One-and-Onlies: The Complete List
All the Smithsonian’s one-of-a-kind aircraft
- By Patricia Trenner
- AirSpaceMag.com, August 14, 2012
A Wiseman-Cooke biplane hanging in the National Postal Museum, one of the Smithsonian's one-of-a-kinds.
Eric Long/NASM
As National Air and Space Museum aeronautics curator Jeremy Kinney noted in our September 2012 issue, the NASM collection includes nearly 150 unique aircraft, many of them “not so well known.”
Indeed. Who knew there were four incarnations of the Langley Aerodrome? Ever hear of a Maupin-Lanteri Black Diamond? Martin Tadpole? Nagler Rolz NR 54 V2?
This list, with links to the museum’s aircraft database, classifies all of NASM’s unique aircraft by type and era:
Early Flight
Commercial and Civilian
General Aviation
Gliders and Sport Aviation
Lighter-Than-Air Gondolas
Military Aircraft by Nation
Special Purpose, Research, and Racing
Vertical Flight.
“One of a kind” means the only one ever built. “Sole survivor” means the only example of the type remaining. “One of two survivors” means one of the two examples of the type remaining.
EARLY FLIGHT
Baldwin Red Devil (sole survivor)
Benoist-Korn Type XII (sole survivor)
Curtiss Flying Boat hull (sole survivor)
Curtiss Model D Headless Pusher (sole survivor)
Ecker Flying Boat (one of a kind)
Fowler-Gage (one of a kind)
Herring-Burgess (one of a kind)
Langley Aerodrome, full size (one of a kind)
Langley Aerodrome #5 (one of a kind)
Langley Aerodrome #6 (one of a kind)
Langley quarter-scale Aerodrome (one of a kind)
Martin K-III Kitten (one of a kind)
Maupin-Lanteri Black Diamond (one of a kind)
Montgomery Evergreen glider (one of a kind)
Montgomery Santa Clara glider, parts only (one of a kind)
Olmsted Pusher (one of a kind)
Shoemaker-Channonhouse (one of a kind)
Wiseman-Cooke (one of a kind)
Wright EX Vin Fiz (one of a kind)
Wright Flyer (one of a kind)
Wright Military Flyer (one of a kind)
COMMERCIAL AND CIVILIAN
Boeing 307 (sole survivor)
Boeing 367-80 (one of a kind)
Douglas M-2 (sole survivor)
Northrop Alpha (sole survivor)
Northrop Gamma Polar Star (sole survivor)
GENERAL AVIATION
Abrams Explorer (one of a kind)
Bellanca C.F. (one of a kind)
Curtiss Hawk 1A Gulfhawk (one of a kind)
Extra 260 (one of a kind)
Farman Sport (sole survivor)
Grumman G-22 Gulfhawk II (one of a kind)
Helio No. 1 (one of a kind)
Laser 200 (one of a kind)
Rutan Voyager (one of a kind)
Stout Skycar (one of a kind)
Verville Sportsman AT (sole survivor)
Waterman Aerobile (one of two survivors)
Waterman Whatsit (one of a kind)
GLIDERS AND SPORT AVIATION
Bowlus du Pont Sr. Albatross Falcon (one of two survivors)
Franklin Eaglet (one of a kind)
Horten III f (sole survivor)
Horten III h (sole survivor)
Horten VI V2 (sole survivor)
Lippisch DM-1 (one of a kind)
Stanley Nomad (one of a kind)
Stits SA-2A Sky Baby (one of a kind)
Story Little Gee Bee (one of a kind)
LIGHTER-THAN-AIR GONDOLAS
Breitling Orbiter III (one of a kind)
Double Eagle II (one of a kind)
Eddie Allen Smoke Balloon (one of a kind)
Explorer II (one of a kind)
Spirit of Freedom, Fossett (one of a kind)
Goodyear Pilgrim (one of a kind)
Goodyear ZPG-3W (one of two survivors)
Strato-Jump III (one of a kind)
MILITARY AIRCRAFT, BRITISH
Sopwith Snipe (one of two survivors)
MILITARY AIRCRAFT, FRENCH
Caudron G-4 (one of two survivors)
Spad XVI (sole survivor)
Voisin Type 8 (sole survivor)
MILITARY AIRCRAFT, GERMAN
Albatros D.Va (one of two survivors)
Arado Ar 196 A-5 (one of two survivors)
Arado Ar 234 B-2 Blitz (sole survivor)
Bachem Ba 349 Natter (sole survivor)
Blohm und Voss Bv 155 V2 (sole survivor)
Dornier Do 335 A-0 (sole survivor)
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-9 (one of two survivors)
Focke-Wulf Ta 152 H-0 (sole survivor)
Gotha Go 229/Horten IX (sole survivor)
Heinkel He 219 A-2 (sole survivor)
