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NUMBERS

20  LAST

JAPAN
WARBIRD
1945

• The first prototype flew in April 1945. Two built.

1

GERMAN
WARBIRD
1917

• For a two-seater reconnaissance aircraft, Rumpler C.IV had an excellent performance,
  which enabled it to remain in front-line service until the end of World War I on the Western Front, as well as in Italy and Palestine. Its exceptional ceiling allowed pilots to undertake reconnaissance secure in the knowledge that few allied aircraft could reach it.

2

BRITISH
(WARBIRD)
1916

• 1 October 1916 BE2e aircraft, was moved to Elmswell in East Anglia in September 1917.  Little information has survived about the squadron's early history; the suspicion being that, in common with many home defence units, it did not have the opportunity to see much action before being disbanded on 13 June 1919.

3

4

BELGIUM
(WARBIRD)
1928

• The Renard Epervier was a Belgian prototype single-seat all-metal fighter monoplane built by the brothers Renard for a government-sponsored design contest in 1928. The Epervier Type 2 was built and flown in 1928, being constructed by Belgian aircraft manufacturer Stampe et Vertongen. It carried an armament of two synchronised 7.7mm guns and was lost later in 1928 after failing to recover from a flat spin. A second prototype, the Epervier Type 2bis, introduced revised streamlined fairings for the cantilever mainwheel legs, mainwheel spats and cylinder aft-fairings and was built by SABCA (Société Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques).

5

U.S.A.
(WARBIRD)
1951

• The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American-built turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Force proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunderjet was plagued by so many structural and engine problems that a 1948 Air Force review declared it  unable to execute any aspect of its intended mission and considered cancelling the program. The aircraft was not considered fully operational until the 1949 F-84D model and the design matured only with the definitive F-84G introduced in 1951.

6

U.S.A.
1946

• The Republic RC-3 Seabee is an all-metal amphibious sports aircraft designed by Percival Spencer and manufactured by the Republic Aircraft Corporation.

7

FRANCE
(WARBIRD)
1915

• The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7 was a British two-seat light bomber and reconnaissance biplane designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory and built under contracts by the Coventry Ordnance Works, Austin, Napier and Siddeley-Deasy for the Royal Flying Corps. Developed from the R.E.5 The aircraft was built by a number of different contractors with the first aircraft operational with the Royal Flying Corps in France in early 1916. The aircraft had two open cockpits with the observer/gunner in the forward cockpit under the upper wing and the pilot. aft.

9

FRANCE
1911

• The 1911 version of Robert Esnault-Pelterie differed radically from the older type in the method of elevation control and in the construction of the tail as well as in propeller, motor, etc. This type was built in two sizes (one or two seater) and largely preserved the graceful lines of its predecessors. After the flights of Laurens and Bournique, with and without passenger, and because of its high speed, reliability and stability, the scarlet bird-like R. E. P. took its place among the very best flying machines of the time.

10

BRITISH
(WARBIRD)
1914 

• The R.E. 7 has been called the most useless airplane ever made, and for some good reasons. Between it's top speed and the speed at which it stalled and spun out of control there was a margin of only twenty miles an hour. It was intended to have a top speed of 80 mph, but it usually managed only 60, and it's stall speed was 48 mph. This made take-offs, landings and manoeuvring in the air very difficult. But the aircraft had to be thrown about the sky, as they were as manoueverable as 10-ton trucks. They had been designed as stable camera platforms for observation.  In RFC parlance, the R.E. 7 was "a pig - on a windy day a boy on a bicycle could pass it." It was powered by the 150hp RAF 4a engine giving it a theoretical speed of 82 mph (37 km/h), and a ceiling of 6,500 ft (1980 m). It first flew operationally in 1915. Only 250 were built, then they were superceded by the RE8, which wasn't much better. It came armed with a forward firing machine gun mounted oblique to the aircraft to avoid the propeller. This made it very difficult to hit anything, as the aircraft had to be crabbed to one side when aiming at another plane. The observer could not stand, or turn around like in later aircraft, so a machine gun in the back was nearly ineffective as the observer had to aim it by leaning back and swivelling the gun while looking over his shoulder.

11

U.S.A.
(WARBIRD)
1943 

• The Ryan FR Fireball was a composite propeller and jet-powered aircraft designed by Ryan Aeronautical for the United States Navy during World War II. The Fireball entered service before the end of the war, but did not see combat. The FR-1 Fireball was the United States Navy's first aircraft with jet propulsion.   Design began in 1943 to a proposal instigated by Admiral John S. McCain, Sr. for a composite-powered fighter; early jet engines had sluggish acceleration which was considered unsafe and unsuitable for aircraft carrier takeoff and landing. Ryan aeronautical engineer Benjamin Tyler Salmon was tasked with designing an aircraft to meet these criteria. His solution was a composite design that allowed for conventional piston-powered flight but gave a jet for higher speeds.

