Planes of Fame Air Museum

Planes of Fame Air Museum Where Warbirds Fly and Aviation History Lives! World-famous aviation museum based in Chino, Californ Come see us!
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While the journey from 10 original aircraft to over 150 has been a long one, our mission has never changed. It is the Mission of Planes of Fame Air Museum to preserve aviation history, inspire interest in aviation, educate the public, and honor aviation pioneers and veterans. And although the Museum spans the history of manned flight from the Wright Flyer replica to the Space Age of Apollo, many m

ore chapters remain to be written and many more stories told before the vision of a young Ed Maloney is finally fulfilled.

The countdown is on! Just TWO more weeks until our next Hangar Talk Flying event featuring the DeHavilland Mosquito! Don...
01/18/2025

The countdown is on! Just TWO more weeks until our next Hangar Talk Flying event featuring the DeHavilland Mosquito! Don't miss your chance to see this unique aircraft take to the skies above Chino Airport, California! Doors open at 9am for the event with special presentations starting at 10:30am leading up to the Mosquito's flight at around 12:15pm. Don't miss it on February 1st!

❓DID YOU KNOW ❓Our Heinkel He 162A-1 'Volksjager', werke number 120077, was built in February/March of 1945 at the Heink...
01/17/2025

❓DID YOU KNOW ❓Our Heinkel He 162A-1 'Volksjager', werke number 120077, was built in February/March of 1945 at the Heinkel Aircraft Factory at Rostock/Marienehe, Germany. The aircraft was assigned in April 1945 to II/JG-1 "Oesau" at Leck Airfield in Holstein, Germany, and was assigned the code number "Red 1." In May 1945, "Red 1" was captured at Leck Airfield and subsequently shipped to Freeman Field in Indiana, in the United States. In 1946, "Red 1" was transferred to Muroc Army Air Field (later Edwards Air Force Base) and while it was there it was flown by USAF test pilot Bob Hoover! In 1947, "Red 1" went to the University of Kansas where it stayed for a year before being acquired by Eddie Fischer of Kansas City, Kansas in 1948. In the 1950's, "Red 1" was obtained by Ed Maloney for the Planes of Fame Air Museum.

When was the last time you climbed through our B-17 Flying Fortress out front? Our wonderful volunteers continue to do w...
01/16/2025

When was the last time you climbed through our B-17 Flying Fortress out front? Our wonderful volunteers continue to do work on the famed bomber improving and adding features. It's been coming along very nice!

Eric Smith shared several images from around the museum he shot with a Leica Typ 246 black and white camera. While a 201...
01/15/2025

Eric Smith shared several images from around the museum he shot with a Leica Typ 246 black and white camera. While a 2012 digital camera, it certainly captures the essence of black and white film cameras. We loved the detail in this shot of our new Stearman! That Continental R-670 engine sure looks nice. What artsy-type photos have you taken at the museum? 📷 Post them in the comments!
We're open 10am-4pm through Sunday this week.

We're almost ready to open sign-ups for military vehicles to attend our Wings, Tracks, and Wheels event on May 3-4, 2025...
01/15/2025

We're almost ready to open sign-ups for military vehicles to attend our Wings, Tracks, and Wheels event on May 3-4, 2025 here at Chino Airport! One of the perks of bringing out your military vehicles is getting to take unique photos such as this! There are always great photo-ops with our aircraft after the event each day. So keep an eye on our social media for when those sign-up forms go online!

While it's Monday and the start of a new week, that also means we're one day closer to our next Hangar Talk Flying event...
01/13/2025

While it's Monday and the start of a new week, that also means we're one day closer to our next Hangar Talk Flying event on February 1, 2025, where we will fly the DhHavilland Mosquito! LIKE this post if you're planning to attend!

We are just THREE weeks away from our next Hangar Talk Flying Event featuring the DH.98 FB MkVI Mosquito! We can't wait ...
01/11/2025

We are just THREE weeks away from our next Hangar Talk Flying Event featuring the DH.98 FB MkVI Mosquito! We can't wait to see this wooden wonder take to the skies again above Chino Airport! Join us on February 1st, 2025 as we present the Mighty Mossie! Event is included with normal museum admission.

If you've been around the museum on the weekends, you've probably seen the motor pool working very hard on our Sherman t...
01/11/2025

If you've been around the museum on the weekends, you've probably seen the motor pool working very hard on our Sherman tank. They're getting it ready well in advance of our upcoming May 3-4, 2025 Wings, Tracks, and Wheels event! Who's planning to attend?

