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Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the history of ship-based flight. Step aboard the simulated aircraft carrier USS Smithsonian, CVM-76. Beyond the quarterdeck is the cavernous gray interior of the hangar deck; this is the storage and repair area for the aircraft that take off and land on the flight deck overhead. This gallery is dedicated to the memory of pilot, entrepreneur and philanthropist Robert William Daniels. |
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Boeing F4B-4 The F4B series was begun as a replacement for the Navy F2B/F3B and Army PW-8 fighters. Nothing in the F4B was radically new, but with refinements in design and basic features of both airplane and engine, the F4B series delivered better performance than its predecessors.
The first F4B-1 made its maiden flight on May 6, 1929. Delivery of the first F4B-4s, with larger fin and rudder, was in 1932 to Navy fighter squadrons on the USS Langley and the USS Saratoga. U.S. Marine Corps Squadrons VF-9M and VF-10M received 27 of the 93 F4Bs built. F4B-4s remained in active carrier service until 1937, when they were replaced with faster Grumman biplane fighters. They were then used on shore as utility aircraft. The F4B-4 exhibited here is in the markings of an aircraft belonging to VF-9M. |
This FM-1 served for most of the war in Olathe, Kansas, as a trainer, but it is marked here as aircraft No. 10 operating off CVE 23, USS Breton. |
Grumman F4F (FM-1) During the early days of the war in the Pacific, the Grumman F4F Wildcat was the U.S. Navy's most widely used carrier-based fighter. F4Fs saw action first at Wake Island and then took part in the battles for the Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal. Their ratio of victories to losses during World War II was 6.9:1.
The F4F was developed during a Navy-sponsored design competition in 1935. Originally a biplane, it was redesigned as a monoplane and made its first flight on September 2, 1937. In August 1939, the Navy placed its first production order. Later, Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors received a contract from the Navy to manufacture Wildcats in 1942; their versions were designated FM-1 and FM-2. A total of 7,900 Wildcats were built by Grumman and Eastern Aircraft. |
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Robert William Daniels (1920–2000) The story of pilot, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Robert William Daniels is displayed near the
Grumman F4F Wildcat, the same type of fighter he piloted during World War II. Objects on display include Daniels' flying helmet, goggles, Bronze Star Medal, and Air Medal. |
This SBD-6 carries the markings of VS-51 (Navy scout squadron), which operated in the Pacific during World War II. |
Douglas SBD-6 Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless was one of the truly great aircraft of World War II. It played a major role throughout the Pacific. On June 4, 1942, during the Battle of Midway, SBDs destroyed four Japanese carriers, dramatically altering the course of the war.
The SBD's design was based on the Northrop BT-1, but with engine and structural changes. Production orders were placed in April 1939, with all SBD-1s going to U.S. Marine Corps units. Subsequent models were sent to Navy squadrons, with each succeeding model carrying such improvements as increased fuel capacity, illuminated gunsights, and armor plates for the crew. England, New Zealand, and France also used SBDs. The SBD-6 was the last production model, with 450 built. |
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Douglas A-4 Skyhawk The Douglas A-4C Skyhawk was designed in 1950-52 as a lightweight attack aircraft. First flown on June 22, 1954, this versatile aircraft was in continuous production until 1979, when #2960 was delivered.
In 1959 the A-4C went into production, with improvements in cockpit layout, safety features, radar equipment, and all-weather flying capability. Six hundred and thirty-eight A-4Cs were built, making it the most numerous A-4 model produced. In Vietnam, A-4s were used both in close support of ground troops and in attacking other ground targets in North Vietnam.
This A-4C is displayed in its markings as a member of VA-76 (Navy attack squadron) on the USS Bon Homme Richard off the coast of Vietnam from March to June 1967. |
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Bridge Climb up to primary flight control, or Pri-Fly, as it is called. Through its windows you can see and hear a variety of aircraft swooping in over the fantail to an arrested landing below. From the bridge (where catapult operations on the bow can be observed) you go down the ladder, cross the hangar deck and the quarterdeck, and you are back on dry land. |
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