Palm Springs Air Museum, Palm Springs CA — AVIATION HISTORY MUSEUMS

During World War-II, the Navy trained over 16,000 pilots for carrier landings on Lake Michigan. Two aircraft carriers, The USS Sable (IX-81) and the USS Wolverine (IX-64), were built solely for this carrier landing practice. The two ships had no facilities, such as a hangar deck, simply a straight, flat, deck. In fact, the two were converted from Lake Michigan pleasure cruisers. The Sable was converted from the steamer, Greater Buffalo.

Steamer Greater Buffalo. U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo, Photographer unknown. Public Domain.

USS Sable, after conversion. U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo. Photographer unknown. Public Domain

On Mar 12, 1944, Ensign Roy Sorensen took off from Glenview Naval Air Station, near Chicago, for qualification landings on the Sable. Flying a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, he made his first ever carrier landing. Sorensen took off for another approach, but immediately experienced an engine failure. He successfully ditched the plane and was rescued unharmed. Roy Sorensen went on to a 24-year Naval career, and the Dauntless, BuNo 36176, remained at the bottom of Lake Michigan for 50 years. Around 1995 it was retrieved from the Lake, and by 2002 it had been totally restored. That plane is now on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Roy Sorenson’s A-2 flight jacket is part of this historic display.

Photo courtesy of the Palm Springs Air Museum

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Incorporated in 1994, the first two hangars of the Palm Springs Air Museum were opened to the public in 1996. The original collection was made up largely from the collection of local enthusiast Bob Pond and his passion for flying greatly influenced the development of the museum. Today there are four hangars with approximately 60 aircraft on display, inside the four hangars and outside around the extensive grounds. In the near future, a fifth hangar, the Jim Houston Pavilion, will be unveiled. This new hangar will display the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk “Black Devil”. The museum also houses a library, science center, theater, a youth education center, and a variety of other facilities. It is a large museum. Some of the aircraft are maintained in flying condition and they have a number of aircraft available for warbird rides.

The museum’s four hangars and the surrounding grounds display military aircraft from WW-II through the Korean and Vietnam wars. Let’s begin with some of the WW-II aircraft.

The North American B-25 Mitchell has survived in large numbers, many of them still in flying condition. This B-25, serial number 44-86747, is a J model that was delivered to the USAAF in June, 1945. Although records are conflicting, there is evidence that it was converted, possibly in 1956, to a training aircraft, and called either a B-25N or TB-25N. The conversion to a trainer most likely involved a complete re-build of all systems as well as new, and upgraded, R-2600 engines. It was sent to Davis Monthan in 1959 and dropped from the Air Force inventory. Like many of these planes, 86747 was soon purchased (for $2205.00) for civilian use. It was immediately converted into a firebomber by a company in Alaska. The Mitchell served in this role in Alaska until 1979 when it was sold to the Chino Air Museum and returned to its original bomber condition. At this time, it was named “Mitch the Witch II”, to honor the original “Mitch the Witch” that flew 190 combat missions in the Pacific before being shot down in 1944. Acquired by the museum in 1991, the B-25 is not in flying condition but, like most of the WW-II aircraft in the collection, its engines are maintained and are run on a regular basis.

The Douglas A-26 Invader is visually similar to the B-25, and they are often confused with each other. Built as an attack/bomber aircraft, the Invader was re-designated as a B-26 in 1948. This adds to the confusion, as there already was a B-26, the Martin Marauder, which is also similar looking. Powered by R-2800 engines, the Invader had a long service life, beginning in WW-II and participating in the Korean War and into the early stages of the Vietnam War (with the designation changed back to A-26). The type was also used by the CIA for covert operations, including during the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion.

This Grumman Wildcat is an FM-2, meaning it was built at the General Motors Eastern Aircraft plant in New Jersey. Early Wildcats, built by Grumman, were designated the F-4F. Once the F-6F Hellcat was in full production at the Grumman factory, Grumman passed manufacturing on to General Motors. The FM-1 was the same as the F-4F, but an upgraded version of the P&W 1830 radial was later incorporated, with a larger rudder to control the power. The designation was then changed to FM-2. First flown in 1937, the Wildcat was a mainstay during the early Pacific campaign and served throughout WW-II. The FM-1 and FM-2 were mainly on smaller escort carriers later in the War.