Junkers Ju 388 L-1 (sole survivor)
Messerschmitt Me 410 A-3 Hornisse (one of two survivors)
MILITARY AIRCRAFT, ITALIAN
Macchi C.202 Folgore (one of two survivors)
MILITARY AIRCRAFT, JAPANESE
Aichi B7A2 Grace (sole survivor)
Aichi M6A1 Seiran (sole survivor)
Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu Rex (one of two survivors)
Kawasaki Ki-45 Hei C Nick (sole survivor)
Kugisho MXY7 K-2 43-B (sole survivor)
Kugisho MXY7 Ohka 22 (sole survivor)
Kugisho P1Y1 Ginga Frances (sole survivor)
Kyushu J7W1 Shinden (sole survivor)
Nakajima B6N2 JILL (sole survivor)
Nakajima C6N1S MYRT (sole survivor)
Nakajima J1N1-S IRVING (sole survivor)
Nakajima Ki 115a Tsurugi/Sabre (one of two survivors)
Nakajima Kikka (sole survivor)
MILITARY AIRCRAFT, UNITED STATES
Boeing FB-5 Hawk (one of two survivors)
Boeing X-45 UCAS (one of two survivors)
Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (sole survivor)
Curtiss (NAF) TS-1/2/3 (sole survivor)
Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk (sole survivor)
Curtiss N-9H (sole survivor)
Curtiss NC-4 (one of a kind)
Curtiss XP-55 Ascender (sole survivor)
Douglas World Cruiser DWC-2 Chicago (one of two survivors)
Felixstowe (NAF) F-5-L hull (sole survivor)
Fokker T-2 (sole survivor)
Lockheed Martin X-35B JSF Technology Demonstrator (one of a kind)
Lockheed XC-35/10E Electra (one of a kind)
Loening OA-1A San Francisco (sole survivor)
Martin Model 162 Tadpole Clipper (one of a kind)
Martin PBM-5A (sole survivor)
North American FJ-1 Fury (one of two survivors)
Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet (sole survivor)
Sikorsky JRS-1 (sole survivor)
Sperry-Verville M-1 Messenger (sole survivor)
SPECIAL PURPOSE, RESEARCH, RACING AIRCRAFT
Bell X-1 (one of a kind)
Curtiss R3C-2 (sole survivor)
Hughes 1B Racer/H-1 (one of a kind)
MacCready Gossamer Albatross (one of a kind)
MacCready Gossamer Condor (one of a kind)
MacCready Solar Challenger (one of a kind)
Mahoney Sorceress (one of a kind)
North American X-15 (one of two survivors)
Northrop M2-F1 (one of two survivors)
Northrop M2-F3 (one of a kind)
Northrop N1M (one of a kind)
Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis (one of a kind)
Sharp Nemesis (one of a kind)
Turner RT-14 (one of a kind)
Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer (one of a kind)
VERTICAL FLIGHT
Autogiro Company of America AC-35 (one of a kind)
Bell Model 30 Ship 1A Genevieve (one of a kind)
Bell Model 65 ATV (one of a kind)
Bell XV-15 (sole survivor)
Bensen B-6 (one of a kind)
Berliner 1924 Helicopter (one of a kind)
Cierva C.8W (one of two survivors)
Convair XFY-1 (one of a kind)
Curtiss-Wright X-100 (one of a kind)
Gyro 2000 Ikenga 530Z (one of a kind)
Herrick HV-2A (one of a kind)
Hiller Model 1031-A-1 (one of a kind)
Hiller XH-44 (one of a kind)
Kaman K-225 (one of two survivors)
Kellett XO-60 (sole survivor)
Kellett XR-8 (sole survivor)
McDonnell XHJD-1 (one of a kind)
McDonnell XV-1 (one of two survivors)
Nagler Rolz NR 54 V2 (one of a kind)
Pentecost HX-1 Model 100 Hoppi-Copter (one of a kind)
Pitcairn-Cierva PCA-1A (sole survivor)
Platt-LePage XR-1 (one of a kind)
P-V Engineering Forum PV-2 (one of a kind)
P-V Engineering Forum XHRP-X (one of a kind)
Ryan X-13 (one of two survivors)
Vertol VZ-2 (one of a kind)
Vought V-173 (one of a kind)
Vought-Sikorsky XR-4C (one of a kind)
Comments (9)
The article refers to the AR234 in the National Air Museum as the sole survivor but I believe there is an AR234 in the Deutsches Museum in Munich. EDITORS' REPLY: The Deutsches Museum website does not mention an Ar 234:
http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/flugwerft/collections/jet-aircraft/
Posted by Bruce Dunham on August 17,2012 | 09:47 AM
Hi
You claim that the PBY5 you have is the sole survivor. I do not *think* that is correct.
