National Thunderstorm Project Black Widow

Although not as famous as other U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) aircraft in World War II, the Northrop P-61 Black Widow was important, as it was our first night fighter.  After WWII, some Black Widows found new jobs.  This P-61C was given to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) for various tests, such as cold-weather endurance, high-altitude drops, and the National Thunderstorm Project. 

For the National Thunderstorm Project, a squadron of Black Widows was fitted with scientific equipment and flown through thunderstorms at various altitudes.  Thanks to this project (and its brave pilots), weather forecasting was improved and aviation became much safer.  One of the surviving Black Widows is on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in its NACA test livery.