This Saturday at Planes of Fame
We’re Going Flying!
Saturday, September 5, 2020
Presentation begins at 11:45am
Wheels-up at noon
Watch from anywhere in the Museum
Considered to be the greatest single-engine fighter of World War II, the P-51 “Mustang” is among the most beautiful aircraft ever produced. Planes of Fame Air Museum is presenting a
“Live Demonstration”
flight of one of its historic North American P-51 “Mustangs” on
Saturday, September 5, 2020
. Doors to the Museum open at 10:00am and the Live Demo will start at 11:45am. The Mustang will fly over the Museum beginning just after noon. Special discounted “Outdoor Experience” pricing applies. Guests are asked to wear face coverings and maintain physical distance to help stop the spread of Covid-19. See you Saturday!
New Aircraft Added to Museum Collection
Planes of Fame is pleased to announce the latest addition to our ever-growing collection of flyable aircraft.
Through a generous donation, the Museum is now home to a
Gloster Meteor T7
. This aircraft, a two-seat training version of the first allied jet aircraft to enter combat during World War II, served with the Royal Air Force for sixteen years. It is currently the oldest flying jet aircraft in the world.
The Gloster T7 is on display for viewing and photographs. Museum docents can tell you its extensive history and the important role that the Gloster Meteors played in WWII.
Fun & Games
We’ve got a new
Word Search
for this issue. Simply click the button below to activate.
We’ve also provided the answers to last month’s Latitude and Longitude game
“Who Am I?”
Aircraft Manufacturers Word Search Puzzle
Answers to “Who Am I” Latitude and Longitude game
Did you solve the puzzle to discover our mystery person was
Charles A. Lindbergh?
I was born here (
42° 21’ 04.4” N 83° 04’ 22.1” W)
On February 4, 1902, Charles Augustus Lindbergh was born in his grandparents’ home at 1233 Forest Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. He would spend most of his young life living in Little Falls, Minnesota
(his boyhood home is now a museum dedicated to his life)
.
I learned to fly here (
40° 50’ 50.2” N 96° 45’ 19.5” W)
After quitting college in February 1922, Lindbergh enrolled at the Nebraska Aircraft Corporation’s flying school in Lincoln, Nebraska and flew for the first time on
April 9
.
I worked here (
38° 44’ 50” N 090° 21’ 41” W)
In October 1925, Lindbergh was hired by the
Robertson Aircraft Corporation
at the
Lambert-St. Louis Flying Field
in Anglum, MO. He would serve as chief pilot for the new 278-mile
Air Mail
route providing service between
St. Louis
and
Chicago
.
I made an airplane here (
32° 43’ 53.7” N
117° 11’ 49.6” W)
In February, 1927, Lindbergh hired Ryan Airlines of San Diego to build an aircraft designed to compete for the $25,000
Orteig Prize
for the first nonstop flight between New York and Paris. The resulting aircraft was “
The Spirit of St. Louis
,” built in just 60 days.
I took off from here (
40° 44’ 17.8” N
73° 36’ 53.4” W)
In the early morning of Friday, May 20
, 1927, Lindbergh and
the Spirit
took off from
Roosevelt Field
, Long Island, New York. The fully loaded aircraft weighed 5,135 lbs.
And I landed here (
48° 58’ 10” N; 002° 26’ 29” E)
Thirty-three and one-half hours later, Lindbergh landed at
Le Bourget Aerodrome in Paris, France
at 10:22 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. Thus he became the first person to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean. It made Lindbergh an instant global celebrity.
Tragedy struck here (
40° 25’ 26.0” N
74° 46’ 04.0” W)
On the evening of March 1
, 1932, twenty-month-old Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. was abducted from his crib in the Lindbergh’s rural home, “
Highfields
,” in
East Amwell, New Jersey
.
On May 12
, the child’s remains were found in woods not far from the Lindbergh home.
I escaped to here (
48° 51’ 01” N
3° 17’ 26” W)
An intensely private man, Lindbergh became exasperated by the unrelenting public attention in the wake of the kidnapping/murder of his son. In
1935, the family relocated to Europe
. They would move to several homes there, and for a brief time lived on this small four acre island, named
Île Illiec
, off the
Breton
coast of France
.
During the war, I flew here (
3° 08’ S 129°30’ E)
During World War II, Lindbergh served as a civilian technical representative in the Pacific. On July 28,
1944,
he participated in a P-38 escort mission with the
433rd Fighter Squadron of the 475
th
Fighter Group. F
lying over the
Seram
area of Indonesia, Lindbergh shot down a
Mitsubishi Ki-51
“Sonia” observation plane.
I’m buried here (
20° 39’ 4.0896” N
156° 3’ 18.3169” W)
Lindbergh spent his last years on the
Hawaiian
island of
Maui
, where he died of lymphoma on August 26
, 1974, at age 72. He is buried on the grounds of the Palapala Ho’omau Church in Kipahulu
,
Maui
.
Thank You.
It was reminiscent of the climactic scene in
“It’s a Wonderful Life,”
the 1946 Frank Capra classic.
George Bailey, through no fault of his own, finds himself in financial crisis. His family, friends, and supporters rally to help, and through their efforts, George is saved. His younger brother Harry (a Naval aviator), expresses everyone’s feelings when he says,
“a toast to my big brother George, the richest man in town!”
We know how George felt.
The sad fact is that the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted virtually every business. For Planes of Fame, it has put most of our revenue sources on hiatus. And two weeks ago, when we asked for your help, you responded with your kindness and generosity.
Almost immediately, donations began to stream in. They’re coming in still.
And with these much appreciated gifts came words of encouragement.
“Keep up the good work, hope this little bit helps,”
read one.
“We love everything your team does,”
read another. Still others sent us clever ideas that might help us drive additional revenue.
Jimmy Amarillo started a “Go Fund Me” page on our account. In Japan, Toshitaka Enei, who visited us in 2016, solicited his friends to help raise $500. He reached out to some other friends in an aviation-related Japanese business. Their American counterpart donated $10,000. And then there was Jack Croul, who reached deep into his pockets and humbled us with his incredible gesture.
Your benevolence has touched us deeply. It has inspired us to persevere. And it gives us a foothold upon which to build.
To all our friends and supporters, thank you. Because of you, the future indeed looks bright.
The “Outdoor Experience”
We’re taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of guests during the Covid-19 pandemic.
♦
All doors are left open to minimize touch points.
♦
All visitors are asked to wear a mask at all times
.
♦
We’ve got plenty of room for everyone to stay 6-feet apart.
♦
We’re limiting the Restrooms to only two people at one time.
♦
We’ve got hand sanitizers in the Gift Shop, the Restrooms and at the B-17.
♦
Visitors to the B-17 sanitize their hands before going inside and we limit one household at a time.
♦
We wipe-down the B-17 after each visit.
♦
Planes of Fame Air Museum
909-597-3722 —
Open Thursdays thru Sundays — Adults: $8; 5 yrs to 11 yrs: $4; 4 yrs and under: Free
