Are you familiar with the Hispano M4L Buchon? If not, allow us to explain that its design was inspired by the iconic Bf-109 fighter G-variant by Messerschmitt. A lot of people consider this to be the ultimate post-war development variant under the Bf-109 family. It was mostly used as a fighter aircraft in the Spanish Air Force. When its service came to an end, it was used in scenes of a Hollywood flick called The Battle of Britain. In 1952, the Buchon first saw flight. Spain had to deal with a couple of unserviceable units after a botched agreement with Germany. At any rate, this was the best attempt of the country to create the most out of a bad situation. It was in the Spanish Air Force all the way until 1965. We have seen a Buchon on the market, but we don’t know its real price right now.
Hispano M4L Buchon
Messerschmidt ME-262
In 1941, the Me-262 Schwalbe and the Sturmvogel were employed by the Luftwaffe. The first one was the fighter variant, whereas the latter was the fighter-bomber one. It was retired when the war ended in 1945. This plane was among the first ones in the conflict to come with jet engines, so it was a big threat. When the war ended, captured units were used as test subjects by Americans. The F-86 Sabre borrowed a lot of technology from the Me-262. There are not many of these babies left, and most of the remaining ones have both original and refurbished features. Recently, one of them went for $600,000 or so.
Messerschmidt ME-262
P-38 Lightning
If you consider yourself an aviation enthusiast, you might already be familiar with the F-35 Lightning II. We doubt that you know a lot about the Lightning I, however. The P-38 was used during the Second World War as a piston-engine fighter, although it turned out to be more than that. It was used in interception, ground attack, dive bombing, photo reconnaissance, night fighting, level bombing, radar pathfinding, and long-range escort. This aircraft was used by different countries all over the world such as the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Australia, France, Portugal, and Italy. You can also buy one for yourself as a civilian. However, we sure hope that you have $650,000 at your disposal for this.
P-38 Lightning
North American T-6 Texan
This two-seat advanced trainer was a familiar aircraft to a lot of pilots of the Allied nations during the Second World War. The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was also called the SNJ by the Navy, as well as the Harvard by the British Royal Air Force. It helped train tens of thousands of pilots in a total of 34 different countries. This took place in a span of 25 years. Within that time period, they produced 15,495 units. It won honors during the Second World War, as well as the Korean War. Despite this, it is still best known as a trainer. You can buy one as long as you have $200,000 in your bank account.
North American T-6 Texan
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Fun fact: the Curtiss C-46 Commando remains in active use in remote locations in the world. It was used as a military cargo aircraft and saw a lot of action in the mid-‘40s. It was among the first military planes to have pressurized cabins as well. This was in use at the same time that the Boeing Stratoliner and the DC-4 were. This was a paratroop drop plane as well, although many of them were lost. This is the reason they were pulled from this duty. The C-46 does not have a clean military record, and a lot of soldiers could not stand it. Despite this, it is a historically significant plane that will cost you $250,000.
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Grumman G-21 Goose
Here is another plane with a lot of firsts to its name. Made by Grumman, the G-21 Goose was the first twin-engine aircraft, the first aircraft used as a commercial airliner, and the first single-wing aircraft. How impressive is that? It is capable on both land and water, so it has seen a lot of uses in the decades that it had been in use. The longevity of the aircraft proves the mastery of its designers and engineers. It was considered an “air yacht” for rich businessmen in New York who had to commute from Long Island to Manhattan. It was eventually used as an airliner, utility aircraft, and military transport too.
Grumman G-21 Goose
North American B-25 Mitchell
Isn’t it neat to learn that the Boeing B-25 Mitchell was named in honor of Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell? It was a twin-engine bomber that proved to be a low-level and high-level bomber at the same time. This plane was also used as a fighter, photo-reconnaissance, and submarine patrol plane. North American Aviation built around 10,000 units from 1939 to 1945. The first unit to fly went up in the air in August 1940. The United States Army Air Corps introduced the first five planes in February 1941. This sparked the race to build as many as they could! Overall, North American Aviation made a total of 9,816 B-25s in the two plants in Kansas and California. Recently, one of them went for $1.4 million.
North American B-25 Mitchell
Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter
The Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter was considered a breakthrough when it comes to air combat technology. This was popular during the ‘60s as the ultra-low radar cross-section made it hard to see at long range. This was the closest thing they got to a stealth fighter back in the day. It was a small “pocket fighter” created from scratch as a dog-fighter. Please note that it was also very cheap to make this, which was excellent as it was made to outnumber NATO nations. The aircraft relied on hi-tech avionics and the performance of expensive planes such as the F-4 Phantom but cost the same as the Russian MiG-21. Not that long ago, a private buyer bought a unit. The going price has not been disclosed, however.
Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter
Mitsubishi A6M “Zero” Resin
During the Second World War, the undisputed quintessential plane of the Japanese had been the Mitsubishi A6M Reisen. Also known as the Zero fighter, Mitsubishi designed it. However, Nakajima co-produced the aircraft. Together, the companies produced over 10,000 units of it from 1939 to 1945. The Japanese Navy staff asked the companies to make proposals for a new aircraft that could take the place of the Mitsubishi A5M carrier fighter. This plane was legendary in terms of air kills. We are sad to admit that we do not know the current asking price for a unit.
Mitsubishi A6M “Zero” Resin
Short Tucano Trainer
Here, we have a two-seat turboprop basic trainer aircraft. The Short Tucano Trainer was built in Northern Island by Short Brothers. Its main operator had been the Royal Air Force, although it exports the plane to Kuwait and Kenya every now and then. The prototype was first flown in 1986. Two years after that, the Royal Air Force received its first units. This plane is mainly operated at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, where it offers basic training to student pilots of the RN and RAF. Students fly around 130 hours with it before they transition to the Hawk T2 aircraft trainer. You can bring one home with you for approximately $1.3 million.
