They stand there silently, representatives of past triumphs and tragedies, looking at the thousands of people who view them each year. Perhaps they are searching a for a long forgotten pilot who in his youth took them up into the heavens. Or perhaps they look for a mechanic who tirelessly worked on them to keep them ready for their appointed mission.
These are the planes at the Military Aviation Preservation Society (MAPS) on the west side of Akron-Canton airport. And if these planes could could talk imagine the stories they could tell about themselves and their brethren.
Sitting side by side are a F-4 “Phantom” and a Mig-17 “Fresco,” two opponents in the war torn skies over Vietnam. It was an Navy F-4 flown by Randy Cunningham and Willy Driscoll that shot down three Migs in one afternoon to become the first U.S. “aces” of that war. Now they sit side by side in peaceful repose, no longer fighting each other in mortal combat.
Next to them is the F-14 “Tomcat,” the movie star of the 1986 hit movie “Top Gun.” Tom Cruise may have been the star but the “Tomcat” stole the scene with the outstanding aerial filming that made this a classic aviation film.
Outside on the runway is another movie star of sorts, a much smaller F-11 “Tiger.” Besides being able to claim it flew so fast that it flew into its own bullets, this particular plane was used as a backdrop for Nicholas Cage in “National Treasure.”
Next to it is an F-105B “Thunderchief” or “Thud” as it was better known in Vietnam. The later “D” version saw extensive service in Vietnam and nearly half of the planes produced were lost there.
The ridge line northwest of Hanoi later was nicknamed “Thud Ridge” and the wreckage of many of the F-105s are scattered there. This particular F-105 saw service with both the Air Force and Air Force Reserve.
In the hanger is an L-2 “Grasshopper,” liaison aircraft, was used for observation and to direct air strikes. This plane, manufactured by Taylorcraft, came from Alliance, Ohio. Unarmed, it flew low over enemy lines to find targets for fighters and bombers.
Across from it in the MAPS hanger is a Cessna O-2 “Skymaster,” another veteran of Vietnam.
This plane accumulated more than 3,000 hours while directing air strikes and flying reconnaissance missions over South Vietnam. If you look closely you can see three minature “Purple Hearts” where enemy gunfire struck the plane. The plane was hit eight times by enemy ground fire. Today, it occasionally flies at air shows during Vietnam reactments.
Other planes at the museum had perhaps less glamorous histories but nevertheless played important roles. The F-86D “Sabre” and F-102 “Delta Dagger” were mainstays of America's defense against Russian bombers during the 1950s and 1960s. The T-6 “Texan” helped train thousands of pilots for World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The C-47 “Gooney Bird,” the military version of the DC-3 that revolutionized air transportation, saw extensive service carrying supplies, paratroops, wounded and even was used in Vietnam as a gunship known as “Puff The Magic Dragon.”
Besides these there are many other helicopters and planes at the museum that have played an important part in aviation history. Each of these planes is a “veteran” and the staff of the museum do their very best to preserve and protect these old warriors and give them a fitting home. By doing this MAPS help preserve the history that these planes represent.
If only they could speak, think of the stories they could tell about the heroism and courage of the young men who took them into the heavens in times of war and peace.
