Bell P-39 Airacobra – Summer of Flight

Experience Warbirds in flight this summer!

From May through September, join the Military Aviation Museum every Saturday at 1 PM for narrated flying demonstrations showcasing historical aircraft and commemorating significant wartime events. Experience the rumble of the engines up close as pilots share what it’s like to fly these incredible machines. Learn about the battles they fought in and the men and women who built, flew, and maintained them during the war! Summer of Flight is included with general admission to the museum and free for members. Events begin at 1:00 PM unless stated otherwise.

Designed by Bell Aircraft, the unusual mid-engine P-39 has the highest number of enemy kills attributed to any U.S. fighter in history. The lack of an efficient turbo-supercharger meant that the airplane did not perform well at high altitude, but in the hands of Soviet pilots at low altitude over the Eastern Front, the P-39 made a massive contribution to the war effort.

The Museum’s P-39F was built for the United States Army Air Corps as serial number 41-7215. One of just a handful of these unusual airplanes still flying, the aircraft was recovered from a wreck site on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. It crashed at this location on 1 May 1942, with its pilot Lt. Walter Harvey surviving the crash. Lt. Harvey went on to fly 131 successful combat missions during the war after being found and rescued after walking for two days along the coast of northern Australia.