I've been thinking about North American Aviation a bit since my chat with @NavalAirHistory on @hack_history #HedgeHopping the other week. What an incredible company and what a run of aircraft. Here are some of my favourites in order of debut. #NAA #Thread #AvGeek /1

Where better to start than with the #NAA T-6 Texan/Harvard/SNJ. A remarkable aircraft, built in their tens of thousands, that most Allied aircrews flew at some point. And it is still going strong today! I love the T-6 and the sound of that Wasp radial. #AvGeek /2

Arguably the most important Medium Bomber (most important bomber?) of #WW2, the B-25 Mitchell flew everywhere, did everything it was asked of and has a variant list almost as long as its very long service record. Plus, Yossarian dropped bombs from them. #NAA #AvGeek /3

The P-51 Mustang is an incredible fighter, which is much misunderstood, especially in its early Allison engined variants. The short version is Mustang I/P-51/A-36, great at low/medium level with long legs, P-51B-D great at medium/High level with long legs. #NAA #AvGeek /4

For more on the Allison Mustangs, @NavalAirHistory's new book, Mustang: The Untold Story is out soon and discusses this remarkable variant in detail. As does our @hack_history #HedgeHopping chat. Remember, it was not a dog until the Merlin. #NAA #AvGeek /5 https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-v2tdx-f850a6

A decade after the P-51's debut, the standout of the next generation was also from the same stable. The F-86 Sabre could be called the last of the dogfighters and continued #NAA's remarkable fighter run. Amazing to think the Mustang and Sabre fought together in Korea. #AvGeek /6

#NAA then launched the USAF's century series of fighters with the F-100 Super Sabre. A very tricky aircraft to handle, she had numerous crashes as the aerodynamically unstable design was worked out. The F-100 would prove a good tactical fighter-bomber. #AvGeek /7

The supersonic bomber craze meant that the US Navy wanted one and #NAA came up with the beautiful A-5 Vigilante carrier-borne nuclear bomber. While short-lived as a bomber, in her RA-5C recon variant she would see service through Vietnam and beyond. #AvGeek /8

#NAA's track record of properly cool #AvGeek tech is probably topped with the X-15. The world's first proper spaceplane, the experimental aircraft would set records that still stand. Plus, it is stunning. I mean, look at it! /9

Ah, yes. The #NAA XB-70 Valkyrie, Curtis LeMay's wet-dream bomber. Only 3 were built but what a remarkable piece of problem-solving from NAA. Designed to be Mach 3 Supercruise capable, she was eye-wateringly expensive and programmed ended in 1969. #AvGeek /10

#NAA ended up in proper space too, while their Rocketdyne division built the engines for the Saturn rocket, NAA also designed the Apollo Command Service Module. The Apollo 1 fire meant that they merged with Rockwell (for one among many reasons). #AvGeek #SpaceGeek /11

While the #NAA name was starting to be absorbed within the Rockwell merger, there was the Space Shuttle. This incredible spaceplane made 133 successful flights over 30 years, while 2 were tragically lost. The Space Shuttle was a major part of my '80s childhood. #AvGeek /12

I suppose you could say the last major #NAA aircraft was the B-1 Lancer. While carrying the Rockwell name, the design was begun in the NAA/NAR days so I'll include it here as the Bone is still going strong in USAF service. Plus, she is another beautiful design. #AvGekk /13

This has been a super selective and not overly detailed thread of North American Aviation's great hits. Not all winners but pretty impressive achievements from the company made in the image of "Dutch" Kindelberger. Plus, they had style and I like that. #AvGeek /end