Air & Spacecraft
Aeronca C-2
"Just the basics" was the name of the game with the Aeronca C-2. The pilot sat on a bare plywood seat with five instruments, a stick, and rudder pedals in front of him..
Aeronca L-3B Grasshopper
The Aeronca L-3B is an example of the light planes used by the U.S. Army during World War II.
Albatros D.Va Reproduction
Starting with the introduction of the D.I in August 1916, the Albatros D series produced many of the most iconic German fighter planes of World War...
Alexander Eaglerock
The Alexander Eaglerock series was one of several civilian aircraft brands that emerged after World War I. Winging away from the Denver-based...
Antonov An-2 Colt
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Antonov An-2 Colt's 45-year production run is one of the longest ever for any aircraft.
Apollo 17 Lunar Module Ascent Stage Mock-up
The Grumman-built Lunar Module, or LM, was the first true spacecraft—designed to fly only in vacuum. It was a key component in fulfilling the Apollo...
Aviatik (Berg) D.I
Berg incorporated some interesting traits into his strange-looking airplane. When two side radiators on some of the early Aviatiks weren't getting the job done.
Beech C-45H Expeditor
Beech's twin-engined Model 18 helped helped the advance and growth of commercial aviation in the years before World War II.
Bell UH-1H Iroquois (Huey)
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, commonly known as the "Huey," was a multipurpose utility helicopter famous for its widespread use during the Vietnam War....
Boeing 100/P-12/F4B
In 1928, Boeing developed the first in a family of fighters that would be one of their most successful designs between wars.
Boeing 247D
The Boeing 247 is considered to be the first modern airliner. Its sleek, low-wing, all-metal, retractable-gear, twin-engine design marked the...
Boeing 727-100
One of the world's classic airliners, the Boeing 727 was built to carry on the successful legacy of its forerunner, the 707. With a low-altitude,...
Boeing 737-130
The 737 is the smallest and most popular jetliner in the Boeing family. Dependable and economical, the 737 series has a reputation as a workhorse and...
Boeing 747-121
The growing worldwide demand for air travel during the 1960s led to the development of the 747, the first "Jumbo Jet."
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
This particular 787, ZA003, was the third Dreamliner built. It first flew on March 14, 2010. In addition to its role in the flight test and certification program
Boeing 80A-1
Until the mid-1920s, American commercial airplanes were built for mail, not people. Boeing's Model 80, along with the Ford and Fokker tri-Motors, were a new breed of passenger aircraft.
Boeing B&W Replica
The B&W was the first airplane designed and built by Boeing. On June 15, 1916, Mr. Boeing himself took the B&W aloft for the first time.
Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress
The iconic Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress served the Allied cause around the globe during World War II. Perhaps most famous as the workhorse of the...
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress revolutionized World War II-era bombers, enabling long-range missions over Japan.
Boeing B-52G Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 was developed as a strategic long-range bomber. Originally designed to deliver nuclear weapons from high altitude, it has...
Boeing CH-47D Chinook "My Old Lady"
The CH-47 Chinook is a descendent of the banana-shaped Piasecki helicopter designs of the 1940s and 1950s, such as the H-21. Frank Piasecki’s...
Boeing Inertial Upper Stage Mock-up
The Boeing-developed Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) was an autonomous, upper-stage booster rocket. It could be launched from Titan IV expendable launch...
Boeing Lunar Roving Vehicle Engineering Mock-up
Boeing began work on the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) in 1969 in support of NASA's planned Apollo "J" lunar-landing missions. These missions used...
Boeing Model 40B Reproduction
In 1925, Boeing built its first Model 40 in response to a U.S. Post Office competition for a design to replace war surplus de Havilland DH-4s. The...
Boeing VC-137B "Air Force One"
The first presidential jet plane, a specially built Boeing 707-120, is known as SAM (Special Air Missions) 970.
Boeing WB-47E Stratojet
The B-47 Stratojet is one of the most important aircraft ever designed by The Boeing Company. It was the world's first large swept-wing aircraft,...
Bowers Fly Baby 1A
The Fly Baby is the winning entry in the 1962 Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Design Contest.
Bowers Fly Baby Prototype
The Fly Baby was the winning entry in the 1962 Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Design Contest. Designed and built by Seattle resident Peter...
