After initial throat-clearing, the big radial engine on Michael Kopp’s TBM-3E “Ida Red” growls, as the heavy torpedo bomber, one of only about 40 flying today, taxis out for takeoff last year at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. Kopp also gives a demo of what the Avenger does when it gets back on the aircraft carrier deck.

The Avenger's Transformer Moves (1:12)

Starting in 1934, the same year it was acquired by Boeing, the Stearman Aircraft Company of Wichita began building a sturdy biplane trainer. By the end of the war more than 10,000 of them had been built, and they introduced novice Army and Navy pilots, including a young George Herbert Walker Bush, to the wonder of flight. More than 1,000 still fly today, and no group has more fun with a Stearman than the Flying Circus in Bealeton, Virginia. This Memorial Day show highlights a few of the hijinks the Stearmans perform.

Everybody’s Favorite Trainer (1:44)

For the last four years leading to the 2020 end-of-the-war commemorations, warbird restorers and enthusiasts have staged events to mark the 75th anniversaries of momentous World War II battles and actions. The B-25 Mitchell will always be remembered as the aircraft flown by the Doolittle Raiders, and this excerpt shows how the American Airpower Museum paid tribute to that famous group of pilots.

To Honor the Doolittle Raiders (1:55)

The Bureau of Motion Pictures at the U.S. Office of War Information produced a 10-minute film about the B-17 Flying Fortress in 1942, with the dramatic narration typical of the department’s products during the war. This excerpt opens with footage that appears to have been shot from the ball turret, and watching the airplane’s vertical stabilizer in the frame is mesmerizing. It’s also interesting to learn, as the 10 airmen board, how the crew is organized.

Mission Accomplished (2:59)

We have only 15 seconds of a lovely Lightning, owned by the Fagen Fighters World War II Museum in Granite Falls, Minnesota, flying over a winter landscape. But during World War II, Japanese or German aircraft would not have wanted to spend 15 seconds this close to a P-38.

P-38 Lightning in Flight (0:15)

“That’s All, Brother” is justifiably famous as the C-47 that led the invasion of Normandy on D-Day 1944. But in this clip we learn what could have happened to that best known of all Skytroopers, and what did. The airplane was restored, makes appearances at airshows, and participated in the re-enactment marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day last year.

Saved in the Nick of Time (1:00)

To keep the nation informed of the activities of its air armies, the U.S. Army Air Forces produced short documentaries. This excerpt from The Fight For the Sky: Our fighter pilots versus the Luftwaffe in Western Europe, 1945 focuses on the long-nosed, long-range P-51 Mustang and contains footage that shows off the fighter’s handsome profile.

A Fighter Pilot’s Dream (1:00)

The fastest bomber of World War II, the Douglas A-26 Invader had a top speed of 355 mph, almost 100 mph faster than the TBM Avenger torpedo bomber flying in formation with it (and 140 mph faster than the Twin Beech that joins them in the air). The video was shot in 2018 at the TBM Avenger Gathering in Peru, Illinois, which drew 11 restored Avengers as well as 15 other warbirds (including the Invader owned by Tim Savage). Those three would almost certainly not have flown together in World War II, but they make a pretty sight over the 10,000-strong audience in a small town in Illinois. (Running time: 1:03)

An A-26 Invades an Avenger Gathering (1:03)

If the spinning 38-foot tiltrotors of the V-22 Osprey look odd, theyll soon become more familiar. The U.S. Marine Corps begins operational use of the aircraft in September 2007. The Osprey can transport 24 combat troops or up to 20,000 pounds of cargo. With its vertical/short takeoff and landing capabilities, it can fit in tight spots like a helicopter, but can fly twice as fast. In this video, distributed by V-22 manufacturer Boeing during the 2007 Paris Airshow at Le Bourget, the Osprey is seen doing its thingflying like an airplane, taking off like a helicopter, and dropping commandos like Pez. Variants of the V-22 will be ready for use by the Air Force and Special Operations Command in 2009. Video: Boeing