One of the rarest American fighters from World War II, a meticulously restored Bell P-63A-6 Kingcobra, will be on static display at the Wings on Display Airport Day in Dayton, TN, Sept. 5–6, 2025, courtesy of Commemorative Air Force Airbase Georgia.
This distinctive aircraft, serial number 42-68941, is one of just a handful of Kingcobras still in existence. The United States built a total of 3,305 units between 1943 and 1945 but never deployed the P-63 in combat. Instead, the aircraft was used stateside for training and test programs.
Built in February 1944, Airbase Georgia’s P-63 was used by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the precursor to NASA, for early aerospace testing at Ames Research Center in California.
“The Kingcobra’s history makes it uniquely suited to our mission,” said Joel Perkins, leader of CAF Airbase Georgia. “Restoring this aircraft is especially appropriate because the Commemorative Air Force exists to honor the Greatest Generation by educating the public and inspiring youth to explore careers in aviation and aerospace. This airplane connects the past to the future.”
The Airbase Georgia P-63 served as a test platform for NACA beginning in January 1945, providing critical data for pioneering research into aerodynamics, Mach effects, and flight stability. Its distinctive airframe was modified to support aileron flutter studies and maximum lift coefficient testing, work that directly contributed to post-war advances in supersonic aircraft design.
“Many people don’t realize that warbirds like this didn’t just fight, they helped us fly faster, higher, and more safely in the decades that followed,” Perkins said.
The aircraft’s eight-decade journey has taken it from Bell Aircraft’s production line in Niagara Falls, N.Y., to Ames Research Center, to the surplus sales yard, and eventually to a long-term restoration effort by volunteers at CAF Airbase Georgia, based at Atlanta Regional Airport-Falcon Field in Peachtree City.
The painstaking 16-year restoration involved rebuilding the airframe from scratch using original blueprints. Only four P‑63 Kingcobras are airworthy and flying today.
The aircraft is nicknamed “Miss Betty” in honor of the late Betty Bishop, a “Rosie the Riveter” who worked on Airbase Georgia’s P-63 when it was built in Niagara Falls. Bishop, who lived in Macon, Ga., visited the restored aircraft on several occasions.
The P-63’s appearance at Dayton’s Wings on Display event offers a rare opportunity for the public to get an up-close look at an aircraft that served America in war and science. It also helps tell a broader story about how aviation history informs today's need for STEM education and workforce development in aerospace.
CAF volunteers who accompany the static display will be eager to share the aircraft’s legacy and the Commemorative Air Force’s mission. Visitors are encouraged to stop by, take photos, and ask questions.
For more information about Airbase Georgia and its flying museum of WWII aircraft, visit airbasegeorgia.org.