Planes of Fame Air Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Planes of Fame

Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Established	12 January 1957 (1957-01-12)
Location	Chino, California
Type	Aviation museum
Collection size	150+ planes
Founder	Edward T. Maloney

The Planes of Fame Air Museum is a cool place to visit in Chino, California. It's an aviation museum located at Chino Airport. This museum is famous for having many historic airplanes, some of which can still fly! It's a great spot to learn about the history of flight and see amazing aircraft up close.

History of the Museum

The museum's Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress being fixed up to fly again.

How the Museum Started

The museum was started by Edward T. Maloney on January 12, 1957. It began in Claremont, California. His goal was to save important old airplanes. By 1959, the museum had 14 aircraft. It quickly grew, needing more space. So, in 1960, they looked for a bigger home at Long Beach Municipal Airport. Two years later, they thought about moving to Torrance Airport.

Moving to Ontario

By 1962, the museum had 72 airplanes. Its first home was too small. In February 1962, they started fixing up a hangar at Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California. The city was unsure at first, but they approved the move. The museum promised to take good care of the building. A month later, the planes that could fly started arriving. The museum first opened to the public in July 1963. A grand opening happened on August 3, 1963, with 27 planes on display.

Moving to Buena Park

In 1970, the airport in Ontario was being redeveloped. This meant the museum had to move again.

A few years before, in 1967, another museum called Movieland: Cars of the Stars Museum opened. It had vehicles used in Hollywood movies. In 1969, they started building a new, bigger place in Buena Park, California. This new place was near Knott's Berry Farm. It was planned to be called Movieland: Cars of the Stars and Planes of Fame Museum. It would have two large buildings. The museum's 25 planes that couldn't fly were taken apart. They were then moved by truck to the new building. This new museum opened on June 5, 1970.

Meanwhile, the planes that could fly were moved to Chino Airport. This airport was about 30 miles away. The last plane left the old location on November 12, 1970.

Finding a Permanent Home in Chino

In 1973, the Movie World museum closed. The name "Planes of Fame" and the planes that didn't fly were moved to Chino. They joined the flying planes there. In 1974, the museum reopened as the Planes of Fame Air Museum. It combined the old "Air Museum" name with "Planes of Fame."

The museum first rented a building at the airport. In 1981, they planned to build their own large hangar. Around this time, they also started fixing up their N-9M flying wing.

A hangar for the museum's Japanese aircraft was finished in December 1982. It opened to visitors in April 1984. This was the first part of a three-step plan. The next steps included another hangar and new offices.

In the late 1980s, the museum brought in some unique planes. These included an An-2 from Hungary and a MiG-15 and MiG-17 from Poland. There were some issues with importing these military planes. But after some effort, the museum was allowed to keep them.

Steve Hinton became the museum's president in 1994. He took over from Ed Maloney, the founder. A new group was also formed to help guide the museum.

As more planes were fixed up, the collection grew. In 1995, another display area opened in Valle, Arizona. This location is between Williams, Arizona, and the Grand Canyon. It holds over 40 of the museum's aircraft. Many of these planes can still fly.

The Planes of Fame East museum closed in 1997. Its planes were moved to the Palm Springs Air Museum.

Growing Bigger in Chino

In February 2000, the museum signed an agreement. This allowed it to expand its space at Chino Airport. They planned to build a new hangar as the first part of a four-step expansion.

The Chino museum opened its Enterprise Hangar in 2002. This hangar was designed to look like the deck of a World War II aircraft carrier. It has items from the USS Enterprise (CV-6). These items were given by the ship's crew. The hangar also displays many planes that flew on the Enterprise during the war.

By the end of 2003, they started building a third large hangar.

The Chino museum continued to grow from 2004 to 2008. They added two new hangars, new offices, a gift shop, and a library. They also opened the Hands-On Aviation youth education center. New display areas were added for jets and other planes from the Korean War, Cold War, and Vietnam War. In October 2009, another new hangar was opened. This one was built by the 475th Fighter Group. It stores their special items and houses the museum's rare Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

The Valle facility closed during the COVID Pandemic. It has not reopened.

New Location in Santa Maria

The museum announced plans for a new location. This new spot is at the Santa Maria Public Airport. They received permission to build this large facility in December 2024. Construction on the new location began in February 2025.

Exhibits

475th Fighter Group Display

The museum's P-38 Lightning.

In the late 1990s, members of the 475th Fighter Group created a special place. This place was for their items, photos, and memories. This U.S. Army Air Forces unit was very successful in the South Pacific. They were the first group to use only Lockheed P-38 planes.

This new display was opened in October 1997. It was at the March Field Air Museum near Riverside, California. The March Field Museum tells the story of U.S. military aviation. In 2005, the 475th Fighter Group decided to join the Planes of Fame Air Museum. By 2015, a new hangar was being built at Planes of Fame just for the 475th group.

Collection of Aircraft

The museum's Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero.

The "Pickadilly Lilly II" plane being restored in January 2013.

The museum has the largest collection of Japanese aircraft in the world. This includes the only real Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter that can still fly. It has its original engine. They also have an Aichi D3A plane that was used in the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!.

Many other rare planes are kept in flying condition. These include a North American P-51A Mustang and a Boeing P-26A Peashooter. There is also a Lockheed P-38J Lightning and a Republic P-47G Thunderbolt.

The museum has about 150 aircraft in total. Many of them were built in Southern California. About 30 of these planes can still fly. Others are being fixed up in the museum's special workshop.

As of May 2021, the museum's collection includes many types of aircraft. Some examples are:

The museum used to have the only surviving Northrop N-9M flying wing. Sadly, it was destroyed in a crash on April 22, 2019.

Ground Vehicles

The Military Vehicle Corps is a small group at the Planes of Fame Air Museum. They take care of military vehicles, mostly from World War II. Volunteers maintain and operate these vehicles. You can see these vehicles in parades and special events. They are also used in World War II reenactments. Some vehicles on display at Chino include:

• M4A1 Sherman Tank
• 1941 WC-54 Dodge Ambulance
• GMC CCKW

Events at the Museum

The museum's Vought F4U Corsair, a plane that fought in WWII.

The museum hosts a monthly mini-airshow. Each show has a different theme. Themes can be about "World War I Aviation" or "Korean War Aviation." They also have themes like "Airplanes In The Movies." These events start with talks by people who know a lot about the featured planes. Sometimes, combat pilots share their stories. After the talks, two or three planes related to the theme fly for a demonstration. Since 2021, these monthly events are called "Hangar Talk."

The museum also has an annual airshow. All of its flyable aircraft take part. Many other warbirds from other museums also visit. This event is the biggest gathering of warbirds in the western United States. Many of the planes are rare or one-of-a-kind. In 2022, the museum started a new event. It brought together military vehicles and historical reenactors. This event was called "Wheels, Tracks, and Wings." It was held on June 18. In 2023, it became a two-day event. For 2024, the event was renamed "Wings, Tracks, and Wheels." It took place on May 4-5. Over ten warbird aircraft flew. There were special presentations, reenactors, and military vehicles. The event ended with a demonstration of an M4A1 Sherman Tank.

See also

• List of aerospace museums