Smithsonian Voices

From the Smithsonian Museums

Three men sit under the shade of a massive airplane wing; one of the men is wearing an officer's hat. Two huge aircraft are parked in the background, both are painted black. Behind them is a lush island landscape. The photo has been given a green tint.

A World War II Veteran Recalls the Adventure of Patrolling the Pacific Aboard Flying Boats

This 100-year-old Navy veteran flew PBYs in World War II

Silver twin engine flying boat over a vast ocean. A small boat leaves it's wake below.

Flying Boats Were Once the Luxury Liners of the Air

A composite of multiple images. In the background is a landscape of pine trees and fields. Over it in speia tone is an image of pilots in military uniforms. In the foreground is a grey airplane, banked in a turn.

Did the Nazis Kill German Test Pilot Melitta von Stauffenberg?

A sleek jet aircraft painted red, white, and black flies over an air base in the desert.

Does a Fighter Pilot Have to Be Human?

On a black background is a white, angular-shape aircraft with no cockpit. The opening for the jet engine air intake is the front of the aircraft. Painted in black letters on the rear fuselage is: "Boeing Phantom Works." The right wing is marked: "X-45A."

A Drone Named Elsie May Becomes a Museum Artifact

Four military jets fly in a diamond formation across a blue sky. On the underside of each jet's wings, "US Navy" is painted in bold yellow letters. White airshow smoke streams from each jet. The moon is visible in the sky.

The Blue Angels Get Their First Female Jet Demonstration Pilot

SR-71 Blackbird on display in a museum

Why the SR-71 Blackbird Never Gets Old

A German fighter aircraft is painted dull grey, with some black markings including a Nazi swastika. A large gun in mounted near the nose of the plane, which has a single large propeller.

Where to See World War II Aircraft Up Close

Speedball Alice, a restored dark green P-51D airplane with white stripes, is parked on a tarmac in the Reno desert, with mountains and blue sky in the background.

The Final Reno Air Show

Walt Disney, an senior man in a white button up short-sleeved shirt, with a tie and slacks, greets a small crowd of people in front of his airplane, which is large enough it extends out of frame and is white with orange and blue stripes.

Yes, Walt Disney’s Private Jet Was Called Mickey Mouse One

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First-Responder Rescue Truck From 9/11 Goes on Display at the National Air and Space Museum

Dorothy Cochrane with Extra 260

Why Would a Museum Hang an Airplane Upside Down?

Sean Tucker Flying Challenger III

Aerobatic Pilot Sean Tucker and Orbis International Will Speak at National Air and Space Museum

Ground crew servicing a group of Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks. Presumed to be No. 1 Fighter Maintenance Unit at Kukum Field, Guadalcanal. (Photograph Courtesy of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum)

The Cactus Air Force’s Forgotten Spine: The Royal New Zealand Air Force at Guadalcanal

US Navy blimp L-8 in flight to drop off supplies to the Doolittle Raiders off the coast of California. (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)

A Special Delivery for the Doolittle Raiders

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver: The “Big-Tailed Beast”

Ruth Law stands in front of her Wright Model B biplane at the New York State Fair, Yonkers, 1913.

Women's Suffrage Stories in the Archives

65 Squadron received eight new Spitfires through the sponsorship of the East India Fund in July 1940. These new Spitfires featured de Havilland constant-speed propellers.

Better Propellers for “The Few”: Desmond Cooke’s Legacy in the Battle of Britain

TWA transferred its entire fleet of five Boeing 307s, along with their flight crews, to the ATC. The airline opened regular transatlantic service in 1942.

Air Transport Command and the Airlines During World War II

Aircraft designer Neal Loving flying his WR-3 near Springfield, Ohio.

Neal V. Loving: Pilot, Engineer, Aircraft Designer

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A World War II Veteran Recalls the Adventure of Patrolling the Pacific Aboard Flying Boats

Flying Boats Were Once the Luxury Liners of the Air

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