Author: K.D. Wilson
Edition: Model Aviation - 1981/01
Page Numbers: 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 123, 125
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U.S. Naval Aviation

The U.S. Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, is devoted to the procurement, care, and display of objects of lasting value and interest. Marked at the main entrance by immense naval aviators' "Wings of Gold," the gleaming white structure houses paintings by noted American artists, a gift and book shop, and extensive exhibits that trace the development, growth, and heritage of U.S. naval aviation.

Early years (1911–1920s)

  • The Navy's first airplane, the Curtiss A-1 Triad (built in 1911), is the museum centerpiece; an exact reproduction is suspended in midflight.
  • Naval aviation moved from Annapolis (an aviation experimental station) to NAS Pensacola in 1914.
  • Early aircraft on display include a 1918 MF (a modified Curtiss design) — the first airplane built by the Naval Aircraft Factory — and the Curtiss N-9H. On February 3, 1917, USMC Capt. Francis T. Evans performed the first loop in a seaplane (the N-9) and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
  • The Curtiss NC-4 flying boat, part of the first transatlantic flight in May 1919, is on view. NC-4 departed NAS Rockaway, Long Island, and arrived at Lisbon, Portugal, on May 27, 1919; it departed Lisbon May 31 and landed at Plymouth, England after a stormy Bay of Biscay crossing.

1920s — carrier development

  • The 1920s brought radial engines, folding wings, and the birth of the aircraft carrier.
  • The museum presents an extensive photo display of carrier development from 1922–1940 and a unique, highly detailed plastic model of USS Kearsarge (approximately 16,000 individual pieces).
  • Clear plexiglass hangars contain models of TBMs, SB2Cs, F4Us, and F6Fs.

World War II (1941–1945)

  • The WWII layout documents naval aviation's work in both the Atlantic and the Pacific with photos of Navy and USMC aviators and models of carrier aircraft.
  • Highlighted aircraft:
  • Vought OS2U-3 Kingfisher — the type that rescued Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker and crew — acquired via the Uruguayan Navy and painstakingly restored.
  • SBD Dauntless, FG-1 Corsair, PBY-5 Catalina, F4F Wildcat, and an SBD/Avenger representation.
  • Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver (undergoing restoration).
  • Grumman F6F Hellcat in the color scheme of Medal of Honor recipient Capt. David McCampbell, USN (credited with 34 victories, including nine in one flight).
  • Hellcat pilots accounted for roughly 75% of USN and USMC air-to-air victories in WWII.

Korea, the 1950s and the jet age

  • The Korean War (1950–53) saw development in electronic warfare and extensive use of Navy helicopters.
  • The Douglas A-1H Skyraider (BuAer No. 135300, acquired from Attack Squadron 25) — too late for WWII but a workhorse in Korea and Vietnam — is on display.
  • The museum also exhibits early Navy jets:
  • Chance Vought F8U-1 Crusader (first jet fighter worldwide with a variable-incidence wing), displayed in the colors of Vice Admiral Frederick C. Turner’s F8U (VF-32 received the first F8Us on March 25, 1957).
  • Douglas A4D-1 (A-4 Skyhawk), the Navy's first Skyhawk off the production line (operational October 1956).

Space and later stories

  • Skylab I (the Skylab rescue mission module) is on display. In 1973 an all-Navy crew — Captains Paul Weitz, Charles Conrad, and Dr. Joseph Kerwin — repaired the crippled Skylab while orbiting 234 nautical miles above Earth; the crew continued experiments and splashed down in the Pacific 28 days later.
  • A notable anecdote: a Cessna O-1 Bird Dog made an unexpected carrier landing on USS Midway during the evacuation of Vietnam. A note thrown from the aircraft declared the pilot would land; the aircraft landed and carried a South Vietnamese major, his wife, and five children to safety.

Outdoor exhibits and notable aircraft

  • Many of the museum's century-mark inventory of aircraft are displayed on the 30-acre grounds.
  • Notable outdoor aircraft and achievements:
  • Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat — on November 20, 1946, LCDR M. W. Davenport set a takeoff/climb record (115 ft takeoff distance; climb to 10,000 ft in 94 seconds).
  • Grumman F9F-2 Panther — on July 3, 1953, off USS Valley Forge, became the first U.S. Navy jet fighter to take part in air combat.
  • Lockheed P2V-1 Truculent Turtle — set a nonstop distance record by flying from Perth, Australia, to Columbus, Ohio (11,235.6 miles) in 55 hours, 17 minutes (Sept 29–Oct 1, 1946).
  • Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak — set world speed records in August 1947 (640.4 mph and 650.6 mph).
  • Piasecki HRP-2 Flying Banana — BuAer No. 111829, the first off the Piasecki production line.
  • Martin P5M Marlin — the Navy’s last seaplane.
  • Consolidated PB2Y-5R Coronado (BuAer No. 7099) — reconfigured as a flagship and once assigned to Admiral Ernest J. King; it carried Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and party into Tokyo Bay for the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945. The Coronado was later owned by Howard Hughes and donated to the museum by the Summa Corporation in 1973; it remains in excellent structural condition.

