Posted: 6/2/16
2016 Planes of Fame Air Show, Chino, CA – April 29th – May 1st.
Words and Photos by Andrew Hilman
Deep in Southern California’s Inland Empire, with a majestic view of the San Gabriel Mountains, situated among the collection of dairy farms exists a place where the distinct roar of history takes to the skies. A magical place where man made marvels of years past live on and continue their magical journeys.
The Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California is an amazing place where you can see, touch and hear these awesome examples of living history. Originally named “The Air Museum” and founded by Edward T. Maloney on January 12th, 1957 in Claremont, California, the museum’s mission was to preserve historically important aircraft. As the Museum’s collection grew, it relocated to nearby Ontario Airport in 1962. In 1970, the Museum’s non flyable aircraft were moved to the “Movie World: Cars of the Stars and Planes of Fame Museum” in Buena Park, located near Knott’s Berry Farm, while the flying aircraft relocated to nearby Chino Airport. Fast forward to 1973, the “Planes of Fame” static aircraft collection finally joined its flying counterparts at Chino Airport.
This was a fitting move since the Chino Airport was formerly home of the “Cal-Aero Academy”, the longtime Army Air Corp flight training facility, which had trained more than 10,000 pilots prior to the end of World War 2. An additional display facility was opened in 1995 in Valle, Arizona to house more than 40 of the Museum’s aircraft, many of which are also flyable.
With regular “Living History Flying Days” at the Chino Airport location, the skies above are usually alive with the roar of awesome examples of history’s most significant aircraft. The highlight of these flying exhibitions is the annual Planes of Fame Airshow which was scheduled for the weekend of April 29th - May1st, 2016. This year’s event was also the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
With the awesome Southern California crystal clear blue skies and warm sunshine coming right on cue, it was the perfect setting for the epic show to come. With the crowds arriving bright and early, the surrounding fields were soon filled with parked cars and a steady stream of eager spectators heading towards the main Air Show grounds. The sights and sounds of the magnificent flying aircraft above simply added to the excitement of the day.
Once within the main area, you are immediately overwhelmed by the sheer spectacle of the event. Setting your eyes on the incredible row of North American P-51 Mustangs on the flight line definitely sets off the event to a magnificent start. Scanning to the left, you are greeted by several examples of the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, resplendent in the famous Flying Tigers liveries. Mixed in between the P-51s and the P-40s was a rarely seen P-39 Aircobra. Overhead, the sky was filled with a mind bending display of aerobatic prowess by a pair of daredevil stunt aircrafts.
The infield area of the Air Show contained a very special section devoted to the land based collection of historical vehicles set within a WW 2 themed encampment. An M4 Sherman tank greeted visitors at the entrance to “camp”, alongside was a full display of the historic rifles of the period, both displays were manned by period correct, battlefield dressed enthusiasts educating the visitors on the historical significance of each display piece. The M4 was accompanied by several tracked and half tracked vehicles of significance, with the star of the non tracked vehicles being the ubiquitous Jeep, shown in full desert theater camouflage. With a complement of “Jerry” cans adorning the hood and filling up the rear seats, it was set for the long hauls across the wide open African Deserts. The mounted medium machine gun on the passenger seat and the Thompson M1928A1 submachine gun simply added to the classic scene. Rounding out the Desert Theater Display was a German Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, which was the quintessential German spotter aircraft of WW2.
Walking back out towards the flight line, you are immediately drawn in to the unique sight of a pair of Japanese A6M Zero fighters on the tarmac alongside an awesome pair of British Supermarine Spitfires. The epic line up continued with a pair of the carrier based Vought F4U Corsairs taxiing their way on to the main runway, passing by a US Navy Grumman F4F Wildcat and its successor the Grumman F6F Hellcat along the way. Further down the line sits a pair of British Hawker Sea Furies which were the last propeller driven fighters to serve with the Royal Navy and also one of the fastest production single piston engine aircrafts ever built.
Next in line was a US Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber which was the main US Navy scout plane and dive bomber from the mid 1940s to 1944. The Dauntless played a key role in the decisive US victory during the pivotal Battle of Midway in which they attacked and sank or fatally damaged all four of the Japanese aircraft carriers present.
Mixed in with the US Navy lineup was a replica German Focke-Wulf FW190, a Japanese Val dive bomber replica and a pair of Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, which were the USAAF’s best fighter bomber in WW2 and a predecessor to the modern day Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt. Not to be missed in the mix was the unmistakable twin engine Lockheed P-38 Lighting, nicknamed the “fork-tailed devil” by the German Luftwaffe during WW2.
The last of the prop driven aircraft in the line was the US Navy Grumman F8F Bearcat, often mentioned as one of the best handling piston engine fighters ever built. Alongside the Bearcat was the impressive twin engine US Navy Grumman F7F Tigercat which saw action as a night fighter and attack aircraft during the Korean War. Towering over the neighboring prop driven aircrafts were the unmistakable figure of the Douglas A-1 Skyraider which saw service from the late 1940s all the way to the early 1980s. Next to the Skyraider sits the iconic American WW2 twin engine medium bomber, the North American B-25 Mitchell. The B-25 was the bomber used in the April 18th, 1942 Doolittle Raid, in which 25 B-25s led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle attacked mainland Japan, four moths after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The unmistakable jet engine sounds of the North American F-86 Sabre Jet and Mig-15 greeted the fans at the end of the flight line as they taxied towards the main runway. These two were joined by a Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, completing the Korean War era trio. The trio would go on to delight the crowd with numerous flybys and mock combat maneuvers above the runway.
Occupying the last slot in the line were a pair of F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Air Combat Command Viper Demonstration Team out of Shaw AFB, S.C. The pair went on to perform an awesome display of aerial exhibition for the crowd, demonstrating the awesome capabilities of the F-16. From the moment the pair reached for the skies in full after burner mode, the F-16s were simply an awesome sight to behold.
Rounding out the awesome festivities of the day was a close formation group flight consisting of the Lockheed P-38 Lighting, North American P-51 Mustang, North American F-86 Sabre Jet and F-16 Fighting Falcon. It was amazing to see the four aircraft formation, representing over 60 years of military aircraft history, performing numerous flybys above the airport. It was a fitting sight indeed to end this year’s Planes of Fame Air Show!
For more information on the Planes of Fame Air Museum please visit the link below:
https://planesoffame.org/index.php
The Planes of Fame Air Museum
7000 Merrill Ave., #17
Chino, CA 91710
(909) 597-3722
Museum hours are Sunday thru Friday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
General Admission is $11
Children under 12 years is $4
Children under 5 years is Free
Seniors ages 65+ and Veterans are $10
AAA Members is $9.90
Active duty military, police and firefighters are Free
