Five Warbirds, One Mission – Memorial Day 2025
Five historic aircraft filled the skies over Palm Springs during the 2025 Memorial Day program at the Palm Springs Air Museum—each representing a different chapter of American aviation history and military service. My photographs of these aircraft in flight capture not only their striking forms against the desert backdrop but also the enduring legacy they carry.
The lineup included:
– C-47 “What’s Up Doc?” – A D-Day veteran honoring airborne operations and troop transport.
– P-51 Mustang “Bunny” – Flown in tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen and their place in aviation history.
– P4Y-2G Super Privateer – The last flying example of this rare patrol bomber, once used by the Navy.
– PBJ (Navy B-25 Mitchell) – A Navy-modified medium bomber that served in the Pacific theater.
– T-28 Trojan N372C – A Cold War-era trainer that transitioned into combat roles in Southeast Asia.
Each aircraft flew as part of the museum’s commemorative program, honoring those who served and sacrificed in conflicts from World War II through the Vietnam War.
I’m especially pleased that five of these images were featured yesterday in the “BREAKING NEWS from LAST 24 HOURS” section on ZUMA Press, a strong acknowledgment of the visual and historical power of these aircraft in flight.
Flyover for Buzz Lynch
Yesterday returning from the memorial flyover for Buzz Lynch, the P-51 Mustang “Bunny”, the P-51 Mustang “Man-O-War” and a T-28 Trojan. They were accompanied by two A-10 Thunderbolts from Davis-Mothan Airbase in Tucson Arizona.
George Patrick “Buzz” Lynch, Jr. passed away at age 89 on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, in Rancho Mirage, CA, with his wife, Maxine Lundt, by his side. Buzz had a remarkable career in the United States Air Force, where he logged approximately 6,000 flight hours and flew 34 different aircraft.
A West Point graduate, Buzz began his Air Force career in 1956, quickly excelling as a pilot. He flew F-100s with the 356th Tactical Fighter Squadron and later earned a Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering before attending the prestigious Air Force Test Pilot School. Buzz completed a combat tour in Vietnam, where he served as a Flight Commander flying F-4 Phantoms. He later led test missions for the F-4 and YA-10, including the first USAF flight of the YA-10, playing a key role in the aircraft’s development. His leadership continued at the Air War College, where he graduated as a Distinguished Graduate, and he capped off his career with significant roles in systems testing at Nellis AFB and Wright-Patterson AFB. His awards included the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.
In recognition of his contributions, two A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft performed a memorial flyover today in Palm Springs, California, flying in formation to honor his decades of service and dedication to aviation. September 28, 2024
Privateer
A Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer coming in for a flyover at the airport in Palm Springs for Memorial Day 2023.
Mustang Passing On The Right
Doing a flyover with the P-51D Mustang “Bunny” from the Palm Springs Air Museum. I was in a T-28B Trojan also from the Museum.
Flyover For WWII Nurse 101 Years Old
June 1942, Doris Howard arrived in Palm Springs as an Army nurse at the newly converted hospital, previously the famous El Mirador Hotel. Serving throughout the war, taking her to other countries, she even survived a Kamikaze attack.
Returning to Palm Springs and what is now Desert Regional Medical Center all these years later, we were honored to do a flyover for her in the Palm Springs Air Museum WWII era C-47 on Friday May 14, 2021. The full story and more photos from the ground in the Desert Sun newspaper at http://bit.ly/DorisHoward
Frontline Flyover And 100 Megapixels
“Bunny” the Palm Springs Air Museum P-51 Mustang headed out for a Frontline Friday Flyover. Joining up with the Air Museum’s World War II C-47 “What’s Up Doc?” and the P-63 Kingcobra “Pretty Polly” saluting the people on the frontlines fighting the pandemic.
Photographed with the Fujifilm GFX100 medium format camera system. A 100 megapixel camera capable of shooting five frames per second with continuous autofocus. I have found it fast handling, extremely versatile and producing incredible image quality.
Golf Cart Parade Flyover
Not often I get to shoot video from the backseat of a T-28 Trojan on the way to do a flyover at a Golf Cart Parade! But not just any Golf Cart Parade; it was the 53rd Annual Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade with 25,000 spectators along the parade route. How fun is that! For the Palm Springs Air Museum. Thanks!
My Office
The other day in a T-28 Trojan taking off out of the Palm Springs Air Museum and landing at the Chino Airport. The Air Museum pilot extraordinaire Michael Nightingale. This truly is a great aircraft, very powerful with an over 1,400hp engine and you don’t realize how huge it is until you are right up next to it. The Air Museum P-51 Mustang “Bunny” and the T-28 will be doing flyovers on July 4th, first both over Big Bear Lake at 5:30pm and then the P-51 for the Fourth of July Celebration and Concert at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank at 6:30pm. So if you are out boating or enjoying the music, keep an eye out! Very Fun being the Palm Springs Air Museum photographer! Thanks!
Flyover Muscle Beach
If you were on stage at Muscle Beach or just nearby on Memorial Day, this is one of the memories you are carrying in your mind from 2015. One you will not forget soon! The only bodybuilding and fitness show to open with the United States Air Force flying a C-17 overhead at roof top level. You saw it, you heard it and you could feel the excitement. Only at the real Muscle Beach shows! That is where you find me with my cameras for over a decade.
Muscle Beach Flyover
Only at the real Muscle Beach/Venice, the show opens with a United States Air Force flyover! Yes I will be there with my cameras. If you are going to want stage photographs of yourself, or maybe backstage photographs as well, please send me a note ASAP. Also if you are going to want magazine or feature coverage, please contact me immediately as well. E-mail to SecondFocus@mac.com Thanks!
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