History Presentation and F7F Tigercat Flight Demonstration The Great U.S. Aircraft Design Teams of World War II
Saturday, June 20th 2026
Doors Open 8am Presentation Begins 9am
The period from 1930 through the end of WWII saw tremendous strides in aviation technology, both in engine power and aerodynamic design. In 1936, the F3F Flying Barrel was the U.S. Navy’s top fighter. Equipped with one .50 caliber machine gun and one .30 caliber machine gun, this fabric covered biplane cruised at 150 mph and had a top speed of 264 mph. Five years later, the first P-38 Lightning became operational. Carrying four .50 caliber machine guns and a 20 mm cannon, it cruised at 275 mph and could reach a top speed just over 400 mph.
To accomplish this remarkable leap in technology, the U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Navy contracted with private industry for the development, design, engineering and manufacture of aircraft throughout World War II. The effort was led by a handful of top-notch aircraft design teams that were the driving force in the development of some of the most innovative and effective aircraft ever flown in combat.
On June 20th, at 9:00 am, museum docent and engineer John Lynch will tell the story of the great U.S. design teams that revolutionized aircraft design and development during World War II. This elite cadre included the Lockheed team headed up by Kelly Johnson, who was famous for development of the P-38 during the war, and the U-2 and SR-71 in the Cold War that followed. Also included was Roy Grumman and the designers at Grumman Aviation, producer of the “Cat” family of planes for the Navy and Marines Corps—the F4F Wildcat, the F6F Hellcat, the F7F Tigercat, and the F8F Bearcat. And then there was the Douglas team headed by Ed Heinmann, designers of the SBD Dauntless dive bomber and AD-1 Skyraider.
After the presentation, weather permitting, there will be a flight demonstration by one of the museum’s two F7F Tigercats, one of the most advanced propeller driven aircraft to come out of WWII.
There will be no additional charge for attending this event. Doors open at 8am. The presentation begins at 9am.