⁉️Can you name all three aircraft without looking them up? Also, what role did each aircraft play? We're open Wed-Sunday...
01/10/2025

⁉️Can you name all three aircraft without looking them up? Also, what role did each aircraft play?
We're open Wed-Sunday 10am-4pm this week.

For those who didn't make it out to our Hangar Talk last Saturday, if you want a sneak peek at the Mosquito it's current...
01/08/2025

For those who didn't make it out to our Hangar Talk last Saturday, if you want a sneak peek at the Mosquito it's currently at the museum! And yes, it will FLY during our next Hangar Talk Flying Event on February 1st, 2025! Don't miss your chance to see this rare 'wooden wonder' take to the skies over Chino Airport with this special appearance. Thanks to Charles Somers for lending it for us to use!

📷 Warbird Photos Aviation Photography by Britt Dietz

COMING SOON! ⭐ We are beyond excited to announce that the DeHavilland Mosquito will be the featured aircraft at our Febr...
01/06/2025

COMING SOON! ⭐ We are beyond excited to announce that the DeHavilland Mosquito will be the featured aircraft at our February 1st, 2025 Hangar Talk Flying Event! That's right, thanks to owner Charles Somers we're able to feature the mighty Mossie with an incredible day of presentations and a flight demo! That's all happening here at the Planes of Fame Air Museum (Chino Airport, California) on February 1st. Stay tuned to our social media account for more information and mark those calendars!

01/04/2025

Live for the start-up of the SBD Dauntless here at the Planes of Fame Air Museum!

It's a great day here at the museum for the first Hangar Talk flying event of 2025! The SBD Dauntless will be going up s...
01/04/2025

It's a great day here at the museum for the first Hangar Talk flying event of 2025! The SBD Dauntless will be going up soon!

TOMORROW! Join us for our first event of 2025 with our January Hangar Talk Flying Event featuring the World War 2-era SB...
01/03/2025

TOMORROW! Join us for our first event of 2025 with our January Hangar Talk Flying Event featuring the World War 2-era SBD Dauntless dive bomber! Doors open at 9am with the presentations starting at 10:30am and the flight demo of the Dauntless over the museum at 12:15pm here at Chino Airport, CA! We will have food trucks and other things to do/see during the event. We'll see you tomorrow!

Kick Off the New Year at Planes of Fame - We’ve got another great line-up of presentations and a fantastic “Flying Demo”...
01/03/2025

Kick Off the New Year at Planes of Fame - We’ve got another great line-up of presentations and a fantastic “Flying Demo” scheduled for this Saturday – January 4, 2025 at Planes of Fame.

Doors to the Museum will open at 9:00am. Regular admission prices are in effect and Museum Members always get in free!
Plus, as an added treat to all our younger visitors, we’re hosting a series of “FREE” Junior Modeler Workshops! We have three fun-filled sessions scheduled and all kids 7 thru 17 are able to attend on a first-come, first-served basis.

For the “Flying Demo” we’re featuring our World War II combat-veteran dive-bomber, the Douglas SBD “Dauntless.” This aircraft is always a fan-favorite and there’s nothing like the sound of a radial aircraft engine flying overhead to get the New Year off to a roaring start!

Hangar Talk Begins at 10:30am - We’ve got some fascinating subject matter for our first “Hangar Talk” of the year.

From Birds to Flying Machines: History Takes Flight
Stephanie Tsai of our Youth Programs group has a wonderful presentation that looks at our how birds have always been the basis of human flight. Stephanie will take us on a journey that explores how birds and other creatures fly and how this in turn led to our early attempts through the construction of man-made gliders. This is a fun and educational look at the role that gliders have played in aviation history.

TECH TALK – Those Amazing Whirlybirds”
The Museum’s Ken Saltgaver will provide another in his series of “Tech Notes” – this time looking at the amazing rotary wing aircraft – the helicopter. Ken will pick up where Stephanie left off by showing that nature’s helicopter, the Hummingbird, was the inspiration of a number of early aviation pioneers to create an aircraft capable of up and down, side to side, and forward and backward flight. Ken will show us how this is achieved by the helicopter’s rotars and engines.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower Returns for “The Final Push”
We’re kicking off a theme that we’ll return to throughout the coming months – a look back eighty years to 1945. The Museum’s David Michaels returns to the podium in the persona of Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower to walk us through some of the final months of the war in Europe. Joining David will be the president of the Historical Unit of Southern California (HUSC) Daniel Bermudez who will give us a ground level look at some of the fighting in the early months of 1945. This presentation will provide a foundation for upcoming presentations, including our May “Wings, Tracks, and Wheels” event focused on Victory in Europe.

