According to the Museum’s website (which also includes technical specifications):

Courtesy of the City of Bridgeport, CT.

The A-26 was developed by Douglas Aircraft as a replacement for their A-20 “Havoc” to fulfill a requirement for a multi-role aircraft for both low-level ground attack and medium-altitude precision bombing. First test flown in 1942, it exceeded every stipulated design specification. With its twin 2000hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines, the “Invader” was faster, had better performance and could carry more of a bomb load that either of the two primary medium bombers at the time, the North American B-25 “Mitchell’ and Martin B-26 “Marauder.”

Two variants of the A-26 were produced; the “B” with a solid nose that could be configured with a combination of machine guns and cannons, and the “C” with a glass nose which held a bomb sight. The glass nose section of a “C” could be exchanged for a solid nose in only a few hours based on operational roles. Its devastating firepower made for a formidable weapon when it entered combat in 1944. It was the last U.S. Army Air Force ground attack and tactical bomber introduced in World War II.

Re-designated the B-26 in 1948, the plane served in the Korean Conflict and flew day and night interdiction missions against the communist ground forces. It returned to action for a third time in Southeast Asia from 1960 to 1969. The craft also served with the Tactical Air Command through the late 1960’s and also saw service with Air National Guard units up to 1972.

The Museum’s A-26C was delivered to the USAAF in November, 1944 and was assigned to the 416th Bomb Group (Light), 671st Bomb Squadron stationed at Melun, France.

After the aircraft removed from the Air Force inventory in 1957, ownership passed to the National Metals Corporation of Phoenix, Arizona in June, 1958. After eight years of civilian service, ownership transferred to its final civilian owner, Consolidated Aircraft Sales of Fairfield, New Jersey. Consolidated Aircraft Sales eventually abandoned the aircraft at the Sikorsky airport in Stratford, CT in 1969. In 1971, the Museum took ownership of the aircraft from the City of Bridgeport who had authority over the airport.

The restoration began in November, 2003 and the plane was moved from the Restoration Hangar to the Military Hangar in the middle of 2012 where the restoration was completed.

Tail of the A26 with, in the foreground a Grumman 150SE-2 Turret from 1943. A nearby information board reads:

Grumman 150SE-2 Turret. 1943. This turret will be used on the New England Air Museum’s Grumman TBM-3E “Avenger” currently undergoing extensive restoration.

It was one of the first powered ball turrets adaptable to single-engine aircraft and was made possible by the development of a small amplidyne motor. It contained one fifty-caliber machine gun and the gunner was protected by 1/4“ and 1/2“ armor plate plus a 1-1/2“ thick armored glass window in front of him.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

According to the Museum’s website (which also includes technical specifications):

Courtesy of the National Museum of the United States Air Force

Nicknamed the “Jug” because of its fuselage shape, the P-47 was the heaviest single-engine, single-place fighter built in its time. It became a legend in World War II, used by the US and its allies on many fronts. Following D-Day in France, it performed magnificently in ground support through the end of the war.

The P-47’s designer was Alexander Kartveli who became one of the most significant, innovative and influential aircraft designers not only in the U.S. but in the world. His other designs included for Republic the F-84 ‘Thunderjet’ and F-84F ‘Thunderstreak,’ the F-105 ‘Thunderchief,’ the RC-3 ‘Seabee,’ and for Fairchild the A-10 ‘Thunderbolt II.’ You can learn more about Mr. Kartveli and his designs at www.alexanderkartveli.com.

The two top fighter pilots of the war in Europe flew Thunderbolts, bearing testimony to the P-47’s success in combat. The fighter-bomber carried eight lethal 50-caliber machine guns and could lift a 2,500 lb. bomb load and still absorb heavy damage and make it back to home base. Drop tanks allowed it to extend its range.

This “D” variant, made in the greatest numbers, featured a clear bubble canopy that allowed 360 degree visibility. Pilots often said that P-47s “had the gliding angle of a brick.”

This artifact wears the colors of the 65th Fighter Squadron, 57th Fighter Group, a Bradley Field unit which went to combat in North Africa, Italy and Germany.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

According to the Museum’s website (which also provides technical specifications).

Courtesy of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

This aircraft is a replica of the Fokker Dr.1 Triplane fighter used by Germany in World War I. It was rapidly developed in response to the success of the then new British Sopwith Triplane (~1917) The Dr.1 was used with great success until it was replaced by the more capable Fokker DVII biplane in May 1918. Although slow, with a top speed only 105 mph, experienced pilots found that its exceptional maneuverability and fast climb rate made it a very capable fighter. Like many WW-I aircraft, it had its faults (wing failures, poor ground handling) and was difficult for new pilots to fly. Interestingly, it was powered by a German license built version of the French Le Rhone Rotary engine. It is hard to explain the notoriety of the Triplane – it was used extensively only during the Spring of 1918 with a peak availability of ~170 aircraft at any one time. Perhaps interest in this aircraft can be attributed to its use by the German WW-I ace-of-aces (80 victories), Manfred von Richthofen, the “Red Baron.” References to it can also be found in Charles Schulz’s widely read comic strip, “Peanuts” where Charlie Brown’s dog “Snoopy” pretends to fight the “Red Baron” and his Triplane. There are no original Fokker triplanes extent today – all having been destroyed during the WW-I or thereafter.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

According to the Museum’s website (which also provides technical specifications):

Courtesy of the National Museum of the United States Air Force

Designed by the legendary Clarence “Kelly” Johnson in the early 1950’s the F-104 “Starfighter” provided the U.S. Air Force with a lightweight, high performance fighter powered by the new General Electric J-79 engine with afterburner.

The first prototype flew in March, 1954 and went into production in February, 1956. The Starfighter was the first combat aircraft capable of a sustained Mach2 in flight, and its speed and climb performance remain impressive even by today’s standards. Due to its length of 54’ 9” and wingspan of only 21’ 11” it was dubbed “a missile with a man in it.”

The F-104 served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969. From 1965 to 1967, the “C” model saw service in the Vietnam War in both an air superiority role and air support as a fighter-bomber. In 1969 they left regular service with the USAF and continued the Air National Guard until it was phased out on 1975. Some aircraft were later operated by The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Later models were flown by 14 countries in addition to the United States. The last operational military Starfighters were retired by the Italian Air Force in 2004.

This particular aircraft served with the U.S. Air Force through the 1960’s at the height of the Cold War. In 1961 it deployed during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1962 it set the altitude and speed record for an operational F-104C while stationed in Hahn, Germany with the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing, reaching 92,000 feet at a speed of 2.5 Mach. It later served in Viet Nam providing cover for air combat missions.

The Starfighter was heavily damaged in the 1979 tornado which devastated the museum and had been in storage until November of 2009 when the restoration project began. With the restoration now complete, it again wears the colors of the 479th when it made its record breaking flight.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

According to the Museum’s website (which also provides technical specifications):

Courtesy of the National Museum of the United States Air Force

Entering service in 1954 the F-100 was the world’s first production supersonic fighter. Designed to intercept Soviet fighters and bombers during the Cold War the Super Sabre variants were also produced to provide close-support as fighter-bomber. Also known as the “Hun,” the F-100 served for more than 25 years and saw extensive combat in Vietnam. These versatile aircraft, retired from USAF service in 1979, continued to serve in Air National Guard units until 1980.

This aircraft was flown by the Connecticut Air National Guard Flying Yankees. F-100’s were flown by the CT ANG from 1959 to 1966

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3