U.S. Military Aircraft Database
The files that follow are the result of approximately forty years of research. Most everyone has heard of famous U.S. military aircraft such as the P-38, P-51, and B-17. I wondered what a P-37, B-18, or P-52 might have looked like. Two books started to fill in the gaps for me. These were C. B. Colby’s Fighter Parade and Bomber Parade. These small books contained American fighters and bombers that I had never heard of. I soon discovered other types that were never built, the so called "paper planes". I have been cataloging ever since, first using notebooks, then file cards, and finally the entire collection was computerized.
As much as I would like too, I have not included any photographs or drawings. Including these would require much more space and getting permission for so much would involve a great deal of extra effort. A good source for photos of many of the types that follow is Aerofiles. I have included a bibliography, and an outline of the different designation systems, Types.xls. All of the files are in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format. A viewer for Microsoft Excel can be downloaded here.
I have added a file on German aircraft, including my preliminary lists for World War One serial numbers for both Army and Navy. Much of the serial number information comes from postings on the The Aerodrome Forum.
These files are a work in progress, and by no means complete. All errors or omissions are my own.
12/04/09