Ted TALK – Music Inspires: Music That Moved the Greatest Generation
The Museum’s Ted Mount has something special in store for us as he takes us on a musical tour of the songs that helped to shape World War II. From Big Band classics to swinging songs, Ted will show us the relationships between music and our troops in a way that inspired most. We’ll hear a selection of popular songs from the era and see how they kept soldiers and airmen rooted.

FREE JUNIOR MODELERS’ WORKSHOPS
The Museum’s Model Room team is presenting three workshops for our Junior Modelers (anyone age seven to seventeen is invited to attend). The Junior Modeler program introduces young people to the fascinating world of scale model building. Today, we’re presenting three workshops (9:30am, 12:30am, and 1:30am) open to all kids free of charge. The focus is on the role that aircraft recognition played during World War II. The workshops will teach a system of identification known was W.E.F.T.U.P. (Wings, Engines, Fuselage, Tail, Undercarriage, Peculiarities) and then put it to work as each child gets to build and take home their own recognition model. Seating is limited and guests are encouraged to visit the Model Room upon entry to the Museum to sign up.

Flying Demo of the Douglas SBD “Dauntless”
At 12:15pm, we present the “Flying Demo” of the Douglas SBD (Scout, Bomber, Douglas Aircraft) “Dauntless,” the Museum’s World War II combat veteran. We’ll talk briefly about the development and use of the SBD in World War II and present the unique history of the Museum’s aircraft.

Following a brief presentation, our pilot John Kerpa will fire up the 1,200 horsepower Wright Cyclone radial engine directly in front of the crowd. After John taxis the aircraft away, we’ll hold our Member’s Only Raffle Drawing for some great prizes, including a flight in one of the Museum’s training aircraft. Then John will delight us with an aerial demonstration of the “Dauntless” through a flight over the Museum for twenty minutes. Upon return, guests may meet and ask questions of John and learn first-hand what it’s like to fly this historical wonder.

In addition to all of the above, we’ll have food trucks on hand, our Museum Guides will tell you the stories of the Museum and its world-renowned collection, they’ll be fun for the kids, and our B-17 will be open for visitors to tour the inside. A great way to kick off the New Year with a day at Planes of Fame!

Address

14998 Cal Aero Drive
Chino, CA
91710

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+19095973722

Website

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Videos

SBD Dauntless start and taxi
SBD Dauntless start and taxi

Live for the start-up of the SBD Dauntless here at the Planes of Fame Air Museum!

December 7th Hangar Talk
December 7th Hangar Talk

Live for the start up of the here at the Planes of Fame Air Museum!

Live for the start up of the P-38 Lightning!

We couldn't go live today because of the heat, but we did record the start up of the OV-10 Bronco for our August Hangar Talk flying event here at Chino Airport!

With the heat today we couldn't bring you the start up of the P-51D Mustang live here in Facebook, but we still recorded it to upload later! Check it out as the Merlin engine roars to life with Chris Fahey at the controls.

Live from Wings, Tracks, and Wheels!

Don't miss out! Join us for Wings, Tracks, and Wheels May 4-5, 2024 at Chino Airport, California! #aviation #history #worldwar2 #tank #chino #museum #warbirds #socal #1940s #reenactors

Live for the start up of several aircraft

Live for the arrival of the CAF Airbase Arizona B-25, B-17, and C-45 here at the Planes of Fame Air Museum

Live for the start up of the Peashooter!pl

Live for the start up and taxi of the MiG-15 here at the Planes of Fame Air Museum

Live for the start up of the P-40 Warhawk at the Planes of Fame Air Museum !

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Our Story

Visit Planes of Fame Air Museum at Historic Cal Aero Field in Chino, California. The Planes of Fame Air Museum was founded in 1957 by Edward Maloney. It is the oldest independently operated aviation museum in the United States.

The museum collection spans the history of manned flight from the Wright Flyer of 1903 to the space age Apollo Capsule. We house over 150 Aircraft and displays. Many of the Aircraft are flyable, including the P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-40 Warhawk, B-25 Mitchell, P-38 Lightning, F-86 Sabre & Russian Mig 15.

Our Mission is to preserve aviation history, inspire interest in aviation, educate the public, and honor aviation pioneers and veterans.

We are a non profit 501 (c)(3) organization that has grown since 1957 through donations and dedicated volunteers. For more info please visit: www.planesoffame.org