Nose Art and Names: Personalizing Our Aircraft - Warbirds

By Carmelo Turdo

Aircraft from the warbird era were often given a name or nose art, both as a personalization of the aircraft by the crew and as a shorthand way of identifying each aircraft out of the thousands like it during the massive World War II effort. Today, many surviving warbirds are given such emblems from their new civilian owner, sometimes commemorating another wartime sibling or otherwise a token of the current pilot's esteem. I have collected some of the images of modern-day warbirds taken at air shows and fly-ins that reflect the classic nose-art or name-that-plane practice.  Enjoy!

Piper J3C-85 Cub at Creve Coeur Airport, MO

Aeronca 65-TAC at St. Charles County Airport, MO

Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 St. Louis Regional Airport, IL

Boeing (Stearman) A75N1 Columbia Regional Airport, MO

Convair SNV-1 Valiant Scott AFB, IL

Beech 3N Expeditor Columbia Regional Airport, MO

Beech C-45H Expeditor Scott AFB, IL

Beech AT-11 Kansan St. Louis Regional Airport, IL

Beech C-18S St. Louis Downtown Airport, IL

Lockheed 18-56 Lodestar St. Louis Downtown Airport, IL

Douglas C-47 Mexico Regional Airport, MO

North American B-25J Mitchell Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, MO

North American TB-25J Mitchell Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, MO

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Spirit of St. Louis Airport, MO

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Spirit of St. Louis Airport, MO

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, MO

Boeing B-29A Superfortress Spirit of St. Louis Airport, MO

North American AT-6G Texan St. Louis Downtown Airport, MO

North American AT-6C Texan St. Louis Downtown Airport, MO

North American SNJ-5 Texan Creve Coeur Airport, MO

Beech A45 (T-34) Mentor Springfield, IL

Beech A45 (T-34) Mentor Mt. Vernon Outland Airport, IL

Ryan Navion A Creve Coeur Airport, MO

North American T-28C Trojan St. Louis Downtown Airport, IL

North American T-28B Trojan St. Louis Regional Airport, IL

North American P-51C Mustang Columbia Regional Airport, MO

North American F-51D Mustang Columbia Regional Airport, MO

North American P-51D Mustang Columbia Regional Airport, MO

North American F-51D Mustang Mexico Regional Airport, MO

North American P-51D Mustang Springfield, IL

Lockheed P-38L-5 Lightning Columbia Regional Airport, MO

Chance-Vought F-4U-5NL Corsair Springfield, IL