ITALY
1939  

• The Reggiane Re.2000 was designed by Ing. Longhi who took his inspiration from the contemporary Seversky P-35 which it superficially resembled The Re.2000 prototype's first flight was on 24 May 1939, in Reggio Emilia, flown by Mario De Bernardi, and achieved a maximum speed of 515 km/h at 5,000 m. This was the Reggiane company's first aircraft having aluminum skin (panels) rather than an exclusively wooden structure.  The Regia Aeronautica rejected it, however, due to its unreliable engine and vulnerable fuel tanks.

13 

U.S.A.
1937 

• In 1937 and 1938 a second civilian aircraft model was introduced, the Ryan SCW-145 for Sport Coupe, Warner 145 horsepower (108 kW) engine. The SCW was a larger three seater aircraft with a sliding canopy and side-by-side front seating. The prototype SCW was originally powered by a Menasco engine, however prototype testing revealed that more power was needed hence the move to the Warner 145 hp (108 kW), 7-cylinder radial engine for production models. Thirteen examples of the SCW were built, although the last one was assembled from surplus parts decades after the initial production run was finished.

14

ITALY
1940

• The Reggiane Re.2002 Ariete was an Italian fighter-bomber developed during World War II. The aircraft was a further development of the Re.2000, with some of the modifications that already had been introduced in the Re.2001. The aircraft was mainly used by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force), but it also saw limited use with the German Luftwaffe, who used it against the French resistance

15

U.S.A.
1927 

• On May 21, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in history, flying his Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" 5,810 kilometers (3,610 miles) between Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, and Paris, France, in 33 hours, 30minutes.

GERMANY
1978  

• Rhein-Flugzeugbau Fantrainer

• When matured at the beginning of the 1970s, with many air forces the realization that an advanced pilot training would be based on new, high-technology systems are significantly more expensive, was looking for an alternative, should the one hand, include the flight characteristics of a jet airplane, on the other, the low cost of an airplane propeller. The company could look back at that time already over twenty years of research into new methods and techniques in the aircraft.

17

POLAND
1933  

• The aircraft was designed as a single-seater aerobatic sports plane, that could also be used as a trainer for fighter aircraft pilots. The main designer was Jerzy Drzewiecki of the RWD construction team in the DWL (Doświadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze) workshops. Its silhouette was similar to the RWD-8. The first prototype (registration SP-ALC), was flown in July 1933 by Drzewiecki. Its stability was not satisfactory, but after modifications, including lengthening a fuselage, it appeared a successful design and it completed state trials in 1935. In a mock dogfight with the PZL P.11c fighter, the RWD-10 kept on the P.11's tail. The first public aerobatics show of the RWD-10 took place during a Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning in September 14-15, 1935 in Warsaw.

ITALY
1942

• The Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario (English: Archer) Considered by many to be "the most beautiful plane of the Second World War" it was, along with the Macchi C.202/C.205 and Fiat G.55, one of the three "Serie 5" Italian fighters built around the famous Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. Only 48 examples had been delivered, before Armistice, these fighter fighting in the defence of Naples, Rome and Sicily, the survivors battling above the crumbling ruins of Berlin, with German insignia. "The Re.2005 was altogether a superb, potent aeroplane", observed Group Captain Duncan Smith, DSO DFC

19 

POLAND
1934  

IMAGE

RWD-9

• The R.W.D.9 differed primarily from its predecessor by being of four- rather than two-seat configuration, and four of the eight production aircraft (one airframe having been used for static tests) had the GR.760 engine, the other four having the 164kW Walter Bora radial engine. Six of the R.W.D.9s took part in the 1934 Challenge, all of them finishing in the top 10 places and sweeping the board by being first, second and third; almost unbelieveably this performance was repeated in the Circuit of Europe in September of that year, the first three places falling to the R.W.D.9.

20

ITALY
1957 

IMAGE
 

Rikugun Ki-93

21

POLAND
1936   

IMAGE
 

RWD-8

• The aircraft was designed in response to a Polish Air Force requirement of 1931 for a basic trainer aircraft. It was constructed by the RWD team of Stanisław Rogalski, Stanisław Wigura and Jerzy Drzewiecki. The first prototype (registration SP-AKL), was flown in early 1933. It won the contest for the Polish military trainer, against the PZL-5bis and Bartel BM-4h biplanes. It was considered a very stable and well-handling aircraft.

22

U.S.A.
(WARBIRD)
1942 

Republic P-47C Thunderbolt

1. 
   Affectionately nicknamed "Jug," the P-47 was one of the most famous AAF fighter planes of World War II. Although originally conceived as a lightweight interceptor, the P-47 developed as a heavyweight fighter and made its first flight on May 6, 1941. The first production model was delivered to the AAF in March 1942, and in April 1943 the Thunderbolt flew its first combat mission -- a sweep over Western Europe. Used as both a high-altitude escort fighter and a low-level fighter-bomber, the P-47 quickly gained a reputation for ruggedness. Its sturdy construction and air-cooled radial engine enabled the Thunderbolt to absorb severe battle damage and keep flying. During WWII, the P-47 served in almost every active war theater and in the forces of several Allied nations. By the end of WWII, more than 15,600 Thunderbolts had been built.
    

