P-39 Airacobra’s First Engine Run

Rebuilt Airacobra

The P-39 Airacobra was one of the first-line pursuit planes of the US back in December 1941.

By the time Pearl Harbor has been attacked, over 600 had been built. It was also one of the most unique piston-engine fighters during World War II- seating its engine aft of the pilot and driving the propeller unit at the nose.

While the Americans weren’t too keen on the P-39, the Soviets loved it. That’s because it gave the Soviets some “push-back,” helping them turn the tide of the “Great Patriotic War.”

The video taken at the Fighter Factory in Virginia Beach, Virginia, features the first run of this P-39 Airacobra, put together with an incredible team. We couldn’t get enough of the sound of those engines!