Participants
Fighters
Grumman FM-2 “Wildcat”
For the first time ever at the Indianapolis Air Show will be the rare General Motors built FM-2 version of the Grumman F4F Wildcat. Flown by both Navy and Marine pilots in the early stages of WWII in the Pacific, the Wildcat was instrumental in winning the Battle of Guadalcanal in late 1942 and early 1943 over the Japanese Imperial Navy and Army. Although the Wildcat was at a performance disadvantage against its main adversary, the Japanese Zero, US Naval and Marine pilots were able to develop tactics that brought the enemy’s advance to a halt. Like all Grumman aircraft, the F4F could take considerable battle damage and still bring its pilot home. The FM-2 is a development of the original model made lighter and more powerful in order to operate from escort carriers. It is called the “Wilder Wildcat” and served in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. The Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors built 4,777 FM-2s in its Linden, NJ assembly plant from 1943 until 1945.
The FM-2 coming this year is owned by Mike Gillian of Illinois and was built in 1944, went to the West Coast, and then to the Glenview Naval Air Station.
Yakovlev Yak-9
The Yak-9 was one of a series of four Yakovlev fighters, Yak-1, 3, 7, and 9, that were used by the Red Air Force during the Great Patriotic War (WWII). The series made its flying debut with the Yak-1 in January of 1940 with the first test flight, and ten months later, in October of 1940, five Yak-1s made the first public appearance of the type with a formation flyover of Red Square during the celebration of the Russian Revolution. At the time of the German invasion of Russia in June of 1941, 400 Yak-1s were available for service, and while not the equal of German ME-109, gave a good accounting of themselves, and showed a glimpse of the future where the Yaks would reign supreme in the end.
The Yak-9 entered service in October 1942 as an improvement to the Yak-7 and immediately made its presence felt during the Battle of Stalingrad in early 1943. The first Yak-9’s had wooden wings and a molded plywood skin which by the end of the war had been replaced on later models with aluminum. The original engine was a liquid cooled “V” engine, the M-105PF, which was rated at approximately 1,100 hp which by the end of WWII had been upgraded to 1,650hp. Original armament consisted of one 20mm cannon firing through the center of the propeller boss, one 12.7mm machine gun firing through the engine cowling and six rockets or two 220-pound bombs.
The Yak-9 became the predominant fighter of the Soviet Air Force in the middle and late years of World War II, and was produced in greater numbers than any other Soviet fighter with a final production of 16,769. By the middle of 1944 there were more Yak-9s in service than all other Soviet fighters combined. Like all Soviet aircraft of WWII, it was designed for mass production and durability, and offered little in new technology. Soviet fighters of the era, including the Yak-9, were designed to achieve numerical rather than technical superiority.
It turned out to be a formidable fighter, especially at low altitude where much of the air combat took place on the Eastern Front. The Yak-9 had an small sustained turning diameter at low speeds, which allowed it to turn inside of the German fighters it faced, and in a sustained turn get inside the enemy aircraft to be able to shoot it down
This particular aircraft is owned by Jim Cook of Auburn, AL and is painted to represent the Yak-9 flown by Louis Delfino of the Free French, Normandie Nieman Regiment, which flew for the Soviet Air Force during WWII and produced 27 aces. This is one of 10 Yak-9s that were manufactured during the 1990’s in the same factory and on the same production line as the originals during WWII. An Indianapolis built Allison V-1710 engine of 1450 hp was substituted during the manufacture of the aircraft for the original Klimov engine.
Back to the Indianapolis Air Show for the third year by popular demand!
Republic P-47 “Thunderbolt”
New to the Indianapolis Air Show in 2006 and back in 2007 by popular demand! The P-47, affectionately nicknamed “Jug”, was the largest and most heavily armed single engine fighter of WWII, with an internal armament of eight .50 caliber Browning machine guns and nearly 3000 rounds of ammunition. Although originally conceived as a lightweight interceptor, the P-47 developed into a heavyweight fighter and made its first flight on May 6, 1941. The first production model was delivered to the Army Air Force in March of 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 and the ability to absorb punishment, which would allow both the aircraft and pilot to return safely home. This was due to its sturdy construction and air-cooled radial engine, which 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, and by the end of the conflict, more than 15,600 had been built, many of these in Evansville, IN.
This year the Indianapolis Air Show will again feature (2) Thunderbolts in matching paint schemes that will be flying as a pair, just as the P-47’s did in WWII. One will be in the paint of scheme “HUN HUNTER XVI”, which represents how Gil Wymond of the 57th Fighter Group, 65th Fighter Squadron had his aircraft painted in the European Theatre. This particular warbird is owned by the Tennessee Museum of Aviation.
The largest single engine fighter of WWII!!
North American P-51 “Mustang”
The Mustang was considered by many to be the finest fighter that that the U.S. produced and flew in WWII. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, it had the ability to escort B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers all the way to their German targets, which greatly reduced the losses the bombers were suffering from German fighter defenses. Many high German military officers realized the war was lost when they first saw P-51s in the skies over Berlin. Although it excelled as a long range escort, which it also did for the B-29s on their trips to Japan, the P-51 also turned out to be an excellent ground attack aircraft, destroying many enemy aircraft on the ground. During the Korean War, Mustangs were used extensively in the fighter bomber role and also served with the Indiana Air National Guard in the 1950’s.
Above is the P-51D owned by Nathan Davis from Tipton, IN.