See:
http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/Catalina-A24-30
And
http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/Catalina-A24-88/Moorabbin_Air_Museum_Jan_2010_066
and I think
http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/Catalina-A24-385/WNUNKCatalina_A24_385_VH_ASA_PHM_bs1dh1ERY3
Posted by Rob Logie on August 17,2012 | 07:56 PM
The article mentions Consolidated PBY Catalina,but there is two in Australia. One is a flying example that is with the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS). Original RAAF serial A24-362 and the other is at Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum. Lake Boga was the home of RAAF No.1 Flying Boat Repair and Service Depot. Futher information can be found at:
www.flyingboat.org.au
and
hars.org.au
Posted by Steven Stamp on August 18,2012 | 11:10 PM
Editors,
If you click on the link for the PBY, you'll see that it is a PBY-5, which is the basis for it being on the list. I should have included the -5 on the list names.
Thanks,
Jeremy Kinney (not Davis)
EDITORS' REPLY: Sorry about that, Jeremy. Our fault in both cases.
Posted by Jeremy Kinney on August 21,2012 | 10:06 AM
When you say "Sole survivor", it may be more correct to say "Only known survivor" - perhaps there are others out there yet to be discovered?
As for the PBY, I believe there are multiple examples out there, including one at Pensacola Naval Air Museum and another at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, UNLESS the museum's example is is the only known model/variation of the type.
Posted by Sam Fallin on August 23,2012 | 09:44 AM
EDITOR'S REPLY: Dik Daso, the curator assigned to the PBY-5, says the NASM PBY-5 is the sole surviving non-amphibian PBY-5. To the best of my knowledge, the Catalina at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, and the one at the Moorabbin Air Museum in Australia, are PBY-5As.
Posted by Pat Trenner on September 4,2012 | 09:23 AM
I saw your Boeing 307 Stratoliner when I visited the Udvar-Hazy Center in January 2010. I mention this because in November that year, I was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was invited aboard the other remaining Stratoliner, which is now a boat. This is/was the aircraft owned by Howard Hughes, who apparently had enough influence during World War 2 to tell the government to keep its hands off his private airliner, at a time when private aircraft were being commandeered for the war effort.
So the story goes, this aircraft was later rescued from a junk yard and turned into a boat. I took pics, which I posted in my FaceBook site
http://tinyurl.com/7xgnt47
Once the album opens, scroll down to nearly the bottom.
Posted by Bruce Thompson on September 20,2012 | 03:59 PM
Sorry, but you can't count "one of two survivors" as a "unique" aircraft. Cross those off the list and there are 127 left, which I wouldn't call "nearly 150". EDITORS' REPLY: You're right; we were summarizing a quote in the original article, which refers to "149 one-of-a-kind, sole surviving, and one of two remaining examples."
Posted by David R. on September 20,2012 | 05:32 PM
There is supposedly an intact example of an Ar 234 in one of the lakes near Rechlin, Germany. EDITORS' REPLY: Do you have a source for this?
Posted by Dave McDonald on September 20,2012 | 06:39 PM