@ Chantilly, VA
August 2018
Displayed at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is this 1936 Gulfhawk, a hybrid of the U.S. Navy F2F/F3F fighter aircraft. Sponsored by the Gulf Oil Company, this aircraft was built for and piloted by retired naval aviator and air show pilot Al Williams for demonstration flights and aerobatic displays. As head of the Gulf Oil Company’s aviation department, Williams flew in military and civilian air shows around the country, performing precision aerobatics and dive-bombing maneuvers to promote military aviation during the interwar years. It took its orange paint scheme from Williams’ Curtiss 1A Gulfhawk, also in the Smithsonian’s collection. Williams personally piloted the Gulfhawk II on its last flight in 1948 to Washington’s National Airport. Fuji X-E2s w/18-55mm.