Vought F4U “Corsair”
One of the most famous and well recognized fighters of WWII
The F4U is one the most famous and recognizable fighters from WWII, and was the first U.S. fighter to exceed 400 MPH in level flight. The trademark gull wings are the result of having to place the main landing at the lowest point in the wings to prevent the huge 13 foot diameter propeller from hitting the ground or flight deck on takeoffs and landings. Many, especially former Naval and Marine aviators, consider the Corsair to be the best American fighter of WWII. It continued to be produced into the early 1950’s allowing it to have the longest production run of any fighter that served in the Second World War. It also served with the Marines and Navy in Korea and was last flown by the Marines in 1965.
Pictured above is the pristine and highly restored Corsair owned by Doug Mathews of Florida. Doug will be bringing this Corsair to the show for the first time and will not only fly with the warbirds but participate in the Legacy Flight with the F-18 Hornet.
All of the warbirds have their own distinctive sounds, and the Corsair was known to the Japanese on the ground as “The Whistling Death”, because of the unique sound generated by the air flowing over the oil coolers in a dive. See if you can hear it when flies on Saturday and Sunday at the show.
New to the show!
Hawker Sea Fury Mark 10
The Hawker Sea Fury is the navalized version of the Hawker Fury, which was when WWII ended was no longer and development work ceased. However, work on the Seafury continued and first prototype with folding wing, powered by a Bristol Centaurus XII, flew for the first time in October of 1947. In May 1948, the first Sea Furies became operational with No. 802 Squadron, in the form of the Sea Fury FB.Mk 11, of which 615 were built with at least 66 of these also being delivered to Australia and Canada. Early in the Korean War, Sea Furies operated very successfully in the ground attack role from the decks of Royal Navy aircraft carriers. Sea Furies also were used by the Netherlands, Pakistan, Egypt, Burma, Cuba and Iraq. The original engine that powered the Sea Fury was the Bristol Centaurus 18 which had 18 cylinders and produced 2,480 hp and could propel the aircraft to a maximum speed of 435 miles per hour. Armament consisted of four 20mm cannons mounted in the wings with provisions for bombs and rockets in beneath the wings.
There are only around 15 Sea Furies that are currently flying today worldwide and we welcome the return of this particular Sea Fury at the Indianapolis Air Show. Sea Furies are flown extensively as unlimited air racers because by design they fast. Don’t miss out on seeing the performance this can provide. The Sea Fury was the pinnacle of piston powered aircraft as the jet age dawned at the end of WWII. Now powered by a Wright 3350 radial engine, as Centaurus parts are not readily available, the Sea Fury will moving getting around the race track flight pattern at the Mt. Comfort Airport this August in a hurry.
This rare and beautiful Warbird will be coming to us from the Memphis Squadron of the CAF and will be returning to the Indianapolis Air Show in 2008 after a very successful appearance in 2007. Learn more at: Memphis Squadron
Don’t miss this one, as the Sea Fury is fast, really fast!!!
Hawker Hurricane Mark XII
The Hawker Hurricane was the first monoplane with 8 machine guns(which if all fired at the same time would slow the aircraft’ speed by 30 mph) to exceed 300 mph to be acquired by the Royal Air Force. During the Battle of Britain it was the aircraft the RAF had more than any other on hand to defend the country. During the battle it destroyed two thirds of German aircraft which was more than all of the rest of the British aircraft combined. It truly was the right aircraft at the right place at the right time!
The Mark XII had a top speed of 340 mph and could climb to 36,000 feet, courtesy of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 224 engine that could produce 1,300 hp. When production stopped in 1944 after eight years, 14,000 Hurricanes of all Marks had been produced and served with Commonwealth forces all over the glove during WWII.
The Hurricane Royal Canadian Air Force Serial Number 5481was manufactured by Canadian Car & Foundry, Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1942 as a Mk. IIb and converted to Mk. XII configuration early on during WW II. It is one of several Hurricanes recovered from a scrap heap by Jack Arnold of Brantford, Ontario in 1984. After being rebuilt by warbird restorer Charles Church, it made its first post-restoration flight in September 1991. Although it is a relatively late-model Hurricane, P2970 was painted as “Little Willy,” the Mk. I flown by Pilot Officer Geoffrey Page of No. 56 Squadron when he was shot down in August 1940. Learn more at: Russell Aviation Group
New to the Indianapolis Air Show in 2008!! Don’t miss this one, as the Hurricane is the unsung hero aircraft of the Battle of Britain. One of the world’s true classic fighters!
Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX
The Supermarine Spitfire is considered to be the best fighter that the British produced during WWII and 20,334 were produced in about 24 different models. Engine output started at 1000 horsepower in the early models and finished at 2,400 hp in the last models. The airframe emphasized maneuverability with an excellent wing design on a small frame. While it is most famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, it was used by Commonwealth forces in all theatres of operation not only as an air superiority fighter, but also in low level ground attack and aerial reconnaissance. The Mark IX had a 1660 hp engine that was able to give the aircraft a top speed of 408 mph and was armed with (4) 20mm cannons. The Mark IX was designed to challenge the superiority of the German Focke Wulf 190 and became operation in July of 1942.
The Spitfire Serial Number MK912 that will be in attendance at the Indianapolis Air Show this year was originally built in March 1944 at Castle Bromwich and was delivered on June 8th, 1944, seeing immediate active service with 312 Squadron, which was a Czech unit. It is thought to be the first allied aircraft to land in newly liberated France after D-Day when loose radio equipment during a sortie led to an emergency landing in France. (Or maybe the pilot just wanted to be the first Allied pilot to land in France) When restored, 75% of the original parts were reused. It was fitted with new wing spars, the airframe completely re-skinned and the Rolls-Royce Merlin 70 Engine was completely rebuilt. Learn more at: Russell Aviation Group
New to the Indianapolis Air Show in 2008!! Don’t miss this one, as the Spitfire is very rare in the United States. One of the world’s true classic fighters!
