Gallery: AirVenture Marks 50 Years Since Vietnam War

The three-seat Bell H-13 served a variety of roles early in the Vietnam War before being replaced by the Hughes OH-6 Cayuse.

The T-28 Trojan was the first fixed-wing attack aircraft shot down in South Vietnam during the war. From 1962-1968, a total of 23 T-28s were lost.

Manufactured by Cessna, the 0-1 Bird Dog was used in Vietnam to perform forward air control, artillery adjustment and intelligence photography, as well as for other missions.

The Cessna 0-1 Bird Dog had a simple instrument panel and transparent wing panels that allowed the pilot to look straight up. It was the first all-metal, fixed-wing aircraft that the U.S. Army ordered following the spinoff of the Air Force in 1947.

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In 1966, the U.S. selected a variant of the Cessna Model 337 to replace the O-1 Bird Dog. The 0-2A Skymaster was used for forward air control and psychological operations. The Skymaster's tandem engines made for simpler operation than wing-mounted engines and allowed a high-wing design, giving the pilot and the observer in the rear seat better look-down visibility.

First flown in January 1967, deliveries of the 0-2A Skymaster to the U.S Air Force began that March. Cessna built 532 units by the time production ended in June 1970.  The main distinguishing features of the Skymaster are the twin tail booms and tandem-mounted engines.

This 1967 Bell UH-1H “Huey” Iroquois flew in Vietnam. The Huey's primary missions in Vietnam were general support, air assault, cargo transport and medical evacuation.

Huey flight crews had excellent visibility due to the cockpit's large windows, including the ones below the instrument panel.

The Huey had a versatile cabin, allowing it to be used for troop transport, medevac and other missions. UH-1s also flew as hunter-killer teams and tested Heavy Tube-launched, Optically Tracked, Wireless-Guided or TOW missiles.