P-39 Miss Connie Central Texas Wing
Description:
Base:
San Marcos, TX
Website:
| P-39 Specs | |
|---|---|
| Role | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Bell Aircraft |
| Introduced | 1941 |
| Produced | 1940-1944 |
| Power | 1 × Allison V-1710-85 V-12 |
| Length | 30 ft 2 in |
| Height | 12 ft 5 in |
| Wingspan | 34 ft |
| Range | 525 mi (more with add'l fuel tanks) |
The Commemorative Air Force’s P-39 Airacobra is named Miss Connie in honor of the wife of longtime CAF member and World War II fighter pilot Sandy Sansing.
Miss Connie served stateside during World War II. In 1945, while being ferried to a scrapyard, the aircraft suffered an engine failure and made an emergency landing in Hobbs, New Mexico. Deemed surplus, the military abandoned it and later placed on display at Capitan High School in Lincoln, New Mexico. In 1962, the aircraft was donated to the Commemorative Air Force, where it underwent a complete restoration and returned to flight in 1974.
In 2022, the aircraft was temporarily repainted in the markings of Col. Bud Anderson’s original Old Crow to celebrate his 100th birthday, and it proudly participated in the tribute at EAA AirVenture that same year.
The P-39 Airacobra was one of the earliest U.S. fighters of World War II, introduced in 1941 before combat needs were fully realized. Uniquely designed with its engine behind the pilot and a cannon firing through the propeller hub, it stood apart from its peers. Though it saw limited use in Western Europe, it was highly effective in Soviet hands on the Eastern Front.
