FLYING Magazine
For warbird enthusiasts, nothing compares to seeing the best designs America has to offer from each generation of fighters. That is unless they are paired with the aircraft they went up against in the not-so-friendly skies.
That’s what you will find at the North American Aerospace Museum (NAAM), formerly known as the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, in McMinnville, Oregon.
According to officials, the NAAM collection spans “four generations” of fighters, referencing the constant evolution of designs in response to changes in technology and mission and resulting in aircraft with different capabilities and higher performance.
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Defining the generations is challenging, according to Terry Howell, NAAM’s chief operating officer, because quite often technology from one generation helped with the evolution of the next. This is especially true with MiG designs from the Soviet Union.
“[Our collection] includes the earliest examples of WWI and WWII fighters, but our Fighter Town USA exhibit is focused on our collection of fighter jets that covers more than five decades of both U.S. and Soviet fighters from 1942 to 1954,” Howell said.
The museum’s first generation fighters represent the earliest production models powered by jet engines, including the following aircraft:
• Germany: Messerschmitt 262 Schwalbe
• United Kingdom: DH-112 Venom
• United States: FJ-3 Fury, F-84 Thunderstreak, and F-86 Sabre
• Soviet Union: MiG-15 Midget and MiG-17 Fresco
The second generation is represented by the following aircraft:
• United States: F-100 Super Sabre (Misty), F-101 Voodoo, F-102 Delta Dagger, F-104 Starfighter, F-105 Thunderchief, and F-106 Delta Dart
• Soviet Union: MiG 21 and variants that bled over into gen 3.
These aircraft were faster than their predecessors, and their avionics were the first to have air-to-air radar. These designs also were the first to achieve supersonic flight. They were also the first to have semi-guided missile systems.
The third generation includes the following aircraft:
• United States: F-4 Phantom
• USSR: MiG-23 Flogger and MiG 21 Fishbed
These fighters brought forth improvements that resulted in greater maneuverability, more modern avionics, pulse radar, and increased weapon payloads that ensured greater tactical roles.
The fourth generation aircraft are marked by improved avionics, such as the head-up displays, advanced aerodynamic design, such as variable sweep wings, and fly-by-wire technology, including the following aircraft:
• United States: F-15 Eagle and F-14 Tomcat
• Soviet Union: MiG-29 Fulcrum (presently on display outside the museum awaiting restoration)
The aircraft are arranged throughout the museum, interwoven with other exhibits that help tell the story of aviation.