The Wildcat in the museum, BuNo 55627, was built in April 1944 and served in San Diego in a training role. After the war, this FM-2 was purchased by Warner Brothers Studio and was used during the filming of the movie Task Force with Gary Cooper, Jane Wyatt, and Walter Brennan.

Derived from the P-36 Hawk, The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk first flew in 1938. It was used by most Allied Powers during WW-II and saw service throughout the war. British Commonwealth and Soviet Forces gave the P-40 the name Tomahawk, while they named later models the Kittyhawk. Due to the lack of a two-stage supercharger on its Allison V-12 engine, the P-40 was not very capable as a high-altitude escort aircraft. Because of this, it did not see much action in Europe, but was a very effective ground attack aircraft in most other theaters of the war, particularly in the Pacific. All 13,738 P-40s built were constructed at the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.

The P-40 in the museum, painted in the famous Flying Tigers paint job, is serial number AAF 44-7084. This plane is one of a batch that were converted to trainers, the TP-40N, with two seats and dual controls. In 1946 this plane was ferried to Freeman AAF in Indiana, where captured enemy aircraft had been sent for evaluation against representative US aircraft (read more about Freeman AAF in next month’s issue). This is one of only two TP-40Ns known to survive.

This B-17, serial AF44-85778, is a G model that was built in 1945. It was assigned to the Caribbean Air Command (which was, at various times, known as the 6th Air Force), where it served until 1954. Although assigned as an air rescue aircraft, this B-17 most likely served as the personal transport for a number of generals in the Caribbean, and Central and South America. In 1954 it was assigned to Bolling AFB in Washington DC and sent to Davis Monthan in 1956. It was released for public sale in 1959 and sold for $2884.88 to a Phoenix, AZ company. Much like the B-25 we saw earlier, it was soon turned into a fire bomber and it served as a fire bomber as well as an aerial sprayer with a number of companies for over 20 years. Beginning in 1983, the plane changed hands several times for various failed movie and PR projects. It was named America’s Queen and later Miss Museum of Flying. In 2000, she was moved to Palm Springs and is now named Miss Angela.

This Bell P-63A Kingcobra, Pretty Polly, is one of the aircraft that is kept flying by the museum. Currently undergoing a complete annual inspection, Pretty Polly is slated to make the trip to the Reno Air Races in mid-September. This Kingcobra, serial number AAF 42-68864, was the fourth Kingcobra built out of a total of over 3,000. The AAF never operated the P-63, with the majority of the type being sent to Russia for the Soviet Air Force.

The P-63 is one of nine planes in the museum that are maintained in flying condition. Most of them are available to the public for rides and the flight line was quite active during our visit.

There are two P-51s that give rides and they made several flights while we were at the museum, The T-28 and the C-47 were being readied for flights later in the day. There was a bit of a downside to all this activity as it was not easy to get a good look at some of the displays while planes were being moved around and in and out of hangars, and most of the staff was involved in these activities. Not having anyone to answer questions was a small price to pay for being able to enjoy seeing a “working” and busy hangar. See the museum website for details about the warbird rides- https://palmspringsairmuseum.org/warbirdrides/

My brother Mike and I flew to Palm Springs in his Vans RV-8. As we were leaving, one of the P-51s, Man O’ War, taxied out behind us for a warbird ride.

There are so many planes to see at the Palm Springs Air Museum that it would be easy to neglect all the other exhibits. But make sure you don’t- there is a lot of interesting history on display. Representative of what you will see is this life-sized diorama depicting the Japanese surrender at the end of WW-II.