Bowlus (Hawley) BA-100 Baby Albatross
The Bowlus BA-100 Baby Albatross glider was designed by sailplane designer Hawley Bowlus. (Mr. Bowlus earlier worked as a plant manager at Ryan...
Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk. 6
The F-86 Sabre, built by North American, is best known for its outstanding combat performance during the Korean War. First flown in 1947, the Sabre was the United States' first fighter to fly supersonic -- in a dive.
Caproni Ca.20
The Caproni Ca.20 was an aircraft ahead of its time in design, purpose, and armament.
Cessna CG-2 Glider
In 1930, the Cessna Aircraft Company offered the public a chance to fly. For the price of $398, a CG-2 glider could be bought by catalog.
Chanute (Octave) 1896 Biplane Glider Reproduction
Octave Chanute was one of the great pioneers of early flight. In 1896, Chanute, Augustus Herring, and fellow flying enthusiasts went to wind-swept...
Concorde
British and French aerospace companies collaborated to design and build 20 Concorde aircraft between 1966 and 1979.
Curtiss JN-4D Jenny Reproduction
The Jenny is one of America's most famous airplanes. Early versions of the Curtiss biplane were serving the U.S. Army before America's entry into World War I, flying in Mexico on the trail of Pancho Villa in 1916.
Curtiss P-40N Warhawk
The Curtiss P-40 was obsolete at the outbreak of World War II, and despite continued improvements, never equaled the capabilities of its adversaries....
Curtiss-Robertson Robin C-1
The Curtiss Robin was designed for private owners. Conventional in many ways, the Robin was popular because it had an unusually large, enclosed cabin
da Vinci Il Cigno Interpretation
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was one of the great minds of the Renaissance. Although most famous for his contributions to art, he was also...
de Havilland D.H. 106 Comet Mk. 4C
The de Havilland Comet was the world's first jet airliner, designed to overtake the American lead in air transports following World War II. Design...
DG Flugzeugbau Perlan Glider
On August 29, 2006, Steve Fossett and Einar Enevoldson flew a modified glider to a record-setting altitude of 50,727 feet (15,445 m) over the...
Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II
The nimble and speedy A-4 Skyhawk bucked the trend of "bigger is better." In 1952, Douglas designer Ed Heinemann, who had been the company's chief...
Douglas DC-2
The DC-1 was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1932 in response to TWA's (then Transcontinental & Western Air) requirement for a new...
Douglas DC-3
Following the success of the DC-2, newly formed American Airlines approached the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1934 about a new design, one that would...
Explorer One 1:1 Scale Model
Explorer 1 was the first successful satellite of the United States, launched on January 31, 1958. It is credited with the discovery of the Van Allen...
Fairchild 24
The Fairchild F-24 is a truly classic aircraft in its field. Built in the 1930s and 1940s as an economical and easy-to-fly touring aircraft, the F-24 became the plane of choice for many Hollywood stars including Robert Taylor, Tyrone Power, Mary Pickford, and Jimmy Stewart.
Fieseler Fi 103 "V1"
On June 12, 1944, under the codename Operation Eisbär (Polar Bear), Nazi Germany unleashed a new type of weapon against London, England: the Fieseler...
Fokker D.VII Reproduction
Most experts agree that the Fokker D.VII was the finest single-seat fighter plane of the war. Designed by Reinhold Platz, the prototype was called the VII and
Fokker D.VIII Reproduction
The Fokker D.VIII was the firm's final and most advanced design of World War I. Designed by Fokker's great engineering genius, Reinhold Platz, the...
Fokker Dr.I Reproduction
One of the most famous and recognizable fighters of World War I the Fokker Dr.I was built in response to the earlier success of Sopwith's Triplane.
Fokker E.III Reproduction
With its mid-wing monoplane design and distinct comma tail, Fokker's E-series fighter is one of the most recognizable aircraft of World War I.
Franks Task Silhouette
The Silhouette is a modern, all-composite sport aircraft designed as a kit for home-builders. It was designed in 1984 by Task Research of Santa...
General Motors (Eastern Aircraft Division) FM-2 Wildcat
Originally designed as a biplane in the rapidly evolving aeronautical climate of 1936, the Grumman Wildcat quickly transformed into the familiar...
Goodyear F2G-1 Super Corsair
Big, robust, and fast, the Goodyear F2G was often referred to as the "Super Corsair" for good reason. Designed and produced by Goodyear rather than...
