(Download a higher resolution picture by clicking on any picture below.)

The Planes of Fame Air Museum at Chino, California hosted a flying display of numerous warbirds over the weekend of May 15 - 16. I shot these pictures on Sunday, May 16.

Founded over 43 years ago, The Air Museum "Planes of Fame," a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is dedicated to preserving aviation history for the benefit of future generations. Currently, The Air Museum houses over 150 aircraft at its two locations, the main facility at chino Airport in California and a satellite museum near the Grand Canyon at Valle Airport in Arizona.  The Air Museum displays aircraft spanning the history of manned flight, from a replica of the Chanute Hang Glider of 1896, through modern space flight, and includes numerous milestone achieving test and research flight vehicles.

Most of the airplanes that participated in the airshow were parked in two rows along the flightline. This page is a walk along the airplanes parked in the row on the right.

General Motors FM-2 Wildcat, N86572 has been operated by the Warhawk Air Museum of Boise, Idaho since August of 1997. It served the U. S. Navy as BuNo 86572. Its Grumman construction number is 5626. It entered the civil register as N35MK in 1954. Lyman Rice of Laconia, New Hampshire bought it in 1959 and sold it to Hamilton Aircraft Company of Tucson, Arizona in 1963. New London Airport in Pennsylvania acquired it in 1972 and reportedly sold it in 1984, when it was re-registered as N35M. It was struck off the civil register in April 1990.

General Motors FM-2 Wildcat has been registered as N29FG since July 1991. Air Service Control Incorporated of West Bend, Wisconson registered it as N90523 in the early fifties. They sold it to Frank Tallman's museum at the Orange County Airport, California in 1960. Wade Porter of Columbus, Indiana bought it in 1963 and sold it to the Yankee Air Club of Sunderland, Massachusetts in 1966. It joined the Damned Yankee Air Force at Turner Falls, Massachusetts later that year. William Whitesell of Medford, New Jersey acquired it in 1969 and sold it to Doug Champlin on Enid, Oklahoma in 1971. He moved it to the Champlin Fighter Museum at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona in 1978. Tom Friedkin of Cinema Air in Houston, Texas bought it from Champlin in December 1990 and registered it as N16TF. He moved it to Cinema Air of Carlsbad, California and re-registered it as N29FG the next year. It is powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engine.

This same General Motors FM-2 was registered as N90523 when it was displayed at the Champlin Fighter Museum on December 31, 1981.

Fairey Firefly AS-6, N518WB has been registered to Edward Kurdziel of Del Mar, California since February 2003. It was built in 1950 and is a veteran of the Korean War. It flew for the Royal Navy as WB518 and still carries that ID.

Visit the web site of Fairey Firefly WB518.

Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk. XIX, N219AM was built in 1944. It was formerly Royal Air Force PS890P. It was transferred to the Royal Thai Air Force as U14-27/97 in June 1954. King Bhumibol of Siam donated it to the Air Museum at Claremont, California in 1962. It was restored to flight by the Planes of Fame Air Museum in June 2002.

Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk. XIX, N219AM has been retrofitted with a Rolls Royce Griffin engine sporting a six-bladed counter-rotating propellor. The engine was formerly mounted on an Avro Shackleton.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIV, N54SF has been registered to Chino Warbirds since March 2004. Data about N54SF from the Airworthy Spitfires Page of the Military Airshows in the U.K. web site:

Ordered as PR.XI but built as F.XIV at Chattis Hill. To 29 MU on March 13th 1945. Shipped to Bombay, arriving May 15th, then probably stored until struck off charge on July 31st 1947, and sold to Indian AF. Eventually became a gate guardian at Dehra Dun, then bought by Doug Arnold in 1978 and returned to the UK, being registered to Warbirds of Great Britain as G-WWII on July 9th 1979. Restoration to Mk VIII began, but acquired by the Fighter Collection and rebuilt as Mk XIV by Charles Church and Historic Flying. First flight May 22nd 1995. Exchanged for P-40 from Christophe Jacquard in November 1997. Registered F-AZSJ. Damaged in 1998 due to taxiing accident. To 'The Fighter Collection', Duxford in March 2002 and re-registered G-WWII and operated by TFC for Tom Friedkins (Chino Warbird Inc.)

Supermarine Spitfire LF IX E, N2TF has been registered to Chino Spitfire LLC of Houston, Texas since December 2001. Data about N2TF from the Airworthy Spitfires Page of the Military Airshows in the U.K. web site:

Built by Vickers-Armstrong at Castle Bromwich early 1944. To 6 MU April 28th passed to 84 Support Group Unit May 30th. Allocated to 443 (RCAF) Sqn Ford June 2nd coded 21-T. In action on D-Day by late June based at St Croix-sur-Mer, Normandy. June 26th claimed Fw190 damaged/probable over Rouen, July 13th Bf109 damaged/probable over Normandy. Two Bf109s destroyed September 29th. Subsequently issued to 442, 401, and 441 Sqns. To 29 MU August 1945 and stored. Sold back to Vickers-Armstrong, South Marston October 31st 1946 and converted to 2-seat trainer for Indian Air Force by October 1948, tested as G-15-11 and delivered to IAF and became HS543. In IAF Museum, Palam 1967; bought by Senator Norman E. Garr in April 1971. Arrived Charleston March 15th 1972 and stored at New Orleans until November 1972, sent to Darrell Skurich, Fort Collins, Colorado for restoration but little done before being traded to Stephen Grey and freighted to UK. Restored by PPS at Booker, registered G-BJSG January 29th 1981 and flew February 10th 1984. Was based at Duxford and operated by TFC. ML417 suffered an undercarriage collapse while parked at Le Touquet in 1999 and was given a major overhaul at Duxford. Flew again after 2 years at Duxford on 18th June 2001. Sold to Tom Friedkin, registered to 'Chino Spitfire Ltd' as N2TF and shipped to USA in December 2001.

