History in the Air

History in the Air. A Look at the Military Aircraft of MacDill. Since the first wave of B-18 Super Heavy Bombers arrived at MacDill in 1940, the base has seen a remarkable variety of America's finest military aircraft. MacDill's first mission included transitional training on the B-17 Flying Fortress. After World War II started, the base became a major Army Air Forces staging platform. LB-30s and B-17s would take off from MacDill and head for combat via the Atlantic Ocean. As the war progressed, the base's mission changed from pilot and crew training on the B-17, to training on the new Martin B-26. The first B-26 to arrive at MacDill was piloted by the celebrated combat pilot, Major General Jimmy Doolittle. In 1945, MacDill became the primary training facility for the B-29. Later, during the 1950's, MacDill added the P-51, B-50, B-47, and KC-97 to its training missions. The 1960's and the Vietnam conflict brought F-84 training and F-4 combat-ready wings to MacDill. By 1970, replacement crews were being trained here for B-57 bomber missions., F-4 Phantom , The Phantom was the first multi-service aircraft, flying concurrently with the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The F-4 was in active service from 1958 to 1996., B-29 Superfortress , The B-29 was one of the largest and most sophisticated aircraft used in world war two. The most famous B-29, the "Enola Gay," was used for the atomic mission over Hiroshima., B-26 Marauder , The B-26, was known as "the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front." The B-26 maintained the lowest loss record of any combat aircraft during World War II., P-51 Mustang , Providing high-altitude escort to B-17s and B-24s, the P-51 destroyed 950 enemy craft in the air in the air, more than any other fighter in Europe., LB-30 , LB was short for Liberator British. The U.S. Army adopted the Liberator nickname for its B-24s. The British received more than 500 Liberators by the end of the war., KC-97 Tanker , Introduced in 1950, the KC-97 provided Strategic Air Command with genuine intercontinental capability. After military service, some KC-97s were converted for transporting large, bulky items, and some KC-97s were even used in the Apollo space program., B-50 Superfortress , The B-50, the last propeller driven bomber, served with the Strategic Air Command between 1948 and 1954. The most famous B-50 was the "Lucky Lady II," which became the first aircraft to fly nonstop around the world., B-17 The Flying Fortress , The Flying Fortress is one of the most famous airplanes ever built. The aircraft served in every world war two combat zone, but is best known for its daylight strategic bombing of German industrial targets.