23 

U.S.A.
1978

Rutan Quickie

• The Quickie Aircraft Corporation was founded in Mojave, California in 1978 to market the Quickie homebuilt aircraft (models Quickie, Quickie Q2, and Quickie Q200 aircraft) which were designed by Burt Rutan and founders Gene Sheehan and Tom Jewett. Now defunct, the company sold over 2,000 kits in its lifetime.

24

U.S.A.
1979

IMAGE

Rutan Long Ez

The Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ is a homebuilt aircraft with a canard layout designed by Burt Rutan's Rutan Aircraft Factory. It is derived from the VariEze, which was first offered to homebuilders in 1976. The prototype (N79RA) of the Long-EZ first flew on June 12, 1979.

25 

ITALY
1934

IMAGE

Romeo-RO41

• It was a singular aircraft, being obsolescent as a fighter when it first appeared in 1934, but despite this it was used as such until 1940. The Luftwaffe showed an interest in it as a trainer, even though German first line fighters were completely different. The Ro.41 is almost unknown, compared to many other Italian aircraft, despite being one of the most numerous produced, in its 16-year career.

26

U.S.A.
1941 

IMAGE 

Republic P-47N Thunderbolt

27 

U.S.A.
1941

IMAGE

Republic Seabee (1)

• The RC-3 Seabee was designed by Percival Hopkins "Spence" Spencer, an aviation pioneer who built his first hang glider in April 1911. At the time he was 17 years old and constructed it from plans he found in a "Popular Mechanics" magazine. On May 15th 1914, Spencer made his first powered flight in a Curtiss Flying Boat. In 1937 he joined Sikorsky engineer Vincent A. Larsen to design their first, and only, amphibious aircraft, the Spencer-Larsen SL-12C. Development of the plane progressed slowly and in September 1940 Spencer left the partnership to form his own company. His resulting design was the Spencer S-12 Air Car Amphibian. Construction of the S-12 began on 1 March 1941 and the small, two seat S-12 prototype, registered NX29098, made its first flight on August 8 1941. The S-12 was a fabric covered amphibian with a unique boxlike forward cabin, a high wing with a two bladed propeller in pusher configuration and a long, slender tail boom.

28 

Republic Seabee  (2)

29

U.S.A.
1949

IMAGE

Republic RF-84F Thunderflash

30 

BRITISH
1967

IMAGE

Rollason Beta

• The Rollason Beta was a British midget racing monoplane developed from a competition to build a Formula One air racer in the 1960s in England. The Beta was first flown on April 21, 1967. The aircraft were successful air-racers in England during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

31 

U.S.A.
1955

IMAGE

• The Republic F-105 Thunderchief, was a supersonic fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force. The Mach 2 capable F-105 bore the brunt of strike bombing over North Vietnam during the early years of the Vietnam War, and has the distinction of being the only US aircraft to have ever been removed from combat due to attrition. Originally designed and deployed as a single seat aircraft, a two-seat Wild Weasel version was later developed for use in the specialized Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role against surface-to-air missile sites. It was commonly known as the Thud by its crews.

32 

33 

U.S.A.
1980

IMAGE

34

U.S.A.
1941 

IMAGE 

 Republic P-47B Thunderbolt

• The Thunderbolt was the most famous of all the Republic aircraft in WWII. First flown on 6 May 1941, the P-47 was designed as a (then) large, high-performance fighter/bomber, utilizing the large Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine to give it excellent performance and a large load-carrying capability. The first deliveries of the P-47 took place in June 1942, when the US Army Air Corps began flying it in the European Theater.

35 

U.S.A.
1956

IMAGE

• The Sabreliner was successfully developed for both military and civil use. North American Aviation began work on the Sabreliner as a private venture but it was formally launched in August 1956 in response to the US Air Force's UTX (Utility Trainer Experimental) requirement for a utility jet aircraft capable of performing transport and combat readiness training missions. A civil configured prototype (designated NA264) flew for the first time on September 16 1958 powered by General Electric YJ85 turbojets.

36

U.S.A.
1942 

IMAGE

• Though not too pretty to look at, the Thunderbolt had "it" where it counted - through her stressed metal skin, robust airframe and powerful engine. Her weight never made her a prominent close-up dogfighting champion but this drawback allowed her to excel in "dive and zoom" attacks against enemy fighters while proving her equally adept at ground strikes accomplished through the battery of eight heavy machine guns, 5-inch rockets and conventional bombs. In the end, this unsung hero of World War 2 proved that she played second fiddle to no one - regardless how sexy a design she was up against.

37 

 FRANCE
1981

IMAGE

• In 1978, Avions Robin started design of a new range of all-metal single-engined light aircraft, with a wide range of variants planned with between two and four seats, various engines and a choice of fixed or retractable undercarriage] The first prototype, a R.3140, a four seater powered by a Lycoming O-320 flew on 8 December 1980, with the second prototype flying on 2 June 1981.

38