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Favorite Airplane Photos of the Staff

Our archives contain thousands of airplane photos taken over the years by our staff as we have toured various aviation venues around the United States. A few hundred photos have now been published on Airplanes Online. Others await sorting, editing, research, and publication.

We've been asked "What is your favorite aircraft, and what are your most memorable photographs?" That's a difficult assignment! We respect the power and grace of the B-29, B-36, F-84F and F-100. But there are so many others!

Published on this page are a few of our absolute favorite photos, and some that our viewers have noted.


Nose view of the B-36J Peacemaker "City of Ft. Worth" 2827 at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
One of only four B-36 Peacemaker surviving aircraft.
Nose view of the B-36J Peacemaker "City of Ft. Worth" 2827

North American F-100A Super Sabre 53537 at the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum in Tyler, Texas
North American F-100A Super Sabre S/N 53-1684

F-84F Thunderstreak S/N 52-7080 in Alexandria, Louisiana at the England Air Park
F-84F Thunderstreak S/N 52-7080 on static display in Alexandria, Louisiana at the closed England AFB

Boeing EB-47E Stratojet of the Strategic Air Command, Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona
Boeing EB-47E Stratojet, S/N 53-2135 in Tucson

C-54G Skymaster, S/N 45-0502, Hill Aerospace Museum, Ogden, Utah
C-54 Skymaster at the Hill Aerospace Museum in Utah

USAF B-47E Stratojet, S/N 52-1412, at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Nebraska ...
"Who Fears?"
USAF Boeing B-47E Stratojet S/N 52-1412 at the Strategic Air Command & Space Museum in Ashland, NE

F-84G Thunderjet, S/N 71595, on display at the March Field Air Museum near Riverside, California
F-84G Thunderjet, S/N 71595, on display at the March Field Air Museum in California

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby" when it was on public display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. It is currently in storage pending transfer to the Udvar-Hazy Smithsonian Museum.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby" nose art

USAF F-100D Super Sabre, S/N 53-503, at the Pueblo-Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in southern Colorado
USAF F-100D Super Sabre, S/N 53-503, at the Pueblo-Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in southern Colorado

Mikoyan MiG-17 N17HQ on display during an air show in Tyler, Texas (Staff Photo)
"The Lord also maketh thunder in the Heavens - Psalms 18:13"
Mikoyan MiG-17 on display during an air show in Tyler, Texas ... "The Lord also maketh thunder in the Heavens - Psalms 18:13"

The Wright Brothers National Memorial, located in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, commemorates the first successful, sustained, powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine. From 1900 to 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright traveled to Kill Devil Hills from Dayton, Ohio, after studying the area's steady winds. They also valued the privacy and remoteness of the site, away from onlookers and journalists.

The Wrights made four flights from level ground near the base of the hill on December 17, 1903, following three years of gliding experiments from atop this and other nearby sand dunes.

Shown below is "Go for flight!" ... a first flight life-sized sculpture by Stephen H. Smith (Staff Photo)

Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II, 64-0664, at the entrance to the Hill Aerospace Museum in Utah
McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II, 64-0664

F-15 Eagle "Gulf Spirit" S/N 74124, Nomad One - Gulf Spirit, at the Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida
"Let's Roll"
F-15 Strike Eagle "Gulf Spirit" S/N 74124 at Eglin AFB, Florida

Nose view of Republic F-84C Thunderjet, S/N 47-1433 at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson
Nose view of Republic F-84C Thunderjet, S/N 47-1433

B-25J Mitchell S/N 43-27712, "The Spirit of Al Penn", at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tuscon, Arizona
"I'm not a trouble maker, but ..."
B-25J "The Spirit of Al Penn"

Close-up of the tail section of North American F-86H S/N 31525, buzz number FU-525
North American F-86H Sabre S/N 53-1525

F-105 Thunderchief, S/N 57-803, on display on a cloudy day at the March Field Air Museum in California
F-105 Thunderchief, S/N 57-803, on display at the March Field Air Museum in California

C-141 Starlifter, S/N 660177, the "Hanoi Taxi", at the Museum of the United States Air Force.
This C-141 of the 4th Allied POW Wing airlifted the first American prisoners of war to freedom from Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi, North Vietnam, on February 12, 1973.
"Return with Honor"
C-141 Starlifter, S/N 660177, the "Hanoi Taxi",on display in the Global Reach Gallery at the Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio

Nose art on the B-24D Liberator, S/N 42-72843, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio
"Strawberry Bitch"
Nose art on the B-24 Liberator "Strawberry Bitch" at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton

Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 487627, Global Power Museum, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana
A total of 3,970 Superfortresses were built.

Only 22 complete B-29 airframes are currently restored in the United States.
Two of these are airworthy. We've had the privilege of seeing, and photographing, 16 of these during the last two years. This one at Barksdale is one of the 22 survivors.

