Category Archives: Warbirds

General Aviation, Warbirds

“A Salute to Veterans” – Planes of Fame Air Museum Air Show May 2 & 3 2015

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Planes of Fame Air Museum is proud to present Air Show 2015, May 2 & 3: “A Salute to Veterans“. This year’s airshow will feature nearly 50 historic aircraft, performing for your enjoyment as well as a salute to our veterans. We invite you to Airshow 2015 to celebrate the history, contributions, and sacrifices of our veterans.

Performers include U.S.A.F. F-22 Raptor Demo Team and Heritage Flight, Sean D. Tucker-Team Oracle Aerobatics, Canadian Forces CF-18 Hornet Demonstration Team, Sea Fury Aerobatics by Sanders Aeronautics, Clay Lacy’s Learjet Demonstration, Rob Harrison and the Tumbling Bear, Gregory Colyer’s T-33, John Collver’s AT-6 Aerobatics, and over 40 WWII aircraft including B-25, P-47, and P-51s.

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Warbirds

Navy Retires EA-6B Prowler to Palm Springs Air Museum

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

A press release from the Palm Springs Air Museum:

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – As the sound of two Pratt and Whitney jet engines echoed through the San Jacinto Mountain Range, one of the last four Navy EA-6B ‘Prowler’ fixed-wing aircraft still in service, made its triumphant final fly-by over the Palm Springs Air Museum, Nov. 21, 2014.“It was truly an honor to see such a great aircraft make its final voyage,” said Air Force veteran Don Broadhurst, ramp boss, Palm Springs Air Museum.More than 300 people attended the retirement ceremony to witness the final flight of the aircraft that had been in service since 1987. The A-6 style fixed-wing aircraft has been in service with the U.S. military since the 1960s and part of the Navy’s aerial fleet since 1971 providing electronic warfare support and attack capabilities. “It was an honor to fly this piece of history, and I have a good feeling that [the museum] is going to take good care of the aircraft,” said Navy Cmdr. Kirk Christofferson, executive officer of Electronic Attack Squadron 134.

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Warbirds

CAF AirPower Tour Ready To Hit The West Coast!

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

The Commemorative Air Force’s iconic Boeing B-29 Superfortress returns to California and the Northwest U.S. this summer. It will be FIFI’s first visit in almost 20 years to many locations which include over 15 cities in Arizona, California, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Colorado.Highlighting the tour will be FIFI’s return to Boeing Field in Seattle. The B-29 is one of 1,100 produced at the Boeing Renton facility and the only B-29 in the world that still flies.

The year 2014 marks FIFI’s 40th year of flight with the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). The airplane, rescued and restored by the CAF in the early 1970s, is a regular feature at airports and airshows all across the country. In fact, the B-29 Squadron of the CAF was the first group to begin touring historic war birds in 1974. Now, 40 years later, FIFI still barnstorms the country from coast to coast bringing the sights, sounds and smells of World War II aviation history to audiences across the United States.

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Warbirds

Fantasy of Flight Takes a Bold Next Step on Its Journey

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Fantasy of Flight owner, Kermit Weeks, announced today that effective Sunday, April 6, the attraction will be closing its doors as a public attraction and will focus on its private event business and  the design and development of a new future destination attraction. “Although we are located just 20 minutes west of Walt Disney World, we’re currently outside the center of mass tourism and not perceived of as a destination.  We have a great product, but people have a misperception of what we offer,” said Weeks. “After 18 years of being in operation, it’s time we close the attraction and move forward toward creating the vision for what I know Fantasy of Flight can become,” Weeks told employees today.

Fantasy of Flight will close the daily attraction and focus on its successful events business. It will also turn the facility into what it was originally designed for, which is a restoration and maintenance facility that will be needed to build future attraction elements.  For those who wish to enjoy the historical aspects of aircraft, plans are to open an aspect of the collection in a reduced capacity and admission price later this year.

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General Aviation, Warbirds

Very Limited Tickets Remain For Bob Hoover Tribute

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

I remember the first time I met Bob.  It was at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Show.  He was just sitting under the wing of this Shrike with that big ol’ hat of his.  I was just a youngster, but he spent the entire afternoon talking to me.  Then he got up, told me he had to “do some work,” shoo’d me back behind the rope and went and did some of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen done in that Evergreen Shrike.

From the EAA page:

Only a very limited number of individual tickets remain for the February 21 Tribute to Bob Hoover to be held at Paramount Studios Theater in Hollywood, as aviation’s top personalities gather to honor the man called by many as “The Pilot’s Pilot” and one of the greatest aviators in history.

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