High Country Warbirds Fly-in, Valle Airport, Arizona
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The Grand Canyon Planes of Fame Museum at Valle Airport, Arizona hosted the High Country Warbirds Fly-in on Saturday, June 25, 2011. The weather was warm and very windy. Only five airplanes flew, but the flybys were lower and closer to that audience than any other show that I know of, and the sun was behind the audience during the morning. It's a small show. The crowd was just a few hundred people, so there was always a lot of room on the crowd line. The Planes of Fame annex has many rare antique planes, including VC-121A Bataan, the Pacific Air Martin 404 that used to be at Camarillo, and the Western Convair 340 that used to be at Chino. There is also a remarkable collection of vintage automobiles in the Airport terminal building. Many of the attendees bought rides aboard the P-51D Mustangs, P-38J Lightning, and B-25J Mitchell.
See the location of te Planes of Fame Fly-in at Valle, Arizona in Google Earth.
Aichi D3A Val replica NX67629 is a modified Consolidated-Vultee BT-15 that was sold to the civilian market in the 40's. It was modified to represent a Japanese Val for the 1969 movie TORA TORA TORA. The modification consisted of an extra 3 feet of fuselage added between the rear cockpit and the tail, a large fiberglass dorsal fin, raised sides of the fuselage and lower canopies. The modifications also incorporated large fiberglass wheel pants. Its Wright R-975 engine was replaced with a Pratt and Whitney R-1340. After the movie was completed the Val was sold to the San Diego Aerospace Museum. The Planes of Fame Museum acquired the Val back in 1973. It was returned to airworthy condition for the Disney Pearl Harbor film.
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II is owned by Steve Hinton and registered NL7715C. This Mustang was reconstructed in part from the wreckage of the Red Baron RB-51 racer, once the fastest piston powered aircraft in the world. Its original serial was 44-84961, but it carries 413334 on its tail. The Air Force disposed of it at McClellan Air Force Base, California in 1958. It was purchased by Capitol Airways of Nashville, Tennessee and registered as N7715C. In July 1964 it was acquired by Charles Willis Jr., Frank Lynitt, and Charles Hall of Seattle, Washington. They raced it as #5, first named Red Baron, then Miss RJ". Gunther Balz of Kalamazoo, Michigan bought it in July 1971 and changed its name to Roto-Finish, keeping race number 5. John Sliker of Wadley, Georgia picked it up in October 1973, but sold it to Ed Browning of Brownings Incorporated in Idaho Falls the following February. Brownings Inc. installed a Rolls Royce Griffon engine with contra-rotating propellers and called it the "Red Baron" RB-51. It first flew with the Griffon engine on March 6, 1975. It set the world's piston engined speed record of 499.018 miles per hour on August 14, 1979. It crashed with Steve Hinton at the controls at the Reno Air Races that September. Hinton survived the crash. Richard Ransofer of Grapevine, Texas acquired the wreckage in 1980. Steve Hinton and
Fighter Rebuilders at Chino used portions of the "Red Baron" wreck and P-51D, 44-73053 to reconstruct "Wee Willy II". It first flew after reconstruction in September 1985. Some of the hulk of the RB-51 was acquired by Terry and Bill Rogers of Sherman, Texas in 1989 to be used in another Griffon powered race conversion, but Rogers' efforts were diverted into the rebuilding of Vendetta into Miss Ashley II
Cub Crafters CC11-100 N787AK was built in 2006. Its construction number is CC11-00006.
North American T-28B Trojan NX393W was deliverved to the US Navy as BuNo 138310 in 1954. It is powered by a Wright R-1820 Cyclone nine-cylinder radial engine.
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
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.
Cessna 190, N9848A has been registered to Jeffrey Pearson of Anaheim Hills, California since December 1982. It was built in 1950 and carries Cessna constuction number 7541.
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II and North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can has belonged to the Planes of Fame Air Museum since June 1957. It flew for the Army Air Force as 45-11582 and it still wears that number on its tail. It is powered by a V-1650 Merlin twelve-cylinder engine.
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
Yakovlev Yak-18T N60516 was built in 1977. Its construction number is 7200315.
Stearman A75N1 N5045V was built in 1942. It is restored as a US Navy N2S-5. Its construction number is 75-5422. It is powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial engine.