There are a number of large, beautifully detailed, ship models in the museum. Built by Ed (Skeeter) Wachtendonk and his wife Donna, the displays also have a large amount of information about the ships and their histories. This submarine, the USS Rasher (SS-269), was one of the most successful submarines in the Pacific during WW-II. Nicknamed the “Red Scorpion”, the Rasher sank 18 enemy ships during her five combat patrols.

You can see the extent of information, including interactive features, provided with these great models. This is the USS Lexington, CV-2. Originally authorized in 1916 as a battlecruiser, Lady Lex was converted, while under construction, to one of the Navy’s first aircraft carriers. She was launched in 1925 and commissioned in 1927. On December 7, 1941, the Lex was at sea, as were the other carriers of the Pacific Fleet, and no aircraft carriers were lost during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Lexington was involved in a number of actions in early 1942 until being heavily damaged during the Battle of the Coral Sea. To avoid capture, she was scuttled on May 8, 1942.

A number of the interesting exhibits are visible in this shot including: jet and radial engine displays, an F-16 simulator, and the front end of a GAF Nomad cargo plane that you can go in.

The front end of this Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcar is also open to visitors, a feature I always enjoy at a museum.

Let’s take a look at some of the aircraft displayed outside, starting with the front of the Museum.

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk first flew in 1954 and almost 3,000 were produced through 1979. The compact, light, and relatively simple aircraft proved very capable in combat and saw extensive service during the early years of the Vietnam War. The A-4 remained in Navy service until 2003, and the Israeli Air Force operated the Skyhawk until 2015. Of the almost 3,000 Skyhawks built, over 500 were two-seater TA-4s, like this one. In 2003, the last two operational TA-4s were retired from VC-8 and were flown to museums. This one, BuNo 154649, came to Palm Springs. Here is a short video of this A-4 arriving at the museum- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUOQLrM3a5o

Soviet aircraft are well represented in the museum by this MiG-17, as well as a MiG-15 and a MiG-21. Introduced in 1952, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 looked very similar to the MiG-15. Neither plane was supersonic, but the MiG-17 could approach the speed of sound. Later models of the MiG-17 were the first Soviet produced jets with an afterburner.

The McDonnell Douglas (later Northrup, then Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet first flew in 1978 and is still the mainstay of the Navy and Marines. Its versatility and operational reliability have given it a longevity that is second to none for carrier aircraft, and it is well on its way to joining that short list of military aircraft that have been operational for over 50 years. I counted seven aircraft in the museum that were operational on carriers of the 6th Fleet when I was on active duty in the 1970s (and there were several more not represented here). Today, if you are on an aircraft carrier, there is basically one type on board, the F/A-18 (although the version today is the Super Hornet). The F/A-18 can perform the role of most of those previous aircraft.

There are quite a few planes on the flight line behind the museum and I started at the end with this Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon.

This family of aircraft began in 1935 with the Lockheed Electra-10, which Amelia Earhart flew, and which was also in the final scene of Casablanca. Next came the Lockheed 14, or Super Electra (which was the basis of the RAF Hudson bomber), then the Model 18, the Lodestar. The PV-1 Ventura (Lockheed model 37) was developed from the Lodestar. The AAF used the designations B-34 and B-37 for their bomber and trainer versions. The final direct descendant of the Electra was the PV-2 Harpoon. After the war, Dee Howard purchased a number of surplus Venturas and Harpoons, as well as original jigs and other items from Lockheed, made a number of design changes, and produced the Howard 350 and 500 corporate aircraft.

The Ventura and Harpoon were used extensively by the Air Force, Navy, and RAF, first as a long range bomber, and then as a patrol aircraft. The type was well suited to operations in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands (the only US territory that was occupied by Japan- see Issue 2 ) and saw service there throughout the war. The Harpoon entered service in 1944 and. although it was a big improvement over the Ventura, less than 100 were built before the program was cancelled at the end of the WW-II.

This PV-2 was flown into Palm Springs on a ferry permit and restored by the museum.

