The Fairey Firefly is powered by a Rolls Royce Griffon Mk. 57 motor, just like versions of the Spitfire fighter plane and the four-engined Avro Shackleton patrol bomber.

The Squadron Crest of the 825 Squadron includes the Latin expression, Nihil Obstat, which means "Nothing Stops Us." The Squadron launched from the HMS Victorious on May 24, 1941, and sighted the Bismarck, then was directly involved in the sinking of the Bismarck battleship, scoring one of the hits which slowed the Battleships speed on May 25, 1941, making it possible for the Royal Navy to catch up with the leviathan and sink her on May 27th.

Later, the Squadron was aboard the HMS Ark Royal during its Malta service, prior to being torpedoed and sunk on November 13, 1941. The squadron was dispersed to Gibralter as a result and thereafter ceased to exist. The squadron later reformed at Lee-on-Solent and were involved in the attempt to sink the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau from Manston. All aircraft were lost, no hits were scored, the C.O. was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross and the five survivors of the attack also decorated.

The squadron regrouped at Lee-on-Solent before embarking on the HMS Avenger. Along with the HMS Onslow, the three aircraft aboard shared in the sinking of the U-589.

In 1944, the squadron was aboard the HMS Vindex when the encountered and sunk the U-653 and U-765 during Convoy duty in the Battle of the North Atlantic. Between August 22 and September 2, 1944, the Squadron was credited with the sinking of the U-354, U-344 and U-394, with Squadron Hurricanes damaging and possibly sinking a fourth.

The Squadron operated the Fairey Firefly after the war, in 1947.

The Firefly utilized different versions of the Griffon Motor including the Griffon Mk. II, the Mk. XII, the 72 & 74.

Port side radiator cooling intake on the Fairey Firefly.

The crowds swirl around the Fairey Firefly while on static display at Thunder Over Michigan. The Firefly's first combat sortie was a successful mission against the German Battleship Tirpitz, which was hiding in a Norwegian Fjord and ultimately sunk there.

At 386 mph, the Firefly was also utilized as a diversion to clear the skies of Japanese Zeros prior to British bombing raids in the South Pacific. The Firefly is credited with shooting down one of Japan's top line fighter planes, a Nakajima.

The aircraft was utilized in a number of roles including fighter, night fighter, U-Boat Killer, Anti-Shipping and Aerial Recon.

The Firefly also saw service in the Korean conflict with the Royal Australian Navy.

A flight of A-10 Thunderbolt II's passes near Thunder Over Michigan.

A look at a rather rugged looking Lockheed Lodestar (Model 18) on display at Thunder Over Michigan. The prototype was a lengthened Model 14 Super Electra.

One of the more popular Warbird trainers being introduced in America at this time, the venerable Nanjing CJ-6 Trainer is still in widespread use in the People's Republic of China at its Military Aviation Academies.

A look at the fuselage port side showing the narrow fuselage of the Nanjing CJ-6 trainer.

A Vietnam-era Cessna O-2A Skymaster, which is based on the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster. Cessna also produced the O-2B which was a psychological warfare aircraft that broadcast information to the North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces, dropped leaflets, but carried no ordnance.