Warplanes of the USA: Connecticut, Historic Photos
Connecticut Warplanes
(USGOV-PD Photo)
Curtis XO-12's issued to the 118th Observation Squadron in the late 1920s.
(San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives Photo)
Republic P-47N Thunderbolt P-47N-15-RE (Serial No. 44-89316), 118th FS, 103rd FG, Connecticut National Guard. The modern Connecticut ANG received federal recognition on 7 August 1946 as the 103d Fighter Group at Bradley Army Airfield, Windsor Locks. The mission of the 103d Fighter Group was the air defense of Connecticut. It was assigned the 118th Fighter Squadron, equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the Connecticut Air National Guard's official birth concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the United States military under the National Security Act.
(USGOV-PD Photo)
Republic F-84D Thunderjet formation (Serial Nos. 48-679, 48-696, and 48-777), 118th Fighter Squadron "Flying Yankees", Connecticut Air National Guard, ca 1955.
(USGOV-PD Photo)
North American F-100D Super Sabre formation, 118th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Connecticut Air National Guard, ca 1960.
(USAF Photo)
North American F-100D-25-NA Super Sabre (Serial No. 55-3665) from the 118th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Flying Yankees", 103rd Fighter Group, Connecticut Air National Guard, 1976. The 118th TFS was based at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
(USGOV-PD Photo)
North American F-100D-25-NA Super Sabre (Serial No. 56-3183), 118th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Connecticut Air National Guard, ca 1979.
(SSgt. Frank Garzelnick, USAF Photo)
Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II formation, 118th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 103rd Fighter Wing, Connecticut Air National Guard, 1979.
(Maj. Bryon Turner, US ANG Photo)
Lockheed C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 103rd Airlift Wing, Bradley Air National Guard Base, East Granby, Connecticut, 2013.
(Tomás Del Coro Photo)
Gates Learjet C-21A (Serial No. 84-0139), Connecticut Air National Guard, Dec 2012.
Gates Learjet C-21A (Serial No. 84-0124), 118th Airlift Squadron. (US Gov Photo)
(Tech. Sgt. Erin E. McNamara, USAF Photo)
Alenia C-27J Spartan, and a 118th AS Gates Learjet C-21A (Serial No. 84-0124), Bradley Air National Guard Base in East Granby, Connecticut, 21 October 2010. The "Flying Yankees" of the 118th Airlift Squadron, 103rd Airlift Wing, Connecticut Air National Guard, converted to the C-27J in 2014.
This aviation handbook is designed to be used as a quick reference to the classic military heritage aircraft that have been restored and preserved in the Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut. The aircraft include those fl own by members of the US Air Force, the US Navy, the US Army, the US Marine Corps, the US Coast Guard, the Air and Army National Guard units in each state, and by various NATO and allied nations as well as a number of aircraft previously operated by opposition forces in peace and war. The interested reader will find useful information and a few technical details on most of the military aircraft that have been in service with active flying squadrons both at home and overseas.
120 selected photographs have been included to illustrate a few of the major examples in addition to the serial numbers assigned to American military aircraft. For those who would like to actually see the aircraft concerned, aviation museum locations, addresses and contact phone numbers, websites and email addresses have been included, along with a list of aircraft held in each museum's current inventory or that on display as gate guardians throughout the New England States. The aircraft presented in this edition are listed alphabetically by manufacturer, number and type.
Although many of New England's heritage warplanes have completely disappeared, a few have been carefully collected, restored and preserved, and some have even been restored to flying condition. This guide-book should help you to find and view New England's Warplane survivors.
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Warplanes preserved in Connecticut
Brookfield
North American SNJ-5 Texan (Serial No. 43958), Reg. No. N3958, Aries Aviation and Development Co., 26 Obtuse Road South, Brookfield, CT 06804-3626.
Canton Center
North American T-6G Texan (Serial No. 49-3210), Reg. No. N8335H, Paul L Guilmette, PO Box 13, Canton Center, CT 06020-0013.
Chester
Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair (BuNo. 9484), Reg. No. N5222V, Craig M. McBurney, PO Box 569, Chester, CT 06412-0569.
Danbury
Grumman (General Motors) TBM-3E Avenger (BuNo. 91388), Reg. No. N9564Z, Missionair Inc, 81 Kenosia Ave, Danbury, CT 06810-7361.
East Hampton
Bell AH-1 Cobra (Serial No. 66-15325), Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 5095.
Fairfield
The first civilian helicopter rescue took place in November 1945, off Fairfield, Connecticut. An Army Sikorsky R-5 was flown by Sikorsky pilot Dimitry “Jimmy” Viner to rescue two men from an oil barge that was breaking up on Penfield Reef during a storm.
