This is actually an ex-USAF T-33A, 58-0480, presented to represent a Navy TV-2 during the Korean War period. It was obtained from the George T Baker Aviation School at Miami where it had been used as a ground instructional airframe registered N63311

Accepted in 1954, this 'Spad' has quite a record. Its first combat cruise came with VA-25 "Fist of the Fleet" on board USS Midway in 1965, during which time it was part of a mission that engaged North Vietnamese MiG-17s, one of the enemy jets being shot down. After operating with VA-52 "Knightriders" aboard the carrier USS Ticonderoga in 1966-1967, it was back with VA-25, this time on USS Coral Sea for a 1967-1968 cruise. During these three deployments, it logged 219 combat missions. In February 1968 it flew the USN's last A-1 combat mission and was ferried to the NAM in 1969

First flown in 1948, the F7U was ahead of its time and the capabilities of available power plants, being dubbed the "Gutless Cutlass". Plagued with weaknesses, over a quarter of the 320 F7Us built were lost to accidents. From 1954 this one flew with VF-83 (Oceana), VF-212 (Moffett), VA-151 (Alameda) and NARTU (Los Alamitos). Displayed in a Los Angeles park from 1960, it was restored from 1991. I was delighted to shoot this having recently acquired the wonderful new Crecy book on the Cutlass, co-authored by the owner of another F7U being restored for flight

This Cougar is painted in the colours of the unit with which it first operated, VF-142 based at NAS Miramar, from 1953 to 1956. Latterly deployed aboard USS Boxer, it was then transferred to VF-144. Next going to the Navy Reserve in 1957, it went into storage at Litchfield Park, AZ in 1959. Moving to NAS China Lake, CA in 1962 it was struck off and was seen on display at NAS Point Mugu, CA in the mid-1980s before joining the NAM in 1990

The Guardian was the largest single-engine piston-powered carrier aircraft to see service, flown in the ASW role till 1955 when replaced by the S2F Tracker. Used for maritime patrol in the Korea, it was unpopular with pilots being underpowered and heavy on the controls, suffering a high accident rate. This example was flown by VX-1 from NAS Key West and Naval Reserve units before disposal in 1956. Operated by Aero Union as tanker N3144G/E30 from 1962, it was later painted back into these USN colours and operated as a warbird before going to the museum in 1993

Records suggest this Banshee did not in fact fly with VMJ-1 which served in Korea as painted, instead remaining in the US with training unit VMJ-2 and later two USN squadrons. After being retired in 1958 it was put on show as a children's plaything in a park at Vero Beach, FL, the cockpit being filled with concrete. From 1989 it underwent an extraordinary restoration at Pensacola for the NAM and is now presented with every instrument correctly in place

Although effectively only a stopgap model until more advanced helicopters were introduced, the HO5S was widely used in the Korean War by the USMC for observation, scouting and medevac. This example is displayed in the colours of VMO-6 with whom it served in Korea before being damaged and returned to the US after a brief detachment in Japan. Moving to VMO-1 at MCAS New River, NC it was civilianised as N8003E by 1963 and entered the Naval Aviation Museum around 1988

This unique two-seat trainer captured at Lechfeld was operated by Watson's Whizzers as '555/Willie' till flown to Cherbourg, the nose gear collapsing on landing. A replacement nose cone was fitted and it was shipped to the US in July 1945. Sent to Patuxent River for flight tests as BuNo 121448, it was then given to the Naval Aviation Museum, going on show at Willow Grove, PA from 1946 till 1993 when loaned for use as a pattern for the production of flying replicas. Static restoration in its 1944 marks was completed at Everett in 2000 and it returned to Willow Grove till 2007 when moved to NMNA

Delivered in 1949, this F9F-2 flew combat missions in Korea with VMF-311, VMF-115 and from USS Boxer with VF-151, as displayed here at NAS Pensacola where it completed its flying career in a training role