The Grumman EA-6B Prowler was developed from the A-6 Intruder and first flew in 1968. It is one of the few planes other than the F/A-18 to be seen aboard Navy carriers in the past 20 years. The Navy operated the EA-6B until 2015, and they stayed active with the Marine Corps until 2019. With a crew of four, the Prowler first deployed to Vietnam in 1971 in the role of airborne Tactical Electronic Warfare and, in that role, has participated in all US military operations since.

The delta wing MiG-21 was introduced in 1959 and has served in the military of over 60 countries and continues in service in many countries today. During the Vietnam War, the MiG-21 proved very effective in combat, especially against the F-4 and F-105. Today, the largest MiG-21 operator is India and the Chinese version, the J-7, was in production until 2013.

This Grumman C-1A Trader, BuNo 146048, was assigned to VR-24 in Naples Italy in the 1970s and so was I. My log book shows that I have 193 hours, 14 carrier landings on 5 different carriers, as well as 6 cat shots in 048. The reason for the difference between the number of carrier landings and cat shots is that the C-1 was capable of doing a deck run, not needing a catapult. The C-1 was the last aircraft capable of doing this. Approximately half of the departures we made from a carrier in the COD were deck runs. Which type of departure we did was strictly dependent on the Air Boss and the operational needs of the carrier. In almost all cases, the deck run would be down the angle deck. You would position near the aft of the ship and run the engines up to 30” manifold pressure (about half power). If all instruments looked good, you would salute the deck officer, he would kneel and point down the deck, and you would release the brakes while adding full power. There was no such thing as decision speed, takeoff performance, or any other calculations. Once you released the brakes, you were committed. There was an elevator at the end of the angle deck of carriers of that era, outlined in striped paint. As you reached the elevator, you would pull full aft on the yoke. One thing you were told early on- do NOT look at the airspeed indicator! Once airborne, you would immediately raise the gear. On the C-1, all three gear retract rearward, which changes the CG dramatically, necessitating a rapid forward movement of the yoke, often to the stops. It could be rather adventurous, especially when a jet was launching off of cat number three at the same time! Probably the most turbulence I ran into on a deck run was a time we had three C-1s departing the ship at the same time. The Air Boss, for sport, I’m sure, lined us up nose to tail at the back of the ship and launched us in quick succession. I was number three, in 048, and I was given the brake release signal as number two left the deck. The prop wash from one and two was quite sporty as we lifted off. I’m sure the ship’s crew all enjoyed the airshow!

The C-1 is open to visitors and the interior has been maintained in original condition (and I banged my head on the wing spar- like I’ve done many times before!). This view is looking forward; the seats face aft. A carrier landing in a C-1 is not too bad for passengers, but a cat shot is rather uncomfortable.

The C-1 cockpit was typical for a 1950s design and was never upgraded during its more than 30-year service life. We had dual VHF and UHF radios and an ILS receiver, as well as a fairly good autopilot. The large red handle next to the co-pilot seat is for emergency gear extension and is normally stowed.

VR-24 originated in 1946 (as VRU-4) in London and was finally decommissioned in Sigonella, Italy, in 1993. The aircraft of the squadron (C-1s, C-2s, and T-39s) all continued flying and were dispersed to other transport squadrons. Some of the C-1s were assigned as dedicated ship’s CODs and 146048 wound up on the USS Lexington. These C-1s continued flying the same missions, carrying people, mail, and cargo on and off the ship. On a personal note, this trip out west included a stop in LA to meet our newest grandchild, Lex, making this photo quite meaningful to me.

If you grew up in the 1950s and 60s and had a love of aviation (many readers of this blog fit that description, I think), then you are very familiar with the term Century Series aircraft. Beginning in the 1930s, fighter and pursuit aircraft were numbered somewhat sequentially. During WW-II, for instance, we had the P-38, P-39, P-40, P-47, P-51 etc. This continued into the 1950s with aircraft such as the F-80, F-86, and F-89. Whether it was intentional or not, starting with the F-100, there was a group of very significant aircraft that became known as the Century Series. These six types; the North American F-100 Super Sabre, the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo, the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the Republic F-105 Thunderchief, and the Convair F-106 Delta Dart each were very advanced for the time and had a long service life (the F-103 never made it past the drawing board). The museum covers most of the series, with only the F-101 not on display.

