Summer 15

General Dynamics FB-111A, I took the photo mainly because of the decal (see photo #0039).

Decal on a Douglas C-47; see picture #0018 for details on the plane. This 'nose art' is apparently a modern interpretation of the sorts of sexual nose art that was used on military planes in the past.

B-25 Bomber, with requisite sexy woman decal, a workhorse (the plane or the decal?) of WWII. www.castleairmuseum.org/northamericanb25j

Virgin's Delight (???), a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. The B-17 was originally designed to protect the US mainland (the virginity of the mainland?) from invading navies, but with US entry into WWII they were heavily used in the European theater and less so in the Pacific. See: www.castleairmuseum.org/boeingb17g

A C-47, the military version of the Douglas DC-3. The DC-3 and C-47 airplanes were used extensively in WWII through to the Vietnam War, are still in use by some overseas military, and were quite common in civilian passenger and cargo service for many years. In the 1980's they were still in use in the US by regional or commuter airlines (I've flown in them twice that I can remember). Over 10,000 were built.

A Douglas C54 which is a military variation of the Douglas DC-4, used for hauling cargo or passengers. The C54 played a significant role in the Berlin airlift (see Berlin Tempelhof 2216-2-2 ).

A VC-9 (McDonald Douglas DC-9) used from 1975 to 2005, from the Ford to the GWB administrations. This one has carried quite a mix, including (at various times) Reagan and Clinton as Presidents; VP's Mondale, Bush (George Herbert-Walker), Quayle, Gore, and Cheney; all of the first ladies of the time; and various other cabinet members and dignataries. See: www.castleairmuseum.org/douglasvc9c

C123K Provider, a transport aircraft introduced in 1956 and retired from the Air Force in 1980. The markings over the door suggest that this one was used for parachuting in troops and cargo. Somehow I don't think "Hog Hauler" refers to hauling hogs of the 4-legged variety. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_C-123_Provider

Boeing KC-97L Stratofreighter, used in aerial refueling (see Wikipedia link). Apparently a generally poor compromise, the AF started using them in 1950 and retiring them in 1956, the problem being that they were too slow for air-to-air refueling of the long-range jet bombers that were developed. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_KC-97_Stratofreighter

Boeing B-47E Stratojet bomber, in use from 1951 to 1969, designed to carry nuclear bombs in patrolling the USSR. Famous for its bicycle style landing gear. Per the website, these flew into Soviet air space a number of times. See: www.skytamer.com/Boeing_B-47E.html

A Boeing KC-135 that was used in aerial refueling. Introduced into service in 1957, the KC-135 (with various modifications) is still the main aerial refueling aircraft for the US Air Force. Though appearing similar to the Boeing 707, it is a quite different aircraft (see the Wikipedia). If you follow military procurement/aviation industry news, you'll know that finding a replacement for this aircraft has been an ongoing debate since 2003. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_KC-135_Stratotanker

Tweety-Bird -- a tiny jet in comparison to everything else at the museum, a Cessna T-37, used extensively in training but also in modified form as an attack aircraft in Vietnam. First introduced in 1957, not retired from use until 2009. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_T-37_Tweet