Taken from Langley AFB during exercise Atlantic Trident 2017

Photographer: Alan Vandam

This is the sole surviving true JRS-1 amphibian and is the only aircraft in the Smithsonian collection that was stationed at Pearl Harbor on 7th Dec. 1941, being one of ten JRS-1s at the base when the Japanese attacked. All survived and were immediately pressed into service and flew many missions patrolling for Japanese submarines and searching for the enemy fleet. It was acquired by the Smithsonian in 1960 and still bears the blue paint scheme hastily applied after the Pearl Harbor attack.

Scrapped in 2001

A Grim Reaper of Fighting Squadron 101 awaiting permission to taxy to the catapult of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) during the final Tomcat Carrier Qualifications.

A Grim Reaper caught the Theodore Roosevelt cable and came to rest, after the well known controlled crash. AD-163 was the full colour bird of the squadron, normally this was the double nuts, or AD-100.

The final F-14 Tomcat Qarrier Qualification (CQ) took place in March '05 on board USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) off coast Virginia. During the CQ, Tomcat crews prepare and qualify themselves in carrier ops. They had to make a certain number of catapult starts, arrested landings, touch-and-goes, and those by day and night. When concluded they are qualified to go on deployment. These crew eventually departed with the CVN-71 to the Persian Gulf that marked the sunset cruise for the F-14. The crews belonged to VF-31 and VF-213 but used aircraft of Fleet Replacement Squadron VF-101 Grim Reapers.

A Jolly Rogers Super Hornet on deck of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). The aircraft carried an unusual high modex, revealing it was once assigned to VFA-106, the Fleet Replacement Squadron, for east coast training.

Carrier Qualifications on board USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) off coast Virginia. The ship accepted aircraft from both west and east coast fleets, so this Super Hornet, normally based at NAS Lemoore (CA), was flown over to the east coast to train pilots.

A Cape Cod F-15A Eagle next to the refueler. The 101st Fighter Squadron is part of the Massachusetts National Guard, that is flying the Eagle since 1988.

A KC-10A, acting as a receiver, slowly leaving the refueler.

This Tomcat, wired for Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) missions, was moved to Tucson, and eventually sadly scrapped. Several Tomcats within the US Navy were wired for this large and sophisticated camera pod.

Just on the day I was visiting Oceana, this beautiful retro F-14B came out the paint shop. AG-143 made its last operational flight a few day's later and was then flown to Bradley AFB (CT) for preservation in the New England Air Museum

Built in 1919 for the US Army Air Service and painted in their markings. Type intended as a fighter but served as an advanced trainer powered by a 80-hp Le Rhône. [Editor's note: this aircraft was found somewhere near Dayton, Ohion in the 1950s. It is unclear why the registration is given as B-123.]

The sole surviving He 219 continues on its path to full restoration. In summer 2019 its wings were reattached.

This Prowler participated in the decommissioning of VMAQ-2 on 8 March, 2019, following which, on the 14th of the same month, it was flown from MCAS Cherry Point to Washington Dulles for display in the Udvar-Hazy Center.

After several decades on display at the NASM in Washington DC, this DC-3 can be seen here undergoing conservation work in the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar.

1938-built single seat sailplane

Then a new exhibit in the museum at Dulles.