Messerschmitt Bf109 "Emil" (World Fighter Aircraft Collection)

The Messerschmitt Bf109 (sometimes erroneously referred to as the Me109) was the main German fighter of World War Two.   It was produced in greater numbers than any other fighter before or since, a total of 33984 units, and comprised over 50% of total Nazi fighter production.  It still holds the record for the number of enemy aircraft destroyed, with over 2500 pilots becoming aces, 105 pilots destroying 100 aircraft or more and two claiming over 300 kills.

When it was introduced in 1937 the Bf109's performance made all other existing fighters obsolete, though that advantage was dissipated when the Hurricane entered service later that same year, and the Spitfire followed in 1938.  The Bf109 saw combat long before those British aircraft, fighting for General Franco during the Spanish civil war.  This early model Bf109E "Emil" flying during the 2005Yankee Air Museum "Thunder Over Michigan" airshow is shown in aSpanish civil war paint scheme, the black 'x' on the fuselage signifying that it flew there with the Kondor Legion.  It's the only Bf109 in North America still flying with its original Daimler engine, though there are several Buchons in the United States, Bf109s built by the Spanish after the war with British-designed Merlin engines.

During the early part of World War Two the Bf109 vied neck-and-neck for superiority with the Spitfire, but over time the German plane became less competitive, though it remained in production until the end of the war.  The instability caused by the Bf109's narrow undercarriage was a major problem, and it's said that more were lost in takeoff and landing accidents than were lost in combat.

Air Tractor AT-802A (Unusual Aircraft Collection)

The Air Tractor AT-802A is a large turboprop cropduster which is also used to drop water or flame retardant on forest fires.

Cropdusting doesn't require speed, but it does call for a lot of maneuverability, and having a lot of power provides a margin of safety when banking and turning close to the ground.   The power of the AT-802A's  turboprop engine gives it this safety margin and also makes it able to lift an incredible 9500 pounds, more than the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, which had four engines and a crew of ten.

A fire-fighting version called the FireBoss is often fitted with floats to allow it to operate from lakes or rivers.   It's used for co-ordinating other fire-fighting planes, but it can also scoop water and drop it on the flames, like the Be-200 Altair and other water bombers.   As well as the usual tanks inside the fuselage, the FireBoss can also carry 70 gallons of water in its floats.   This isn't much use on a large fire, but it's very helpful for cleaning up hot spots after the main blaze has been quenched.