliner. The first contract for fully militarized C-47s was let September 16, 1940. Deliveries of DC-3s and DC-3As to US and foreign airlines reached 430 before the US entry into World War II.  The US Army Air Force (USAAF) took over all civil DC-3s and DC-3As still on the production line. Because of the different airline specifications and variety of engines, these aircraft were assigned 22 different designations. All branches of the US Armed Forces flew the C-47 Skytrain, C-53 Skytrooper, or R4D, as appropriate. The British Commonwealth air forces called the aircraft Dakota. Douglas delivered the last C-47 to the USAAF on October 23, 1945.

The Skyraider took its first flight in 1945. Designed as a successor to the SBD Dive Bomber, the Skyraider was the most powerful carrier aircraft every fielded. The AD-5 was a multi-seat variant of the Skyraider line. Allowing a side-by-side pilot/copilot arrangement it allowed further flexibility in the use of the aircraft as a bomber, air ambulance, and other mission roles. 212 of this variant were built.
This Skyraider served with VMA-332 in the Korean War aboard the USS Ranger making 70 traps during its sea-borne career.  Its most famous role during Vietnam was in escorting rescue helicopters to the sites of downed airmen and providing suppressing fire during the retrieval of the pilots.

Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt

The 442nd Fighter Wing, located at Whiteman AFB, participated in our 2005 Salute to Veterans Celebration with its own salute to the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces:
Thanks to the 442nd Maintenance Group, this A-10 from the 303rd Fighter Squadron was re-named the U.S. VETERANS' THUNDERBOLT and dedicated at the airshow by Brigadier General Patrick Cord, 442nd FW Commander. It is the only plane in the squadron that was not named for a city.

Based on the Lockheed L-188 Electra, the Orion has been modified to fit its mission. The Orion entered service in 1962 and has been in continuous service since. Its mission is primarily an antisubmarine and anti-ballistic missile platform. Its internal bomb bay can carry torpedoes or other weapons. This aircraft is from VP-16 The War Eagles. Jacksonville, Florida.

This is a smaller-scale replica of the first airplane to shoot down a Zeppelin in WW I. The Morane-Saulnier was one of the first successful fighter planes. It was built in both one- and two-seat configurations. It had a forward-facing machine gun that fired through the arc of the propeller, which was armored so as to deflect any shots that struck it. Overall, about 600 were built. Its success triggered a rapid aircraft cycle in several nations, which quickly rendered it obsolete. Interestingly, the first fighter-fighter victory occurred when a German Fokker shot down one of the two-seat versions of the L-series aircraft. The Airdrome Airplanes replica was built and is flown by Sharon Starks of Parkville, MO..

Courtesy of the KC Dawn Patrol. The Nieuport 11 was an extremely successful French-built WW I fighter. It was flown by the French, British, and Russian armed forces.  Three Nieuport 11 replicas will be displayed on the ramp this year. The pictured replica was built and is flown by Tom Glaeser of Gladstone, MO. It is painted in the colors of the 1916 Lafayette Escadrille, the first planes ever flown by American pilots in an organized squadron in WWI. The  screaming Sioux Indian head painted on the side of the fuselage and adopted by the pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille was the logo from a box of Savage Arms .303 machine gun ammunition.

Named after Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell, the B-25 was a medium bomber. It was the most-produced twin-enging aircraft of World War II and served in every theater.
This aircraft, the Show Me, is based out of St. Charles, MO

The Grumman TBM Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world. It entered U.S. service in 1942, It remained in service to become one of the outstanding torpedo bombers of World War II. Greatly modified after the war, it remained in use until the 1960s. The plane is flown by John Lohmar.

The North American P-51 was a long-range fighter and escort designed during World War II. Initially built with an Allison engine, the fighter handled well at low altitudes, but exhibited lackluster performance over 15,000 feet.
Over time, many of the P-51s were sold to Britain, who also found it inadequate at altitude. Rolls-Royce was invited to review the aircraft, and the result was legendary: with the Rolls-Royce 61 engine, the fighter could reach 433 mph at 20,000 feet, with an absolute ceiling of 40,300 feet. This combination catapulted the Mustang to near-mythic status, which continues today.
Pictured at Left:

• P-51D "Archie"
• P-51C "Tuskegee Airmen"

The AT-6 was the premier trainer of its time, with over 17,000 built. The SNJ-5 at the Airshow was built in 1943, and will be flying some outstanding aerobatics by Clyde Zellers.

Courtesy the KC Dawn Patrol. The Société Provisoire des Aéroplanes Deperdussin (SPAD) designed this aircraft as a WW I fighter. Appearing in 1916, it was first thought to be too heavy and unmaneuverable to be an effective fighter, but as pilots learned its strengths, it became one of the most popular fighters of the war. this replica was built and is flown by Marvin Berk of Kansas City.

Originally designated the X-70, the Stearman PT-17 was designed in 1933 to meet the US Air Corps requirements for a new trainer. Over 10,000 Kaydett's of different variants were ultimately built.
This particular Kaydette was built in 1942 and used as a trainer in the Royal Canadian Air Force until 1944, at which time it was returned to the US Army Air Corps. It was mustered out in 1945, after which it spent the next 20+ years towing advertising banners over Cape May, NJ. In 1990, she began a 7-year restoration and has been flying since.

The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. This is the only flying Supermarine Seafire XV! The airplane is one of only four known Seafires to exist in the world. The Seafire's mission was primarily as a short range interceptor.

The Nieuport 28 was a French biplane fighter aircraft flown during World War I.  Its principal claim to fame is that it was the first aircraft to see service with an American fighter squadron. It was designed to carry an up-to-date armament of twin synchronized machine guns, had a more powerful engine, and a new wing structure – for the first time a Nieuport biplane was fitted with conventional two spar wings, top and bottom, in place of the sesquiplane "v-strut" layout of earlier Nieuport types. The tail unit’s design closely followed that of the Nieuport 27, but the fuselage was much slimmer, in fact it was so narrow that the machine guns had to be offset to the left. The framework on display shows the modern aluminum construction used in the replica. The plane is being  built by Gary Knight of Leavenworth, KS.

The US Navy initially purchased four of these aircraft in addition to the ones that it had already obtained and which was retrofitted to approximately the same design as the others.  The US Navy bought another eight aircraft before the end of 1916, but orders in quantity only came following the type's selection as the Navy's standard flying-boat trainer in April 1917. An initial batch of 144 of the basic F model were ordered, followed by 22 MFs in 1918. This replica was built by Harvey Cleveland of Riverside, Missouri. It is painted in the colors of a 1918 U.S. Navy Coastal Patrol bomber/submarine hunter (L. G. F. variant.)