The F-100 Super Sabre first flew in 1953, and was the first Air Force fighter to be able to exceed Mach 1.0 in level flight. The Super Sabre was in active service until 1971, and continued with the reserves until 1979. The Thunderbirds flew the F-100 in over 1,000 shows from 1956 to 1969.

The F-102 also first flew in 1953 and, like the F-100, saw combat duty during Vietnam. F-102s remained in service, both with active-duty squadrons and the National Guard into the 1970s and their service continued, even after being retired as a fighter. I recall flying into Tyndall AFB in the 1980s and seeing row after row of F-102s. They had been converted to target drones and hundreds of QF-102A / PQM-102Bs served in this role. The drones retained all of the capabilities of the F-102, including supersonic flight. A large number of the drones were “expended’, or shot down for training purposes. These drones were “flown” by ground controllers, much as today’s drones are flown.

First flown in 1954, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was one of the early designs of Kelly Johnson and the “Skunk Works”. Specifically designed to compete against Soviet MiG aircraft, the F-104 was smaller, lighter, and simpler than other fighters of the time. The formula produced a plane that held many speed and altitude records. The Starfighter established world records for airspeed, altitude, and time-to-climb in 1958, becoming the first aircraft to hold all three records simultaneously. The Starfighter was popular with other countries, eventually serving in the forces of 15 other nations. Many of these countries built the F-104 under license and the Starfighter in the museum was built in 1964 by Fokker Aircraft in Amsterdam.

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief, better known as the “Thud”, entered service in 1958 and, at the time was the largest single seat, single engine combat aircraft in history. It could exceed Mach 1 at sea level and Mach 2 at altitude. The F-105 was a fighter/bomber and conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early part of the Vietnam War. The Thud was able to carry a larger bomb load than the B-17 or B-24. During the war, the F-105s were gradually replaced by the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The F-105 was quickly retired at the end of Vietnam, although some versions remained on active duty until 1984.

Let’s end our visit with the final operational aircraft of the Century Series, the Convair F-106 Delta Dart, better known as the “Six”. Introduced in 1959, the Mach 2 F-106 remained the primary Air Force interceptor well into the 1980s. Like the F-102, some F-106s continued on as drones. This particular Six, a two-seat version, was rescued from Tyndall AFB in 2000.

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We have covered just a small number of the aircraft and exhibits to see at Palm Springs Air Museum. It is a fantastic place to visit- give yourself plenty of time to see it all!

A special thanks to Greg Kenny, Education/Operations Manager at the museum, for all of his assistance on research for this blog.

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To learn about what to do in the local area, museum hours and costs as well as books to read and other interesting odds and ends, keep reading! At the end you will find a photo gallery of the entire museum.

PLANNING YOUR VISIT

Open every day from 10AM to 5PM except for CLOSED Thanksgiving, Christmas and FEB 18, 2022.

Adults 18-64 $19.50; Seniors, 65+ $17.50; Retired Military $17.50; Active duty Military, free.

Youth 13-17 $17.50; Under 12, free.

FLYING IN

Palm Springs (KPSP) is a full-service International Airport with runways 31L/13R (10,000’ X 150’) and 31R/13L (4952’ X 75’). We landed on 31R and taxied to Atlantic Aviation. There is no public ramp space at the museum. It would be about a 10-minute walk to the museum but Atlantic had a crew car available for us.

The airport is not high altitude (476’), but it is surrounded by high terrain and, with warm temperatures, be aware of density altitude and departure procedures.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

Palm Spring is a tourist destination with lots to do.

https://visitpalmsprings.com/

Staff at the museum recommended a trip to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, and Village Fest in downtown Palm Springs.

WHERE TO EAT

The museum has the Victory Canteen, where we had lunch. At first look, it is rather unassuming but there is quite a full menu. We had hamburgers- they were made to order and excellent.

Museum staff also recommended Lulu California Bistro-

http://www.lulupalmsprings.com/