Top Left: F8F BearCat - On June 15, 1946 Admiral Chester Nimitz authorized the formation of the first aerial flight demonstration team and it was this aircraft they (the Blue Angels) used.
Top Right: TBM-U3 Avenger - This aircraft has been made famous in recent years because it is the type flown by President George Bush (Sr.) in World War II. It was considered the finest torpedo bomber of the war, extremely stable, easy to fly, and capable of sustaining major damage and still being able to make it back to its carrier. It had a range of 1,000 miles, a speed of 276 knots, and could reach an altitude of 30,000 feet. It made its attack runs at an altitude of just barely above the wave tops.
Left: B-25 (Mitchell) - This aircraft is probably best known for its use in 1942 when they were flown off of the aircraft carrier the USS Hornet and attacked Tokyo, Japan under the leadership of General Jimmy Doolittle. The initial plan was to attack Toyko and then to fly on to China and safety. However, since the carrier has been spotted by two Japanese fishing trawlers the day prior to the scheduled launch it was decided to launch early (about 400 miles). This caused many of them to run out of gas before reaching the Chinese mainland.
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These aircraft had a range of 1,350 miles, a speed of 272 knots, and could operate at an altitude of 24,2000 feet.
Above: SBD-5 Dauntlus Dive Bomber - This aircraft participated in all five of the aircraft only battles of World War II and is credited with sinking three of the four Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway, a turning point of the war in the Pacific. Its range was 456 (as a dive bomber) and 773 (as a scout plane), it had a speed of 252 knots and could fly up to 24,300 feet.
Left: B-17 Flying Fortress - This aircraft was used in both the Pacific and European theaters and had a maximum speed of 256 knots, range of 955 nautical miles, and could operate at elevations of up to 35,000 feet.
Right: B-58 Hustler - This aircraft is on loan from the U.S. Air Force. It was the United States' first supersonic bomber and had a speed of over 1,400 mph, a range of over 4,700 miles, and could operate at altitudes up to 70,000 feet. It saw service in the Strategic Air Command during the 1960s.
Left: F6F Hellcat - This aircraft entered service during the last two years of World War II and downed more Japanese aircraft than any other American Naval fighter aircraft with a kill ratio of 19 to 1. It had a range of 950 miles, a speed of 380 knots, and could reach an altitude of over 23,000 feet.
Right: PBY - Catalina - The first of these aircraft were delivered in 1940, before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Originally built as a seaplane it later became an amphibian. It was a slow aircraft with a maximum speed of 178 knots but still, when armed with bombs, it still accounted for many enemy ships and submarines sunk. Its primary use, however, was for recon and to save downed pilots. Over 3,200 of them were made and in more modern times they have been used to drop water on forest fires. It operated up to about 21,000 feet and had an effective range of over 2,100 miles.
Corvair Pickup Truck: A very unusual vehicle was also displayed at the Flight Museum in Galveston. Do you remember the Corvair by Chevyrolet? Well they made a pickup version of this vehicle. The one on display was used on the flight line to direct aircraft (note the "Follow Me" signs on the back. The engine was in the back as on all Corvairs and the tail gate was located on the passenger side of the vehicle forward of the rear wheels and just aft of the passenger side door. 