Mission, visiting and acknowledgements

  • The mission of the United States Naval Aviation Museum is to select, collect, preserve, and display memorabilia representative of U.S. Navy aviation. The museum actively seeks Navy aircraft and aviation objects missing from its collection.
  • Directions to the museum are readily available in the Pensacola area, and hospitality awaits aviation enthusiasts. A self-guided tour is recommended.
  • The author thanks Capt. Grover C. Walker, Museum Director, and Robert Blaikie, Deputy Director, for their courtesy in preparing this article.

Directory of the U.S. Naval Air Museum Aircraft

Manufacturer / Designation / BuAer No.

  • Beech / AGM-37A (KD2B-1) Target Drone / NA
  • Beech / MQM-39A (KDB-1) Target Drone / NA
  • Beech / RC-45J (SNB-5P) Expeditor / 9771
  • Beech / T-34B Mentor / 144033
  • Beech / T-34B Mentor / 140816
  • Beech / YT-34C Mentor / 140784
  • Bell / NUH-57A Jet Ranger / 451986
  • Bell / TH-13M (HUL-1) Sioux / 142377
  • Bell / UH-13P (HUL-1) Sioux / 143143
  • Boeing / Stearman N2S-4 Kaydet / 41-8767
  • Burgess / N-9H / Unknown
  • Cessna / O-1 (O-1E) Bird Dog / Unknown
  • Chance Vought / F8U-1 Crusader / 145347
  • Columbia / J2F-6 Duck / 33581
  • Consolidated / PBY-5 Catalina / 8317
  • Consolidated / PBY-5R Coronado / 7099
  • Curtiss / A-1 Triad / NA
  • Curtiss / NC-4 / Unknown
  • Curtiss / SB2C-5 Helldiver / 83479
  • De Havilland / U-1B Otter / 144672
  • Douglas / A-1H (AD-6) Skyraider / 135300
  • Douglas / A-3A (A3D-1) Skywarrior / 153418
  • Douglas / A3D-2 (A3D-2) Skywarrior / 147788
  • Douglas / A-4C (A4D-2N) Skyhawk / 147788
  • Douglas / C-47A (R4D-5) Skytrooper / 12418
  • Douglas / C-47J (R4D-8) Skytrooper / 150118
  • Douglas / C-47J (R4D-8) Skytrain / 150190
  • Douglas / DB-7? (R5D-3) Skymaster / 56533
  • Douglas / F4D-1 Skyray / 131400
  • Douglas / FG-1D Corsair / 92013
  • Douglas / FD-1 Corsair / Unknown
  • General Motors / TBM-3E Avenger / 53403
  • Grumman / C1A Trader / 136754
  • Grumman / FF-1 / Unknown
  • Grumman / E-1B (WF-2) Tracer / 148146
  • Grumman / EF-6 Hellcat / 94203
  • Grumman / F4F-3 Wildcat / 80382
  • Grumman / FG-1D Corsair / 92013
  • Grumman / TF-1 Tracker / 131325
  • Gyrodyne / ??-50 Dash / Unknown
  • Kaman / HO4S-1 / 138101
  • Lockheed / EC-121K (WV-2) Warning Star / 143221
  • Lockheed / PV-1 (L-18) / Unknown
  • Lockheed / P2V-1 Truculent Turtle / 89082
  • Lockheed / SP-2H (P2V) Neptune / 144234
  • Lockheed / T-33 / 183073
  • Lockheed / TV-1 Seastar / 33840
  • Martin / PM-1 Marlin / 122307
  • Martin / SP-5B (P5M-2) Marlin / 135533
  • McDonnell / F2H-2 Banshee / 125022
  • McDonnell / F2D (F2H-2) Banshee / 127693
  • McDonnell / F3H-1 Demon / 137078
  • McDonnell Douglas / F4B Phantom / 149457
  • North American / TF-28 ? / Unknown
  • Naval Aircraft Factory / TS-2A / 8446
  • Naval Aircraft Factory / N3N "Yellow Peril" / 3046

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.