The Air Museum "Planes of Fame"

Focus: The Air Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting, restoring, displaying and preserving aircraft and memorabilia for the educational benefit of current and future generations. An educational program is being developed as well as the "Hands on Aviation Center." Call for status

Cost: $8.95 general admission, ages 5-11 $1.95, under 5

Major Exhibits: The Air Museum displays a number of aircraft that are the very last surviving example of their type in the world like the Northrop N9M "Flying Wing" and the Japanese Zero. Also on display are the P-51 Mustang, the P-38 Lightning, the F4U Corsair, P-40 Warhawk, the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-25 Mitchell bombers and many more. Flying events the first Saturday of every month. Annual Air Show in May.

Class Trip Pricing: Students on a school-sponsored tour are admitted for $1. Non-students five through eleven are admitted at the rate of $1.75 if there are atleast 10 paying adults in the group ($6.50 each)

Class Trip Programs: Docent guided tours are available with two weeks notice. There is no additional charge for the guide on the tour.

Notes:

The Air Museum was the first permanent aviation museum west of the Rocky Mountains. It opened January 1957 in Claremont, California with six aircraft. The Air Museum was founded by Edward Maloney, who recognized the importance of preserving WWII aircraft at a time when aircraft were being cut up for scrap metal. The United States produced over 300,000 military aircraft during WWII. Most of these were destroyed at the end of the war, many types disappearing entirely. A number of the aircraft on display at the museum are sole surviving examples and exist only because of one man's determination to save at least one of as many different aircraft as possible.

The museum collection now numbers over 150 aircraft, spanning the history of manned flight, from the Chanute Hang Glider of 1896 to the F-14 Tomcat. The Air Museum is a living history museum, where the aircraft are not only preserved, but flown regularly.  Monthly events are held for the public as well as an annual air show every May. Many of the aircraft have been featured in television and motion pictures like "Baa Baa Blacksheep" and "Pearl Harbor."  The museum is developing an education program which will incorporate lessons from aviation in Math, Science and History.