A variety of vintage airplanes
arrived at Hawthorne Municipal Airport on Friday the thirteenth for
the Air Faire that was held on Saturday, August 14. The Air Faire is sponsored
by the Western Museum of Flight,
which is housed at the airport. Arrival Day for the
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(Download a higher resolution picture by clicking on any picture below.)
A variety of vintage airplanes
arrived at Hawthorne Municipal Airport on Friday the thirteenth for
the Air Faire that was held on Saturday, August 14. The Air Faire is sponsored
by the Western Museum of Flight,
which is housed at the airport.
The Western Museum of Flight in conjunction with the City of Hawthorne and Hawthorne Municipal Airport, Jack Northrop Field, staged a magnificent Air Faire featuring an exotic selection of Northrop-designed aircraft including the amazing Northrop N9M flying wing and the Northrop Grumman F/A-18 Hornet.
In addition, more than 50 classic and vintage aircraft flew in for public display, including a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress, no doubt the most famous bomber in history, and at three B-25 Mitchell bombers, the type that staged the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in April 1942, less than five months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that marked the beginning of World War II.
The theme of this year’s Air Faire was "Northrop Wings and Other Wild Things".
Stearman PT-17, N67823 is registered
to First Globe Inc. of Carson City, Nevada.
It was built in 1943.
North American AT-6G Texan, N116SE
is registered to C. S. Eberhardt of Danville,
California. Its Army Air Corps serial number was 49-3302.
North American SNJ-5 Texan, N12377 is registered to Richard Ferdon of Simi Valley,
California. Its Navy BuNo was 85086.
Antonov An-2, N2AN Big Panda was built in 1984. Big
Panda has been registered to Carl Hays of San Diego since
1993.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N3509G Miss Angela. It was delivered to the U. S. Army
Air Corps as 44-85778. It was converted to a TB-17H trainer and then to a
VB-17G VIP transport. Ace Smelting, Incorporated of Phoenix, Arizona bought it on
August 14, 1959 and gave it its current registration. Sonora Flying Service of
Columbia, California acquired it on September 20, 1960. Leo Demers of
Madras, Oregon bought it on May 25, 1961 and flew it as tanker #97. Aero Union
Corporation of Chico, California bought it on April 29, 1966 and flew it as tanker e16.
Central Air Service of Rantoul, Kansas acquired it on June 2, 1972 and flew it as tanker
f42, #42, and #102. Western Air Contractors of American Fork, Utah bought it on July 6, 1978
and sold it to Westernair of Albequerque, New Mexico on June 15, 1981. Aircraft
Component Equipment Supplies of Klamath Falls, Oregon acquired it on March 28, 1982
and placed it in storage at Stockton, California in 1984. Arthur McDonnell of
Mojave, California bought it in July 1990 and sold it to Florida Aircraft Leasing
Corporation of Miami, Florida in February 1991. The Lone Star Flight Museum of Galveston,
Texas and World Jet International of Fort Lauderdale, Florida acquired it in April 1991
and named it Miss Museum of Flying. It has been registered to Pond Warbirds since
July 3, 2001. It is now named Miss Angela and is based at the
Palm Springs Air
Museum.
. Boeing B-17G
Flying Fortress, N3509G Miss Angela landing at Hawthorne Airport.
Boeing B-17G
Flying Fortress, N3509G Miss Angela
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18D Hornet 163441, VMFAT-101 #242 on approach to land.
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas
F/A-18D Hornet 163441,
VMFAT-101 #242 dragging its tailhook along Runway 25 as it approaces
the arresting gear for a trap landing.
Very rare
North American P-51H Mustang, N551H is registered to American Aircraft Sales of Hayward,
California. Its North American Construction number is 126-37740. Its Army Air Corps serial number was 44-64314, but it is restored as
post-war Air Force 44-64551. It crashed in Utah in 1962. William Hogan registered it as N1108H
in 1963. Michael Coutches began its restoration in 1966 and gave it its current registration
in 1968. The P-51H has a different wing planform than the more
familiar P-51D. (See the photos of P-51D Straw Boss below for comparison)
North American P-51H Mustang, N551H. The P-51H has a taller tail and a deeper
fuselage than the P-51D.
North American P-51H Mustang, N551H. The P-51H has a different radiator scoop and
the contours of the rear fuselage are different from the P-51D.
Twenty-four years ago: North American P-51H Mustang, N551H at Beale Air Force Base on May 31, 1980.
Fourteen years ago: North American P-51H Mustang, N551H at the Santa Maria Mustang Fly-in on October 27, 1990.
Fourteen years ago: North American P-51H Mustang, N551H at the Santa Maria Mustang Fly-in on October 27, 1990.
Vought F4U-1 Corsair, NX83782 and Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, NX670AM were escorted from
Chino to Hawthorne by Cessna 210B, N9654X.
Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless,
NX670AM of the Planes of Fame Museum. It was built
as Navy BuNo 28536 but delivered to the Royal New Zealand Air Force as NZ5062.
After the war it was used as a wind machine by MGM Studios. Wings from another
SBD were recovered from Guadalcanal to return this Dauntless to flying condition
in 1987. It flew its first flight after reconstruction on February 7, 1987. It is
powered by a Wright R-1820 radial engine.
Vought F4U-1A Corsair, NX83782 is registered to the Planes of
Fame Museum at Chino, California. It is the oldest airworthy
Corsair. It flew for the Navy as Buno 17799 and still carries
that number on its tail. It was used as a movie prop by MGM
Studios. The Ontario Air Museum acquired it in 1970. It was
restored to airworthy condition in 1977.
Vought F4U-1 Corsair, NX83782 at Chino on October 6, 2001.
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, N1078Z Minsi III and Mitsubishi A6M5 "Zero" NX46770.
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, N1078Z Minsi III.
Its Grumman construction number is A-5634. John Sandberg
recovered it from the Fergus Falls Airport in Minnesota in 1962.
It was subsequently owned by Lloyd Nolan and Ed Messick.
Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 22 "Zero", NX712Z is part of the collection of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. I has been registered to the Liberty Aero Corporation since February 1998. Its Mitsubishi construction number is 3869. It was found on New Guinea near the town of Babo. Its restoration was begun in Russia and completed in the United States. It is powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engine.
North American SNJ-5 Texan, N89014 carries Navy BuNo 84865. It
was built in 1943.
Stearman PT-17, N79997 is registered
to Brian Marchant of Rancho Mirage, California. It was built in 1942.
Vertol H-21B Shawnee, N64606 flew for the Army as 54-4001. It is
registered to the Classic Rotors Museum at the Ramona Airport.
Visit the Classic Rotors Museum web site.
North American B-25J Mitchell, N8195H Heavenly Body was escorted to the Hawthorne
Airport by North American Aero Commander 500, N8LX.
Antonov An-2 Colt, Big Panda on static display as
North American B-25J Mitchell, N8195H Heavenly Body on
approach to land on Runway 25.
North American B-25J Mitchell, N8195H Heavenly Body was
manufactured by North American
at Kansas City in late 1944 and was accepted by
the U.S Army Air Force in February 1945 as B-25J-25-NC, 44-30748.
Its North American construction number is 108-34023.
North American Aero Commander 500, N8LX was built in 1969.
Cessna 210B, N9654X escorted the Northrop N9MB from Chino to Hawthorne.
Northrop N9MB Flying Wing is now registered N9MB, although it carried no registration
when it was flown as a one-third scale, free-flying, wind-tunnel model of the XB-35 bomber.
It is owned by the Planes of Fame Air Museum at Chino, California. It is powered by a pair
of Franklin OX 540-7 eight-cylinder opposed engines.
Northrop N9MB Flying Wing, N9MB
North American B-25J Mitchell, N3675G Photo Fanny has been registered to James Maloney
of Corona Del Mar,
California since January 10, 1978. Its Army Air Corps tail number was 44-30423. It joined the Air
Museum in Ontario, California in 1965. It is often used for air-to-air
photography sessions of the warbirds flying out of Chino. It is powered
by a pair of Wright R-2600 radial engines.
North American P-51D Mustang, N5460V StrawBoss 2 has been registered to
California Warbirds of Hollister, California since June 1978. It served the Army Air Corps
as 44-72192. James Bohlander of Roselle, Illinois registered it as N5460V in 1963
and sold it to William Cochrane III of Houston, Texas in 1966. John Crocker of San Mateo,
California bought it in 1969 and sold it to California Warbirds in 1978.
North American P-51D Mustang, N5460V StrawBoss 2.
North American P-51D Mustang, N5460V StrawBoss 2
The Western Museum of Flight is a non-profit, educational institution dedicated to preserving and displaying the artifacts of Southern California’s aviation heritage. It is located at Hawthorne Municipal Airport, Jack Northrop Field, 12016 Prairie Avenue (corner of 120th Street and Prairie Avenue). Admission is $3.00 for adults; children 12 and under are free. Normal hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 3 PM. Information regarding special events is available by calling 310-332-6228, or consulting the Western Museum of Flight Web site.
A variety of vintage airplanes arrived at
Hawthorne Municipal Airport on Friday August 15, 2003 for the Air and
Auto Power Show on Saturday August 16. Click to see pictures of the airplanes
arriving at Hawthorne.
The Hawthorne Airport hosted an Air Faire on Saturday, August 13, 2005. A host of vintage airplanes and warbirds flew in on Friday afternoon to be placed on display.
The
Southern California Airshow Page has a comprehensive list of airshow dates.
Go to the Airshow
Page of the Goleta Air and Space Museum.
Send a message to Brian.
