Curtiss-Wright P-40 Warhawk

Single Piston

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is one of the most recognizable American fighters of World War II, immortalized by the shark-mouth nose art of the Flying Tigers in China and flown by Allied air forces on every major front from 1939 through 1945. Designed in the late 1930s as an evolution of the P-36 Hawk with an inline Allison V-1710 engine, the P-40 was never the fastest or highest-climbing fighter of its era—it couldn't match the climb rate of the Spitfire or the high-altitude performance of the P-51 Mustang—but it was rugged, heavily armed, and available in large numbers when America entered the war. More than 13,700 were built across multiple variants, serving with the USAAF, RAF, Soviet VVS, and air forces from Australia to Brazil. The type excelled in low-altitude combat and ground attack, where its six .50-caliber machine guns and ability to carry bombs or drop tanks made it a versatile workhorse. Its sturdy construction allowed it to absorb significant battle damage and return home, earning the loyalty of pilots who flew it in the deserts of North Africa, the jungles of the Pacific, and the skies over China. Today the P-40 remains a prized warbird in the vintage aircraft community, with surviving examples meticulously restored and flown at airshows across North America. The type's distinctive profile—long nose, mid-mounted wing, and that unforgettable shark grin—continues to evoke the grit and determination of the early war years when Allied pilots made do with what they had and fought back against the Axis advance. SkyMeter has tracked 7 flights across 4 airframes and 4 operators, with SOARING BY THE SEA FOUNDATION INC the largest observed operator.