T-34 “Mentor” Fly In
We had fifteen T-34 “Mentor” military trainers at the Palm Springs Air Museum for a few days of meet up and flying excitement. This was very fun!
Ale Plane
I have been busy over the last few days. Here is the “Ale Plane” visiting at the Palm Springs Air Museum for the Hop Growers Of America Convention. A jet just like this one was in the James Bond movie “Octopussy“! And the serial number on this one is “007”! Top speed is 320mph, empty it weighs 435 lbs. Sponsored by Virgil Gamache Farms. Let’s raise a beer to that!
Number 1 !
I must say that I am very proud and honored to be a part of the Palm Springs Air Museum. Not only do I do their photography and video, I also manage their Social Media and special projects. Occasionally I have been known to polish an airplane too! It’s all fun! Thanks!
Thank You Mercury News Newspaper for selecting us as their top pick of the five California museums that “belong on your must-see list”!
That along with CNN selecting us as one of the top aviation museums in the Entire World (not just the USA!) is pretty great! Thanks! Check it out at https://goo.gl/Ddv1uD
The Very First!
The very first of a new monthly feature in the “Palm Canyon Paradise” newspaper! Brought to you by the publisher of the long running “The Sun Runner” with a print edition circulation of over 50,000. The “Palm Canyon Paradise” will cover the Coachella Valley. The monthly feature written and photographed by me! Great Fun and Thanks!
Skyward!
I was at the Palm Springs Air Museum the other day and all the talk is the excitement of flying again for this season! This is a flying museum along with all kinds of great programs. You can watch historic aircraft take to the skies, sit in cockpits and see incredible one of a kind programs. Yes and you can fly too! Check it all out on the Palm Springs Air Museum website here at http://palmspringsairmuseum.org
And you will see me there with my favorite Hasselblad cameras. Hasselblad cameras were the choice for NASA taking into Space and to the Moon. So my first choice too!
F-102 Restoration
The restoration crew at the Palm Springs Air Museum are nothing short of magicians. This F-102 “Delta Dagger” sat in a forest for 40 years. This entire rear section has been re-created from jigs and templates that were 3-D printed from a survey of an intact F-102. Standing next to it up close made me think two things… First, now it almost looks like it just rolled off the assembly line. Second, it is a much bigger aircraft than I had realized. Especially having seen it on a truck when it first arrived at the Museum some time back.
The Convair F-102 “Delta Dagger” was the Interceptor that served as the backbone of the United States Air Force. It entered service in 1956 and 1,000 were built, designed to intercept invading Soviet strategic bomber fleets during the Cold War. In various versions, it had a top speed of Mach 1.22 and a service ceiling of 56,000 ft. The F-102 served in Vietnam, flying fighter patrols and serving as bomber escorts, finally retiring from USAF service in 1976. There are no flying F-102s in existence today.
By the way, The first operational service of the F-102A was with the 327th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at George Air Force Base, near Victorville, right here in Southern California in April 1956. I am looking forward to seeing the completion of this F-102 and it making it’s permanent home not far from it’s beginnings. Very exciting!
Before Photo Courtesy of the Palm Springs Air Museum
Here We Go!
Coming up to that time of year when all of the activities at the Palm Springs Air Museum really get going. Flight demonstrations, special presentations and programs, chili cook-offs, car shows and so much more fun! And even when there is not something specifically scheduled, you never know what you might see.
This day we sure did know what to expect. A Navy EA-6B Prowler coming in from a carrier in the Persian Gulf to retire at the Museum. What a sight to see that was! Wow! You can check out that amazing aircraft today at it’s permanent home. Come take a look! You will often find me there with my cameras!