Although first flown in 1944, development delays meant that the Mauler did not enter service until 1948. The 151 built only operated with front-line squadrons till 1950 and the Navy Reserve till 1953. They were found to be heavy handling and difficult to land on carriers, the smaller Douglas Skyraider being favoured. This example, one of four complete examples surviving, was used as a target at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD before being moved to the Naval Aviation Museum as it was then known in 1972

When delivered to the USN in 1948 this F8F went straight to the Naval Air Technical Training Unit here at NAS Pensacola but was transferred to the US Navy Reserve in 1950 at Akron, OH then Birmingham, AL. After time with experimental unit VX-20, it was struck off in 1956 with just 757 hours recorded. Displayed outdoors at Naval Training Station Bainbridge, MD, it was moved to the National Aviation Museum as long ago as 1964 and is now presented as the aircraft of Carrier Air Group 19's commander

There is doubt about the identity of this Raven. Some sources quote the c/n as 198 which would make it the genuine BuNo 128647, but it seems highly likely that it is in fact ex-USAF H-23A 51-4017 painted to represent an HTE-1, in which case it was previously on the civil register as N3HK

Delivered to the USN in February 1948 but transferred to the USMC's VMF-122 at Cherry Point. Damaged in a group loop in September 1948 and crashed twice in 1949, being struck off later that year. Civilianised by Progressive Aero as N4284A (1958?) and owned for a time by National Jets Inc, then Sensormatic Electronics, both in Fort Lauderdale. Joined the National Aviation Museum in 1983

Put into service in the closing stages of WWII, this FG-1D flew primarily with the US Navy Reserve until struck off in 1957. Registered N8050E in 1963, it changed to N766JD in 1969 and joined the National Aviation Museum (as it was then named) in 1977

The prototype of the Neptune, the XP2V-1, made its maiden flight in May 1945 and in Sept/Oct 1946, the early aircraft seen here made a record-breaking flight from Perth to the USA. Intended originally to reach Washington DC, the crew had to settle for Columbus, OH having covered some 11,236 miles over a period of 55h 17m. It then flew with the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River until 1953 when presented to the Smithsonian Institution, going on display at NAS Norfolk, VA where I got to photograph it in 1975. Loaned to the Pensacola museum in 1977 and delivered by barge

The F7F-3 was a single-seat fighter-bomber Tigercat variant of which 189 were built out of a total of 364 for the type between 1943 and 1946. BuNo 80373 was taken up by the USMC in March 1945 and operated with VMF-911 at MCAS Cherry Point till 1948. In 1963 it was registered N7654C as a fire service aircraft, used to tackle bush fires until the 1970s. In September 1980 it was flown to Pensacola for the museum

Another USAAF trainer posing as a Navy variant. This is actually a BT-13A serialled 41-11355 that was sold after post-war storage as N60828 in the mid-1950s. When placed on display after acquisition in 1982 it was marked to represent a Navy SNV-1, of which some 2,000 were supplied to the USN between 1941 and 1944. Like the PT-22 in the museum, the serial is a fake derivation from its civil registration

The fake serial on this PT-22 is derived from its registration, N49086. It is actually an ex USAAF trainer, 41-15512, civilianised after WWII. It suffered at least four serious accidents during its military and civil career. The Navy version which this aircraft displayed since 1982 represents is the NR-1 Recruit, of which 100 were procured during the war

The N1K2-J was a land-based derivative of a floatplane design by Kawanishi, entering service in early 1944 and proving to be one of the best dogfighting aircraft produced by either side. This example was flown by the elite 343 Kōkūtai naval fighter unit and was shipped to the US in November 1945 and assigned evaluation identity FE-306, later T2-306. One of four surviving, it was placed in storage at NAS Norfolk in 1947, going on show at the New England Air Museum in 1974 and moving to Pensacola in 1992

Some 584 J2Fs were built from introduction in 1936, but this one was not delivered until 1945. After service at several different stations on the East Coast, it was transferred to NAS Norfolk for storage in 1948. In 1969 it went on show at the USMC museum at Quantico, VA, moving to Pensacola in 1974