Goodyear FG-1D Corsair
The Chance Vought F4U Corsair is considered the premier Navy and Marine fighter of World War II. The Corsair, along with the Grumman Hellcat, are...
Granville Brothers Gee Bee Z "City of Springfield" Reproduction
Like so many young people in the 1920s, Zantford Granville took a keen interest in the burgeoning field of aviation. He earned his pilot's license in...
Grumman A-6E Intruder
In the years following the Korean War, the A-6 was designed as a tough and versatile all-weather bomber to replace the Douglas Skyraider in U.S. Navy...
Grumman EA-6B Prowler
The Grumman (now Northrop Grumman) EA-6B Prowler is an electronic warfare aircraft that was operated by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Outfitted...
Grumman F-14A Tomcat
The failure of the General Dynamics F-111B to meet U.S. Navy requirements for an advanced carrier-based air-superiority fighter led to a new design...
Grumman F9F-8 (F-9J) Cougar
The F9F Cougar is the swept-wing variant of its forerunner, the F9F Panther -- Grumman's first jet fighter plane. As MiG-15s tangled with the slower,...
Heath Parasol
Edward Heath, born in 1888, received most of his engineering training at Chicago's Lane Technical High School and in the Chester Johnson family...
Howard DGA-15P
The Howard Aircraft Corporation made its name with high-profile racing successes in the mid-1930s. The most famous Howard aircraft, a DGA-6 known as...
Insitu Aerosonde Laima
"Aerosonde" is a trademarked name of an autonomous aircraft developed by InSitu, Inc. (later manufactured by Aerodonde, Ltd.), designed to collect...
Lamson (Alcor) Glider
The Alcor sailplane was one of the first sailplanes in the U.S. made of composite materials. Other innovations, like a pressurized cockpit (a first...
Lear Fan 2100
The Lear Fan 2100, a radical two-engine pusher prop-jet made almost entirely from composites, was Bill Lear's final project. When Lear died in 1978,...
Learjet 23
William Powell "Bill" Lear wasn't an aeronautical engineer when he started the Learjet project around age 60. He was an inventor and entrepreneur,...
Letov LF-107 Lunak Glider
The Czech aerobatic glider LF-107 "Luňák" (or "Kite") was designed by Rudy Letov and further developed by a group of sailplane pilots and...
Lilienthal (Otto) 1893 Glider Reproduction
German inventor Otto Lilienthal is considered to be one of the greatest airman of the nineteenth century. Starting in 1891, Lilienthal and his...
Lockheed 1049G Super Constellation
The elegant Lockheed Constellation was born from requirements put forth in 1939 by Howard Hughes for Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA) Lines....
Lockheed D-21B Drone
The D-21 drone was an unpiloted aircraft originally designed for CIA and Air Force surveillance missions over particularly hostile territories....
Lockheed F-104C Starfighter
The development of the Lockheed F-104, America's first operational Mach 2 fighter, was initially motivated by the threat posed by fast and agile...
Lockheed Jetstar Prototype (CL-329)
The Lockheed JetStar was designed in response to a request from the United States Air Force for a 10-passenger utility jet. On September 4, 1957,...
Lockheed M-21 (Blackbird)
The Blackbird family of aircraft cruised at speeds of more than Mach 3 and flew over 85,000 feet (25,500 m) in altitude. Conceived in the 1950s,...
Lockheed Martin RQ-3A Dark Star
During the 1990s, the U.S. Air Force showed renewed interest in UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). These aircraft were intended to fly high over...
Lockheed Model 10-E Electra
With its signature twin tail and exceptionally clean, art-deco appearance, the Lockheed Model 10 Electra series emerged as a purpose-built design...
Lockheed P-38L Lightning
Originally conceived as a high-altitude interceptor to meet a 1937 Army Air Corps requirement, Lockheed's Model 22, designated P-38 Lightning, was to...
Lockheed YO-3A Quiet Star
Lockheed designed the YO-3A as a nearly silent observation aircraft. The United States Army used the plane to observe nighttime enemy activity and...
MacCready Gossamer Albatross II
Paul MacCready was an aeronautical engineer who won the first Kremer Prize in 1977 for the flight of his human-powered Gossamer Condor over a closed...
McAllister Yakima Clipper Glider
The Yakima Clipper was designed and built in 1931-1932 by Washington State native and Northwest glider pioneer Charles McAllister. Based on German...