Fairey Firefly (World Fighter Aircraft Collection)

Captain Eddie Kurdziel lifts into the air in his Fairey Firefly at the 2007 "Aviation Nation" airshow held at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

The Firefly is a little-known British naval fighter of World War Two, powered by the same 2250 horsepower Griffon engine used in later model Spitfires.  The Firefly wasn't very fast, largely because of its high lift devices and the extra load created by having a radio operator/navigator seated in the rear cockpit, however it packed a heavy punch with its four cannons, and it was extremely maneuverable.   The US Navy flew one at Patuxent River testing station against an F6F Hellcat, and although the Hellcat was faster, it had a hard time fixing its guns on the more aerobatic Firefly.

Sadly, a Firefly like this one crashed at the Duxford Airshow in the UK in 2003 and both crewmen died, leaving this other aircraft as the only airworthy example in the world.