Airplane Museum Palm Springs - We and our partners use cookies to store and/or access information on your device. We and our partners use the data for personalized advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of processed data may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie file. Some partners may process your data as part of their legitimate business interests without asking for your consent. Please use the supplier list link below to view the purposes for which we believe they have a legitimate interest or to object to the processing of this data. The proposed consent is used only for the processing of data obtained from this website. If you wish to change your settings or opt-out at any time, this link is provided in our privacy policy available on our home page.
A Korean-Vietnam-era hangar housing Korea/Vietnam-era jets and a "modern" EA-6B Prowler. (Photo via Palm Springs Air Museum)
Airplane Museum Palm Springs
Live music, food, beer and historic aviation - what more could you ask for? The long Memorial Day weekend at the Palm Springs Air Museum turned into a whirlwind of activity from the holiday to the three-day commemoration event. The Air Museum is flying high at the end of one of the most successful event seasons in its 20-year history. Beginning last October and ending this past Memorial Day, visitors to the museum and its collection of World War II aircraft have been treated to more events for the 2016-2017 program.
Palm Springs Air Museum Hangar
On Saturday, May 27, the Maj. Gen. Kenneth Miles Hangar, a new building dedicated primarily to the aviation history of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, opened. The massive structure will increase the museum's total indoor space to 86,000 square feet!
Said Fred Bell, vice chairman of the Palm Springs Air Museum. The museum houses nearly 60 vintage and stationary aircraft, the Berger Foundation Youth Research Center, the Berger Foundation Classroom Annex, the General Ken Miles Science Center, an upstairs library, and an educational center with more than 9,200 volumes (mostly original materials). public room, theater and wall displays. The museum is filled with impressive artifacts and hands-on experiences. It is also very popular, with over 100,000 visitors a year coming to see its four hangars steeped in aviation history.
Robert Pond founded the Palm Springs Air Museum in 1995 as a World War II air museum. Since then, the collection has grown to include aircraft spanning the years from World War II to the Vietnam War.
"When people give money to your museum, you want them to be proud to bring their friends here and show them what they helped build," he said.
Coachella's Second Hottest Ticket? The Palm Springs Air Museum
He continued. New Major General Kenneth P. In addition to the aircraft and exhibits housed in Miles Hangar, a state-of-the-art stadium-sized television screen plays documentaries exploring the history of aviation on one side. adjacent artifacts. . The new hangar has a wall dedicated to Vietnamese prisoners of war, and another has a timeline covering important events of the Cold War. When Fred Bell talks about the new space, you can see a mixture of pride and relief in his eyes, now that the museum's impressive, two million dollar addition is finally a reality.
A B-25 Aero Trader piloted by Carl Scholl drops 3,000 carnations from his bomb bay. (Photo by Lisa Plummer)
At a Navy hangar, volunteers were busy loading 3,000 carnations into the bomb bay of one of the two B-25 Mitchell bombers that were at the museum over Memorial Day weekend. Flower drops are the museum's signature act, marking the end of the season of events.
You can clearly see that Fred Bell's past relationship with the Walt Disney Company has influenced the entertainment industry as the days go by. There was something for almost everyone, live music played 80s ballads, and a beer garden served craft beer and food was sold in the museum cafeteria. There were even flight simulators for adults and youngsters to enjoy. Everyone's needs were met.
Palm Springs Air Museum Gift Shop Editorial Photo
At 1:00 p.m., the Remembrance Day event began with the presentation of colors by an honor guard. Fred Bell, who directs many of the museum's activities, began to address the crowd standing in the 108°F desert heat. After the opening remarks, Congressman Raul Ruiz gave an inspiring speech about the reasons for Memorial Day. He then presented the Congressional Gold Medal to Aden Jones, the latter of the 2nd Sublaboratory. Jones was one of 80 servicemen who participated in the "Doolittle Raid" in April 1942, the first US air strike against mainland Japan since the attack on Pearl Harbor four months earlier. Bomber Jones parachuted from his B-25 bomber into Japanese-occupied China and was rescued by Chinese guerrillas. Jones returned to American forces in the area and remained in China for another year, during which time he flew numerous combat missions against the then enemy. After World War II, he worked as an aeronautical electrician for Lockheed in Ontario, California for over 30 years. Jones died in 1983. In 2015, the United States Congress decided to jointly award the Doolittle Raiders the Gold Medal. Although most of the raiders have passed on by now, medals are still given to their families as a mark of respect. Congressman Ruiz noted,
Dee Dee Rodler, president of the Inland Empire Chapter of Gold Star Wives, accepted the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of Janet Davidson, Aden Jones' sister. Davidson, wife of the Gold Star, will donate the medal to the museum, where it will remain on display. After this presentation, Fred Bell again took the podium and asked the crowd to clear the way as Duke moved the B-25, a bomb bay loaded with 3,000 carnations, from the hangar to the ramp. Along with the B-25s, the SoCal Wing Memorial Air Force One under Carl Scholl was home to the unique PBJ Mitchell and three World War II fighter jets: a P-51D and P-63 from the Palm Springs Air Museum and the CAF SoCal Wing's F6F Hellcat. As such, the aircraft represented each of the three major American air units of World War II: the US Army Air Corps, the Marine Corps, and the Navy.
The silver B-25 was filled with carnations from the south as the flight performed a "missing man lineup" in front of the crowd. As the twin-engine bomber flew at a safe altitude near the museum, Carl Scholl opened the bomb bay doors and a wreath descended the museum's ramp. Within seconds, security guards opened the ramp gates and thousands of museum visitors rushed to collect their carnations. Then, four World War II planes flew by again in a wonderful moment for all to enjoy.
The missing man is a CAF PBJ in the front, a PSAM P-51 on the right wing, a PSAM P63 KingCobra on the left, and a CAF F6F Hellcat on the outer right wing. (Photo by Lisa Plummer)
Rod's Aviation Photos: California Tour 2019: Palm Springs Air Museum
This memorial day was a great end to a season of events for everyone who works at the museum. The Palm Springs Air Museum is open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They offer 30 events during their active season from October to May. Go to for more information
Many thanks to Scott Plummer for bringing us this article along with his great photography! Click HERE to view Scott's video and photography work.
John Slemp's Bomber Boys - The Art of Flight Jackets is the most comprehensive visual record of A-2 jackets ever produced. Slemp, award-winning photographer, leather and [...]
As regular readers will recall, at the time of writing, AirCorps Aviation was in the final stages of completing a stunning restoration of a rare, sharp Republic Thunderbolt P-47D for the Dakota Territory Air Museum. [...]
Visiting The Palm Springs Air Museum
Palm springs airport museum, palm springs museum, architecture museum palm springs, palm springs art museum, palm springs aircraft museum, colorado springs airplane museum, dinosaur museum palm springs, palm springs museum hours, palm springs plane museum, palm springs air museum, palm springs aviation museum, palm springs desert museum
0 Comments