The Museum’s FG-1D Corsair is painted in honor of hometown hero Shelton Ray Beacham. Beacham was known during his flying days as the Kitty Hawk Kid, he would score two aerial victories in Number 31, his favorite Corsair, before he himself was shot down. Surviving the incident, Beacham would go on to serve in the post-war US Navy before become a high school math teacher in Norfolk, VA.
Just like the aircraft that pays tribute to Beacham’s service, the T-shirt is emblazoned with the Jolly Roger, the iconic markings of Fighting 17 (VF-17). The T-shirt also features full color artwork on the back depicting Number 31 in action by Chad Hill of Django Studios.
