Stories Behind The Aircraft

A routine T-33 flight in 1964 became one Gen. Russell E. Dougherty would never forget. Discover the remarkable story behind the aircraft at Aviation Heritage Park & Museum.

David Render Berry was a young Kentucky naval aviator who earned the Navy Cross three times during World War II. Part One follows him from flight training through Coral Sea and Midway, and home to the woman he loved.

Lt. Col. John Carmichael came home from Vietnam just before Christmas 1971. His family had waited a year for that moment. But part of him remained with the South Vietnamese pilots he had trained and left behind.

On March 11, 1970, Captain Joseph Ralston led four F-105 Thunderchiefs on a danger-close mission over Laos that earned the Distinguished Flying Cross he would later call the most meaningful award of his remarkable career.

Fourteen hours in the cockpit. Two minutes over the target. Discover how Bowling Green native Col. Arnold Franklin led the Air Force's F-111 strike force during Operation El Dorado Canyon and why the aircraft displayed at Aviation Heritage Park tells one of the most remarkable stories of leadership in modern military aviation.

Discover the remarkable story of Phantom 550, the F-4 Phantom flown by Brig. Gen. Dan Cherry during the Vietnam War. Learn how a chance discovery led to the creation of Aviation Heritage Park & Museum and an extraordinary friendship with former enemy Nguyen Hong My.