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The Best WW II Fighters

The Breitling Fighters Team is part of The Old Flying Machine Co., which is based at Duxford. The watch manufacturer sponsors the team, which is led by former Red Arrows Leader Ray Hanna, and they do display formation aerobatics all over Europe during the summer. Pilots are from front to back: Ray Hanna in the Kittyhawk IA; Nigel Lamb in the Spitfire Mk.IXc; Lee Proudfoot in the P-51D Mustang and Keith Skilling in the Goodyear FG-1D Corsair. (Photo by John Dibbs/facebook.com/theplanepicture)

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When the editors of Flight Journal asked me to write about all the great WW II fighters and to choose one as “the best,” I thought, “What an ego trip!” The selections would be easy to dig out of my dusty flight-report files (which document my evaluations of WW II fighter types) and out of books in my aviation collection. I test-flew several versions of these fighters during the Joint Army/Navy Fighter Conference at NAS...

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All the stories featured in Flight Journal are as unique and varied as the airplanes and warriors who flew them. From popular warbirds like the P-51 Mustang and Me 109 to the Lockheed SR-71 and futuristic hypersonic fighters, we cover the whole spectrum of aviation. We’ve heard from countless readers over the years about how much they enjoy the compelling stories and beautiful photography.