The Korean War exhibit includes a display of vintage artifacts and a diorama depicting the attempted rescue of ENS Jesse L. Brown, the first African American to complete flight training and become a Naval Aviator, by squadronmate LTJG Thomas Hudner Jr. on December 4, 1950. The action, for which Hudner received the Medal of Honor, … Korean War Exhibit
The MiG-21 (codenamed Fishbed by NATO) was one of the most widely produced fighter aircraft in history. Capable of nearly Mach 2, it was designed as a high-altitude interceptor with an excellent climb rate. In the dogfighting arena, the aircraft’s small size made it difficult to spot and it boasted excellent turning capability. Naval aviators first … MiG-21 Fishbed
The USS Nimitz one-quarter scale replica flight deck highlights features of the modern nuclear-powered aircraft carriers that operate around the world. The island superstructure not only depicts that on board the real ship, but also serves as the ticket counter for the museum’s large screen theater. Nimitz entered service in 1975 as the lead ship … USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Flight Deck
This monument depicts five Naval Aviators from various periods in history gathered together listening to the World War II aviator describe an air combat action. It welcomes visitors to the museum Quarterdeck, which derives its name from the ceremonial point of arrival and departure on board a ship. For visitors this area of the museum … Spirit of Naval Aviation Monument
The museum’s A-1 Triad is one of two replicas of the Navy’s first airplane built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Naval Aviation in 1961. The name Triad reflected the fact that it could operate from the water using the single float, on land using wheels and in the air. The A-1 was the airplane … A-1 Triad
A subsonic research airplane designed to evaluate high-speed flight, the D-558-1 was aptly nicknamed the “Crimson Test Tube” by the press that covered its test program. Two Naval Aviators, Commander Turner F. Caldwell and Marine Major Marion Carl, established world speed records in the Skystreak in August 1947 over what is now Edwards Air Force … D-558-1 Skystreak
The Navy’s front-line fighter during the Korean War, the Panther scored the first air-to-air kills by a jet aircraft in Naval Aviation history. Astronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, as well as Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams, flew F9Fs during the war. The museum’s airplane is a combat veteran of both Navy and Marine … F9F-2 Panther
The Navy ordered its first airplane in 1911, just eight years after the Wright Brothers made the first powered flight. From seaplanes that logged record-setting transoceanic flights to the development of combat aircraft and the floating airfields known as aircraft carriers, Naval Aviation’s first decades of service laid the foundation for its enduring role in … Dawn of Naval Aviation
The name Charles Lindbergh is synonymous with flying across the Atlantic, but the NC-4 flying boat was the first to conquer that ocean in a multi-legged flight with stops in Canada, the Azores Islands and ultimately Portugal. On loan from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum since 1974, this is the actual aircraft, not … NC-4
This diorama captures various scenes from the Naval Aviation experience in the World War I era, from the sandy shores of Pensacola where wood and fabric seaplanes operated from tent hangars to a muddy airfield on the Western Front. A civilian purchased the MF-Boat on display after it completed its Navy service and at one … Naval Aviation in the Great War