The World Congress of Flight was by no means only about the military uses of aeronautical technology. Civil aviation was also well-represented, with America’s most modern airliners on show, including Boeing 707 N7506A, named Flagship District of Columbia in American Airlines service, which had first flown in January 1959.

Using nine temporarily repainted North American F-86F Sabres borrowed from second-line USAF units, the Chinese Nationalist (Taiwanese) Air Force’s Thunder Tigers formation aerobatic team performed impressively at the Congress, particularly in view of the fact that most of its members had an average of a mere 20hr on type.

Cutting edge meets God of fire - a North American F-100 Super Sabre of the USAF’s Thunderbirds formation aerobatic display team and Avro Vulcan XH502 of the RAF’s No 617 Sqn sit in the blistering heat on the ramp at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, during the World Congress of Flight at Las Vegas in April 1959.

Many of the more impressive displays of airpower demonstrated at the Indian Springs Armament Range during the week of the Congress were performed by F-100s, the type being the USAF’s primary front-line fighter­bomber. This example, F-100D 55-2795, is seen at Nellis and later went on to serve with the Turkish Air Force.

You looking at me? The second prototype Convair XB-58 Hustler at the World Congress of Flight in 1959.

The USAF’s own four-engined delta-winged nuclear-capable bomber, the Convair B-58 Hustler, was a very different proposition from the RAF’s Vulcan, being capable of Mach 2 as against the Vulcan’s high-subsonic maximum speed, although the Vulcan was far easier to handle. This is the second prototype XB-58, 55-0661.

Based at Flabob, California, renowned film aviation specialist Frank Tallman brought a small collection of antique aircraft for display in the static exhibition area, including 1918-vintage Pfalz D XII N43C, which was later acquired by the Champlin Fighter Museum in Arizona; it is currently on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

A USAF Air Policeman makes the most of what little shade can be found on the Nellis ramp beneath one of the three 617 Sqn Vulcan B.1s sent to represent Britain’s nuclear capability. Vulcan XH498, seen here in the background, suffered a major mishap in New Zealand six months later.

"Anything you can do..." The three visiting Vulcans of No 617 Sqn make a low-level pass with the bomb-bay doors open at Indian Springs. Leading the Vulcan team was Air Vice-Marshal G.A."Gus" Walker, Air Officer Commanding No 1 Group. The same three Vulcans, XH498, XH499 and XH502, undertook the RAF’s first world circumnavigation during October-November 1959, although ’498 and ’499 both suffered mishaps along the way.

The main exhibition hall in the Las Vegas Convention Center contained stands advertising the wares of numerous companies, including those of Northrop.

“The World’s First Manned Space Airplane", says the sign beside the full-size wooden mock-up of the North American X-15, although the type had yet to make a non-captive flight, either as a glider or under its own power.

One of the more unusual general aviation exhibits at McCarran was McKinnon G-21C Goose N150M, converted by Angus “Mac” McKinnon to be powered by four 340 h.p. Lycoming flat-six air-cooled supercharged piston engines in place of the original Grumman amphibian’s pair of 450 h.p. Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior radials.

The air demonstration element of the World Congress was largely a USAF affair, but the US Navy was represented by its formation aerobatic display team, the Blue Angels, which was in its second year of operations with the Grumman F11F Tiger supersonic carrier fighter. Blue Angel No 5 is seen here on the ramp at Nellis.

Representing the new generation of turboprop airliners at McCarran Field, along with a Lockheed Electra and a Fairchild-built Fokker F-27, was Convair 440 N440EL (formerly PP-AQE with VARIG), converted by Canadair in early 1959 to carry a pair of Napier Elands, to become a 540.