Palm Springs Air Museum

     On one of our two rainy days, we went to the Palm Springs Air Museum.  This isn't a place that exhibits aircraft in general.  The museum's mission is to display World War II combat aircraft and to celebrate the roles of the pilots, crews, and other citizens who helped win that war.  Plans are under way to extend the museum's collection to include the Korean war and the war in Viet Nam.  This museum is for grown ups.  There's not a lot to hold the attention of young children. The one thing that would captivate a child is the B-25 Mitchell Bomber, but there is an additional $5.00 per person charge, over and above the museum's admission price, to get inside it.  I thought that was too much.
   

The Euopean Hanger

This area holds WW2 planes flown in the European Theater of Operations.  This plane was flown by Lt. Col. Robert J. Friend, a Tuskeegee Airman.  This hanger contains exhibits about the Tuskeegee flyers, female pilots and defense workers,  and the Flying Tigers. 

This is Squirt VIII because the first seven Squirts were shot down.  Lt. R. H. Parker flew this plane, and the lovely lady painted on the side is his wife.  She was naked during the war.  Displaying the plane in a museum required painting on a bathing suit.

The Pacific Hanger

This excellent diorama illustrates the attack on Peal Harbor.  Tom Brokaw did the audio. 

Wings of these Pacific Theater planes folded up so more planes could be stored on the decks of aircraft carriers.

This Japanese WW2 plane was on loan.  It might have become a permanent display since no one from Japan has requested its return.  

Whaite Clark donated his collection of 113 World War II model airplanes.

Mike, posing with docent Bob Chapman, a 90 year old World War II veteran.  Mr. Chapman served on A PT boat in the Solomon Islands.  Most of the docents are veterans.

Docent Larry Harris helps a museum visitor use a flight simulation program.

All the museum's docents have their then-and-now pictures on this wall.

Mr. Chapman has donated his time to the museum for the past twelve years.

Mr. Harris, from the flight simulator area.

The Museum Library

A Wall of DVD's
Mr. Harris told us that the library might have every movie about flying ever produced.

The Beginnings of the Viet Nam Collection
There were about 1350 prisoners of war and about 1200 soldiers killed in action/body not recovered.  This wall contains the pictures of many of these heros.  

It was a trend in the 1970's to wear a bracelet engraved with the name of a soldier and the date he went missing.  The museum is collecting these bracelets along with the soldier's story AND the story of the person who wore the bracelet.