Farmington
Douglas DC-3 (Serial No. 13321), Reg. No. N96BF, Turbo Power and Marine Systems Inc, 308 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT 06032.
Greenwich
Douglas DC-3C-S1C3G (Serial No. 19677), Reg. No. N1944A, Wings Venture Ltd, c/o Gilbride Tusa Last and Spellane, 31 Brookside Drive, PO Box 658, Greenwich, CT 06836.
Groton
The US Navy Submarine Force Library and Museum, located on the Thames River near Groton, Connecticut, is the only submarine museum managed exclusively by the US Navy, which makes it a repository for many special submarine items of national significance, including USS Nautilus (SSN-571). Visitors may take a 30-minute self-guided audio tour of the submarine. Website: http://www.ussnautilus.org.
Established in 1955, the museum was originally operated by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics and was known solely as the Submarine Library. In 1964, it was donated to the US Navy and moved to its current location along the Thames. It received its official title in 1969. Hoping to convince the U.S. Navy to donate the Nautilus to the museum, in 1984 the “Connecticut Nautilus Committee” was formed to raise funds for an improved museum. A new, 14,000-square-foot facility was built with funding from the state, individuals and businesses, opening in 1986. In late 1997 the Committee decided to start planning and raising funds for a 13,465-square-foot addition to the museum building. Fundraising started the next year, and construction project ran from 1998 to early 2000. The new addition was officially opened to the public on 28 April 2000 “in conjunction with the Centennial Celebration of the United States Submarine Force”, according to the museum.
The museum has 33,000 artifacts, including the first nuclear-powered submarine in the world, the USS Nautilus. Launched in 1955 and decommissioned in the 1980s, the submarine had travelled under the polar ice cap and reached the North Pole during the Cold War. Also at the museum is a replica of David Bushnell’s Turtle, built in 1775 and the first submarine used in combat; midget submarines from World War II; working periscopes, a submarine control room, models of submarines, and the Explorer, an early U.S. research submarine.
In addition to its large collection of submarines and related objects, the museum also has a library with around 20,000 documents and 30,000 photos related to the history of submarine development. The library also includes 6,000 books related to the field of submarine history, including a 1551 text on submarine retrieval, and an original 1870 copy of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (the museum also has a model of the fictional ship). Documents in the collection include notes and calculations by John Holland for the Navy's first submarine, “one-of-a-kind artifacts from the First and Second World War”, and the submarine library collections of both Electric Boat Corporation and the U.S. Navy.
New Milford
North American AT-6G Texan (Serial No. 49-3391A), Reg. No. N2878G, Stewart Nicolson, 16 Crescent Lane RR 3, New Milford, CT 06776.
North Brantford
North American SNJ-5 Texan (Serial No. 121-42110), Reg. No. N8218E, Richard S. Pollock, 17 Marjorie Drive, North Brantford, CT 06471-1014.
Pawcatuck
Grumman TBM-3E Avenger (BuNo. 85650), C/N 2469, Reg. No. N452HA, Simmons Aviation Services Ltd., 353 Greenhaven Road, Pawcatuck, CT 06379-2093.
North American AT-6A Texan (Serial No. 44-786199), Reg. No. N7649S, Mark A. Simmons, 353 Greenhaven Road, Pawcatuck, CT 06379-2093.
Prospect
Bell TAH-1F Cobra (Serial No. 67-15809), C/N 20473, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 8075.
Stamford
Douglas A-26B Invader (Serial No. 28048), Reg. No. N500MR, ex USAF (Serial No. 44-34769), K, Sealink Aviation Ltd., 300 First Stamford Place 2E, Stamford, CT 06902-6765.
Stratford
Goodyear FG-1D Corsair (BuNo. 92460), built in 1945, being restored to static display at the Connecticut Air and Space Center in Stratford. Previously mounted on a pylon outside Igor Sikorsky Memorial Airport.
National Helicopter Museum. The Museum is located at the Stratford, Connecticut Eastbound Railroad Station, at 2480 Main Street. Hours: The Museum is seasonal, and is open from Memorial Day weekend until the middle of October. Regular hours are Wednesday thru Sunday from 1 PM until 4 PM. Special tours can also be arranged by contacting the Museum at 203-375-8857/-375-8857, or 203-767-1123203-767-1123.
Directions to the Museum: Traveling on Interstate I-95 from the south (New York), take Stratford Exit 32, continue 2 blocks to Main Street, then left onto Main Street for 3 blocks. The Museum is on the right at the train station. Traveling on Interstate I-95 from the north (New Haven), take Stratford Exit 32, then left at the light for 2 blocks to Main Street. Then left onto Main Street for 3 blocks. The Museum is on the right at the train station. If traveling via the Merritt Parkway, take Exit 53 and go south on Main Street for about 4 miles to the train station.
