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May 19 & 20 The Planes of Fame Air Museum will be putting on their 51st annual air show. The Air Museum always puts together something special and this year’s feature “Lightning Strikes!” will be a very special and rare sight indeed. The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was one of the most famous and now rare fighter planes of World War II and thanks to the museum you will get to see three P-38 Lightning's flying in formation together. A special Thank you to Steve Hinton, Mark Foster, Frank Mormillo and John Maloney for allowing us to get a sneak peek at “23 Skidoo” the museums own P-38.

There will be a “Grumman Ironworks Flight” with a F3F Flying Barrel, FM2 Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat, F8F Bearcat and a TBM Avenger followed by a classic wing walking performance from Silver Wings featuring pilot Hartley Folstad and wing walker Margi Stivers with their Stearman biplane.

Aircraft of WW11, The Planes of Fame will bring out a big group of warbirds for their “Pacific Air Battle". Aircraft in this group will be a Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Grumman Wildcat & Hellcat, Douglas Dauntless, Chance Vought F4U Corsair, Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the North American P-51 Mustang. Personally I don’t think the Zero has a chance here, hopefully one more will join in. Following the air war in the Pacific there will be a dynamic aerobatic routine from Rob Harrison the “Tumbling Bear“flying his Zlin 50.

During a short break for lunch there will be a ground combat demonstration from military re-enactors and a Sherman tank. After the break we will move into the “Korean Air War” with aircraft such as the Stinson L-5 Sentinel, North American T-6 Texan & F-51 Mustang’s, Chance Vought F4U Corsair, Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star and also a great tail chase between a North American F-86 Sabre and a Mig 15.

The US Navy Tactical Demonstration Team will be showcasing their F-18 Super Hornet followed by a USN Legacy flight with the F-18 and a F8F Bearcat. After that we’ll all be in for a real treat, Brian Sanders will put on his Sea Fury aerobatic routine. With smoke generators on the wingtips Brian really puts the Sea Fury through an amazing performance. It’s more like watching a military style tactical demonstration with a Sea Fury than aerobatics.

Next, something only seen at Chino's air show, the mass air power formation flight, this group usually has over thirty aircraft flying at one time. The USAF F-15 Strike Eagle Tactical Demonstration team will take to the sky next. The F-15 Strike Eagle is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions at low altitude, day or night, and in all weather. You might want to grab some earplugs for this demonstration because you're guaranteed to see and hear plenty of afterburning action. After the demonstration the F-15 will be joined by a P-51 Mustang and a P-38 Lightning for the USAF Heritage Flight.

Moving up in the air war campaigns to the air war over Vietnam with aircraft like the OV-1 Mohawk, AD Skyraiders, O-1 Bird Dogs, T-28's and Huey helicopters. This Demonstration will take us up to the end of another amazing air show from the Planes of Fame Air Museum.

Many more aircraft, military vehicles and aviation related items will also be on hand as static displays for up-close inspection by the public. For the truly adventurous, there will even be opportunities to experience the thrill of orientation flights in genuine warbirds. Food, beverage and memorabilia vendors will also be available to help make the experience even more enjoyable.

Gates Open at 8AM on both days.
Flying begins at 11:15am and lasts till about 4pm.
ADMISSION: Adults - $20 Ages 5-11 - $5 Ages under 5 are FREE!
For advanced tickets or more information on the show please visit:
www.planesoffame.org/airshows/2007/tickets.php

The very first permanent air museum in the American West and a pioneer in the concept of restoring display aircraft to flying condition and the Planes of Fame Air Museum is celebrating its 51st anniversary this year. Staffed primarily by a core of dedicated volunteers its operations are funded primarily by donations and admission fees. The Museum also has a special membership program available to the public, with one of the benefits of membership being the opportunity to experience the thrill of orientation flights in genuine warbirds.

For more information about The Air Museum 'Planes of Fame' and its other events, please call (909) 597-3722; or visit the 'Planes of Fame' website at www.planesoffame.org.

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