Flying Heritage Collection

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Place in history: Designed by Glenn Curtis, the "Jenny" was the first mass-produced American aircraft. It was technologically unremarkable, but over 6,000 were produced by the end of the war—a testament to the plane's adaptability, dependability, and low production cost. In 1917, the US did not have a combat aircraft capable of competing successfully with the Germans in the skies over France. The vast majority of U.S. and Canadian pilots in WWI trained in Jennys, although the plane itself never saw combat.

At the end of the war, the slow-flying Jenny was used by civilians for daredevil wing-walking performances. Pilots would "barnstorm" their planes from one farmer's field to another, putting on aerobatic shows and taking audience members for rides—greatly increasing the public's interest in flying. Many of the most renowned aviators of the day honed their skills in Jennys, including Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindberg, and Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female aviator.

This aircraft: Airworthy Jennys are extremely rare and the aircraft in front of you is one of the finest examples in the world. It was manufactured in May, 1918 and entered military service the next month at March Field in Riverside, California. On May 6, 1919 this plane was sold back to Curtiss for reconditioning and civilian resale. For the next 75 years it was owned by several private individuals and featured in numerous film and television productions.

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poor qual shot but shows the profile. sorry.....got nudged.

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Next up, the #2 must see on my list.

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Place in history: The naval Mitsubishi A6M Zero was rightfully feared by the Allies at the start of the war. With its tight turning radius and tremendous speed, the Zero was able to outmaneuver and out run any Allied fighter. Because of the A6M's exceptional range and performance, it would see action in every naval engagement in the Pacific theater of the war. But by 1943, improved American fighters had closed the performance gap, and towards the end of the war, Zero-Sens were reduced to serving as escorts for Kamikaze (suicide) planes—or as Kamikaze weapons themselves.

This aircraft: FHC's Zero joined the 3rd Air Group of the 11th Air Fleet in late September or October 1941. It was involved in attacks on the Philippines in December 1941 and Borneo in February 1942, and may have been part of the force that struck Broome and Wyndham in northern Australia on March 3, 1942. That morning raid destroyed a number of aircraft including two B-17s, two B-24s and a large number of Dutch flying boats.

On November 1, 1942 the 3rd Air Group was renamed Air Group 202 and its aircraft were dispersed. Some aircraft were sent to Babo Island in Indonesia. About 50 years later, this plane was recovered from Babo Island and taken to Russia for restoration.

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A real treat for me. The closest i'd come to seeing one in the flesh was a piece of wrecked Zero fuslage sitting on a floor display at the Imperial War Museum in London. This is the real deal....and flyable! (once restoration is complete..sadly slowed by the recession)

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F4F view.

The all round visibility of the canopy is noteworthy given the time period designed.

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