The National Helicopter Museum is a non-profit museum focused on the history of the helicopter and aviation industry around Stratford, Connecticut. The museum was founded in 1983 by Dr. Raymond Jankowich and Robert McCloud. The museum is housed in the eastbound railroad station building of the Stratford station of the Metro-North Railroad. The National Helicopter Museum collects and exhibits images and objects related to the long history of the aviation and helicopter industry in Stratford, the home of Sikorsky Aircraft Company. Sikorsky Aircraft built the experimental helicopters developed by inventor Igor Sikorsky. The National Helicopter Museum traces the evolution of the rotary wing from early predecessors like the boomerang and Chinese tops to designs by Leonardo da Vinci and George Cayley to early motorized experiments to modern helicopters of today.
The Museum contains hundreds of photographs and models tracing the history of the helicopter both in the United States and around the world. An airport and seaplane base built in Stratford in the 1920’s brought Igor Sikorsky to the area to build his flying boats. Then Sikorsky flew his US300 Helicopter on 14 September 1939 in Stratford and produced many helicopters and rotary wing aircraft from that time. Stratford is the birthplace of the American helicopter industry.
Igor Sikorsky's first helicopter success in Stratford is documented as well as his subsequent productions. Also displayed are the small gas turbine engines developed locally by Dr. Anselm Franz at Avco Lycoming which power such helicopters as the Bell Helicopter UH-1 Iroquois or “Huey” and the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. Other exhibits include information on tilt rotor development; current photos and models of aircraft by Bell, Boeing, Kaman Aircraft, Robinson Helicopter, and Sikorsky; and a working cockpit of the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter. Wikipedia.
Another exhibit features Stratford's other helicopter: the Bendix helicopter. It was the creation of Vincent Bendix, the inventor of the auto self-starter, four-wheel brakes, and carburetors. He was the developer of the Bendix air races and trophy. His helicopter models were based on the coaxial design as demonstrated in films of the 1940s. Bendix's sudden death stymied further development. The firm was purchased by Gyrodyne of Long Island who continued development and created Navy helicopter drones and mini rotary craft for individuals. Information courtesy of the National Helicopter Museum.
Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter (Serial No. 101774), mounted on pylons.
Marines assigned to Force Reconnaissance Platoon, Maritime Raid Force, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct military freefall parachute operations from UH-60 Black Hawks assigned to Alpha Company, 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion from the Montana Army National Guard in the US 5th Fleet area of responsibility, 5 Sep 2013. The 26th MEU is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force forward-deployed to the US 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility aboard the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group serving as a sea-based, expeditionary crisis response force capable of conducting amphibious operations across the full range of military operations. (Sgt. Christopher Q. Stone, US Marine Corps Photo)
Waterbury
Bell AH-1G Cobra helicopter (Serial No. 70-15986), mounted on a pylon.
Windsor Locks
Douglas DC-3 (Serial No. 26458), Reg. No. N74844, New England Propeller Service Inc, Bldg 213, Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, CT 06096.
Douglas DC-3-G202A (Serial No. 6314), Reg. No. N165LG, Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association Inc, Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, CT 06096.
Warplanes preserved in the New England Air Museum at Windsor Locks are presented in a separate page on this website.
Windsor Locks, Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, was named in honor of the late Lt. Eugene M. Bradley of the 57th Fighter Group. In commemoration, the field on which he lost his life was officially designated, on 20 January 1942, “Army Air Base, Bradley Field, Connecticut.” Lt. Bradley’s name has remained on the airport in spite of attempts in the past to change it. Today it is known as Bradley International Airport, the principal airport in Connecticut.
Windsor Locks
Connecticut Air National Guard - 103rd Airlift Wing, Bradley Air National Guard Base, East Grandby, 100 Nicholson Road, Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks.
Bell UH-1H Iroquois Helicopter (Serial No. 66-16218), mounted on a pylon.
There are three aircraft located at the entrance of the Bradley Air National Guard Base in a memorial park for all past and present CTANG members. The exhibits are only open to the public during the airport open house (usually in June) although they are easily viewed from outside the main gate.
(RuthAS Photo)
Convair F-102A Delta Dagger (Serial No. 0-60989) of the Connecticut ANG in 1971.
Convair GF-102A Delta Dagger (Serial No. 56-1264)
Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II (Serial No. 79-0103), mounted on a pylon
North American F-100D Super Sabre (Serial No. 55-3805), mounted on a pylon.