Boeing B-29 Superfortress S/N 487627, Buzz Number BF-627

Convair B-36J Peacemaker S/N 52-2217A at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska.
This B-36 is displayed indoors, as is the one at the Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
Two others are displayed outdoors, at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, and the Castle Air Museum in California.
Convair B-36J Peacemaker S/N 52-2217A of the United States Air Force

Consolidated B-24J Liberator "Witchcraft" S/N 44-44052 of the Collings Foundation on tour in Texas.
Over 18,000 Liberators were built for the WWII effort.
Today, only thirteen are known to exist around the world, either on display (10), under restoration (1), or airworthy (2).
Consolidated B-24J Liberator "Witchcraft" (S/N 44-44052) of the Collings Foundation

B-29A Superfortress "Raz'n Hell" on an overcast, windy, dusty day at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California

Nose art on B-29A "Raz'n Hell" in California

B-29A Superfortress "Jack's Hack" S/N 44-61975 at the New England Air Museum at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The museum also houses the 58th Bomb Wing Memorial.
B-29A Superfortress "Jack's Hack" S/N 44-61975 at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, CT

Lockheed C-60A Lodestar "Goodtime Gal" owned by the Houston Wing of the CAF
Nose art on "Goodtime Gal", a Lockheed C-60A Lodestar owned by the Houston Wing of the CAF

Exterior view of the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, Ashland, Nebraska, on a cloudy, rainy day
Exterior view of the Strategic Air Command and Space Museum

U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker, S/N 030240, Global Power Museum, in Louisiana
Boeing KC-97L Stratotanker, S/N 030240, right nose view

Lockheed F-104A Starfighter 56733 in the markings of the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron
Lockheed F-104A Starfighter in the markings of the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron

B-29 Superfortress "Lucky Lady", S/N 44-84076, restored and on display at the Strategic Air Command & Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska, near Omaha
Nose art on the B-29 Superfortress "Lucky Lady", S/N 44-84076

P-51 Mustang "Betty Jane" of the Collings Foundation, at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport (TYR) in Texas
P-51 Mustang "Betty Jane" of the Collings Foundation, seen at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport

C-47B Skytrain "Spirit of Hondo" S/N 44-77109
C-47B Skytrain "Spirit of Hondo" S/N 44-77109 parked at Pounds Regional Airport, Tyler, Texas

KC-135A, S/N 55-3130, of the U.S. Air Force, at the March Field Air Museum in California
"Ole Grandad"
KC-135A, S/N 55-3130, "Ole Grandad" of the U.S. Air Force, at the March Field Air Museum in California

F-101B Voodoo, S/N 90426, tail section, near Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City, South Dakota
F-101B Voodoo, S/N 90426, South Dakota Air & Space Museum outside the gate of Ellsworth AFB

U.S. Air Force C-54 Skymaster, S/N 27259, at the South Dakota Air & Space Museum
C-54 Skymaster, S/N 272592 at Rapid City

Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, S/N 53-0050, Hill Air Force Base, Ogden, Utah
Douglas C-124C Globemaster II S/N 53-0050, Hill Air Force Base, Utah

F-16 Fighting Falcon S/N 80573 at the Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida
"Remove Before Flight"
F-16 Fighting Falcon S/N 80573

Convair B-58A Hustler bomber S/N 61-2080 in Tucson, Arizona.
Of the 116 Hustlers that were built, this is one of only eight that survive.
Convair B-58A Hustler bomber S/N 61-2080

B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay" S/N 44-86292 ... at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C.
B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay" S/N 44-86292 nose art ... at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington, D.C.

NB-52B Stratofortress S/N 52-0008, North Gate, Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Service with NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center
NB-52B Stratofortress S/N 52-0008, North Gate, Edwards Air Force Base, California

VC-137B on display at the Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington
VC-137B on display at the Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington

B-25J Mitchell, S/N 44-86872, "The Little King",
at the Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB, Warner-Robins, Georgia
B-25J Mitchell, S/N 44-86872, "The Little King"

Close-up photograph of an engine on the B-24J Liberator "Louisiana Belle II", Global Power Museum
Close-up photo of a right B-24J Liberator engine

USAF C-141 Starlifters in storage at the Davis-Monthan AFB AMARG facility in Tucson, Arizona. AMARG has evolved into "the largest aircraft boneyard in the world". Up to 4,000 airplanes are typically in the inventory.

With the area's low humidity in the 10%-20% range, meager rainfall of 11" annually, hard alkaline soil, and high altitude of 2,550 feet allowing the aircraft to be naturally preserved for cannibalization or possible reuse, Davis-Monthan is the logical choice for a major storage facility.

We have visited AMARG on two trips ... access is only via bus tours which start at the nearby Pima Air & Space Museum across East Valencia Road from the base. Reservations are required for the tour.

C-141 Starlifters in storage at the Davis-Monthan AFB AMARG facility in Tucson, Arizona

North American P-51D Mustang, "The Brat III" of the Cavanaugh Flight Museum
North American P-51D Mustang, "The Brat III"

Boeing 747 engine testbed for GE Aircraft Engines, Southern California Logistics Airport, Victorville, CA
Boeing 747 engine testbed for GE Aircraft Engines, Southern California Logistics Airport, Victorville, CA

Continental Express Jets in storage at the Kingman, Arizona airport
Continental Express Jets in storage at the Kingman, Arizona airport

Boeing 737-706N GOL Brazilian airlines, registration N320GL, undergoing reclamation at the Pinal Airpark in Arizona
Boeing 737-706N GOL Brazilian airlines, registration N320GL, undergoing reclamation at the Pinal Airpark in Arizona

Airliners in desert storage at the Goodyear Airport, near Phoenix, Arizona
Airliners in desert storage at the Goodyear Airport, near Phoenix, Arizona