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.

Vought F4U-1 Corsair, NX83782 at Chino on May 20, 1984.

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.

Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, NX670AM was painted as an Army Air Force A-24 in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Air Force when it appeared at the Golden Air Tattoo at Nellis AFB on April 25, 1997.

SBD-5 Dauntless NX670AM on static display at the Planes of Fame Air Museum on October 18, 1987, shortly after its reconstruction.

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, N4994V is registered to the Planes of Fame Museum. The FAA database lists the museum's address as Anchorage, Alaska. It was originally Navy BuNo 93879. It has been with the museum since 1958 when the museum was located in Claremont. It is powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engine.

F6F-5 Hellcat, N4994V at Chino on October 8, 2000.

F6F-5 Hellcat, N4994V at an airshow at George Air Force Base on May 4, 1975.

Hawker Sea Sea Hurricane Mk X, NX33TF is registered to Chino Warbirds. It was built in 1940 as Canadian Car and Foundry 41H/8020. It operated from Yeovilton in Somerset. It crashed on December 5, 1942. The wreckage was recovered in 1960. Its restoration to airworthy condition by Hawker Restoration Limited was begun in 1994. It returned to flight on June 7, 2000. It flew in England as G-TWTD. It received its U.S. registration on October 11, 2001.

Douglas A-1H Skyraider, NX39606 is registered to Warbird Aircraft of San Diego. Its Navy Buno was 139606 and it was delivered to the South Vietnamese Air Force. It was recovered through Thailand by Yesterday's Air Force in 1980. It was registered as N3915B by Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation at Chino in 1983. The Donald Douglas Museum at Santa Monica registered it as NX39606 in July 1988 and passed it on to the Santa Monica Museum of Flying in 1990.

Douglas A-1H Skyraider, NX39606 at the El Toro MCAS Airshow on April 28, 1990.

Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N7825C originally wore Navy BuNo 122674. Its Grumman construction number is D.1227. It was built in 1948. E. Weiner of Los Angeles registered it under its current tail number in 1958. It was bought by Leo Demeers of Aurora, Oregon in 1963. Richard Tobey of Newport Beach, California in acquired it in 1966 and then sold it to Paul Finefrock of Hobart, Oklahoma in 1969. Gary Levitz picked it up later that year. It has belonged to the Confederate Air Force since 1972. It underwent a major rebuild from 1989 to 1991. It made its first flight after the rebuild on December 17, 1991.

Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N7825C at the Point Mugu Airshow on October 1, 1994

Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N198F has been owned by Cinema Air of Houston, Texas since June 1982. It still carries its original Bureau of Aeronautics number 122637. It was first registered as N1033B in 1963 by William Johnson of Miami, Florida. Subsequently it was owned by New Jersey Air Company of Hackensack, New Jersey from 1966 to 1968, Sherman Cooper of Merced,California from 1968 to 1971, and John Church of Hackensack, New Jersey from 1971 to 1973. John Gury of St. Louis, Missouri changed the registration to N198F in 1973. Gury raced it under race numbers 99, 11, and 98. It was sold to John Herlihy of Montara, California in 1980 and then to Cecil Harp of Canby, Oregon in 1981.

Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N198F at Chino on September 2, 1978.

Grumman TBM-3E Avenger, N7075C is part of the collection of the Palm Springs Air Museum. Its Grumman construction number is 3847. It was built in 1945 and served as U. S. Navy BuNo 53785. Marsh Aviation Company of Litchfield Park, Arizona registered it as N7075C in 1963. Reader flying Services of Twin Falls, Idaho operated it as tanker #55 from 1966 to 1977. Dwight Reimer of Shafter, California flew it as My Assam Dragon in 1979 and 1980. Gordon Plaskett of King city, California bought it in 1982 and sold it to the Planes of Fame East Museum of Spring Park Minnesota in 1983. It is restored as Royal Navy JR456.

Grumman TBM-3E Avenger, N28SF has been registered to Charles Wentworth of Paso Robles, California since August 1995. It was assigned U. S. Navy BuNo 85983 but was delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy as 374. Simsbury Flying Service of Simsbury, Connecticut registered it as N4039A. Miramichi Air Service registered it as C-FBEG in May 1974. Hicks & Lawrence limited of St. Thomasl, Ontario operated it as tanker #1 and named it Yogi Bear. Syracuse Flying Service of Syracuse, Kansas gave it its current registration in November 1985. C & C Corporation of Rialto, California bought it in 1987.

More 2004 Chino Airshow pictures

Static Displays

Page 1

Page 2 is a walk along the airplanes parked in the row on the right.

Page 3 is a walk along the airplanes parked in the row on the left.

Flying Displays

Page 1: Missing Man Formation and Silver Wings Stearman Biplane Wing Walking Act.

Page 2: D-Day Invasion Aircraft Display with Mustangs, Spitfires, P-47 Thunderbolt, Hurricane, and Avenger.

Page 3: Northrop N9M Flying Wing Performance by Ron Hackworth and Korean Air War F-86 Sabre and MiG-15 Tail Chase.

Page 4: Navy Flight SBD Dauntless, FM-2 Wildcat, F4F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat, F8F Bearcat, A-1 Skyraider, F4U Corsair, and Sea Fury.

Page 5: Pacific Air Battle FM-2 Wildcats, Zeros and P-38 Lightning and British Fighter Aerobatics Display.

Page 6: Air Power Formation Flight - Massive Gaggle of Warbirds and United States Air Force F-16 Viper Tactical Demonstration.

More Chino Airshows

More Chino Airshows.

Send a message to Brian.