Stearman A75N1 N5045V
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo is registered to the Air Museum at Chino. It was built as Army Air Corps 44-23314. It was acquired by the Hanfield School of Aeronautics in Santa Maria, California in 1950. Jack Hardwicke of El Monte, California registered it as N29Q in 1954. He sold it to the Air Museum in Ontario, California in 1960 where it sat on static display for seventeen years. It was restored to flying condition, making its first flight on July 22, 1988. It then went to the Planes of Fame East museum in Minnesota. Bob Pond purchased it in October 1989 and registered it as N38BP.It returned to the Air Museum at Chino in 1998. It is powered by a pair of Allison V-1710 twelve-cylinder engines.
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can, Valle, Arizona, June 25, 2011: You can buy prints as large as 16 inches by 24 inches or 5-inch by 7-inch greeting cards of this photograph.
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II and North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo and North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II, Valle, Arizona, June 25, 2011: You can buy prints as large as 16 inches by 24 inches or 5-inch by 7-inch greeting cards of this photograph.
North American B-25J Mitchell, N3675G Photo Fanny
North American B-25J Mitchell, N3675G Photo Fanny
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo, Valle, Arizona, June 25, 2011: You can buy prints as large as 16 inches by 24 inches or 5-inch by 7-inch greeting cards of this photograph.
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II and North American B-25J Mitchell N3675G Photo Fanny
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can, Valle, Arizona, June 25, 2011: You can buy prints as large as 16 inches by 24 inches or 5-inch by 7-inch greeting cards of this photograph.
North American B-25J Mitchell N3675G Photo Fanny
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
Aichi D3A Val replica NX67629
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II, Valle, Arizona, June 25, 2011: You can buy prints as large as 16 inches by 24 inches or 5-inch by 7-inch greeting cards of this photograph.
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
North American T-28B Trojan NX393W
North American T-28B Trojan NX393W
North American T-28B Trojan NX393W
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II and Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
North American T-28B Trojan NX393W
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
The Grand Canyon Planes of Fame Museum at Valle Airport, Arizona hosts the annual High Country Warbirds Fly-in in June.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of Vintage Airplanes at Valle, Arizona.
A dozen photos of vintage airplanes flying at the Planes of Fame East Fly-in at Valle, Arizona on June 23, 2012. Aircraft pictured include:
Grand Canyon Airlines Ford 5-AT-C Trimotor N414H
Ryan ST3KR (PT-22) N56017
Aichi D3A Val replica NX67629
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
Curtiss P-40N Warhawk NL85104
North American T-28B Trojan NX393W
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
North American SNJ-4 N75964 #44
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly
Vultee BT-13A Valiant N2808
Cessna 190 N9848A
Put a copy of the Vintage Airplanes at Valle, Arizona: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of airworthy Lockheed P-38 Lightnings.
P-38L N25Y White Lightnin, Nellis Air Force Base, April 26, 1997
P-38J NX138AM Joltin Josie, Chino, October 6, 2001
P-38J NX138AM Porky II, Chino, May 22, 2005
P-38J NX138AM 23 Skidoo, Chino, May 19-20, 2007
P-38F NX17630 Glacier Girl, Chino, May 19-20, 2007
P-38L NL7723C, Chino, May 19-20, 2007
P-38L NL7723C, Edwards AFB, October 17, 2009
P-38J NX138AM 23 Skidoo, Chino, May 15, 2010
P-38L NL7723C, Chino, May 15, 2010
P-38J NX138AM 23 Skidoo, Valle, Arizona, June 25, 2011
Put a copy of the Lockheed P-38 Lightnings: 2020 calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of North American T-28 Trojans.
A dozen photos of North American T-28 Trojans:
T-28A NX85228, Chino, October 6, 2001
T-28C N328AK, Santa Barbara, April 30, 2005
T-28A N81643, Santa Barbara, April 30, 2005
T-28C N75947, Minter Field, May 14, 2005
T-28C N928C, Minter Field, May 14, 2005
T-28C N243DM, Minter Field, May 14, 2005
Fennec (T-28A) N632NA, Hawthorne, August 12, 2005
T-28C N528TC, Camarillo, August 18, 2007
T-28A N81643, Camarillo, August 18, 2007
T-28C N548NA, Camarillo, August 18, 2007
T-28A N51705, Santa Maria, August 25, 2007
T-28B NX393W, Valle, Arizona, June 26, 2011
Trojans come in a variety of stimulating colors.
Put a copy of the North American T-28 Trojans: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
Link to the Grand Canyon Airlines page about their Ford Trimotor.
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