The early jets

American jet fighter aviation really got rolling with the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star. This two-seat trainer version, the T-33, was what many fighter pilots learned to fly in.

Here's the guardian at the gate--an RF-84F Thunderflash, made by Republic. This reconnaissance fighter flew with the Michigan Air Guard from 1958 until 1971, both from Selfridge and from Detroit Metro Airport.

And this F-84F Thunderstreak also flew out of Detroit Metro from 1958-1960. It's hard to envision nuclear-capable jet fighters like these flying out of that place today, but it was a different world back then.


Finally, we have the North American F-86A Sabre Jet, a personal favorite of mine. This is the jet that dominated the skies over Korea and helped keep a lid on much of Europe.

Classic Attack Aircraft

How do you not love this World War Two-era fighter-bomber? If you're a student of history, a fan of military aviation, or just grew up withing Black Sheep Squadron on TV, you can't fail to appreciate this powerful, rugged and extremely versatile warbird. Most were made by Chance-Vought and designated F4U but this particular model is an FG-1D built by the Goodyear people.The Corsair was retained well into the 1960's because it could carry so much ordnance and deliver it precisely on target, something that jets of that era could not quite do.







And then there's the Douglas A-26.First accepted and flown in World War Two, these incredible bombers were still fighting in Vietnam, retained for the same reason that the Corsair was.They were also flown by the CIA in Africa and over Cuba during the bay of Pigs invasion in the 1960s. This was one attack bird that was just too handy to ever retire and there are still a few flying as forest fire water bombers in Canada even today.Pilots said that the A-26 was a bomber that you flew like a fighter. I'd love to have one of these in my hangar.