Chino, CA - The Air Museum "Planes of Fame" at the Chino Airport will use its first monthly special event of 2007, on Saturday, January 6, to celebrate its 50th anniversary and dedicate its newest display hangar. The festivities will begin at 10 am and conclude with a "Planes of Fame" warbird flight demonstration. The very first permanent air museum in the American West, Planes of Fame was founded by Edward T. Maloney in Claremont, California in January of 1957. From a humble beginning in a makeshift roadside facility on Route 66, the museum was relocated several times before settling into its current and permanent headquarters at Chino Airport in 1973. During its first half century, the Museum grew to include a collection of approximately 150 aircraft and major exhibits housed at Chino Airport and in an auxiliary facility opened in 1995 at Valle Airport near the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Staffed primarily by a core of dedicated volunteers, Planes of Fame (The Air Museum, Inc.) is an independent, nonprofit, educational institution. The Museum supports its operations and growth with admission fees, donations, facility rentals and proceeds from the use of its aircraft in various film productions and air shows.

A pioneer in the concept of restoring historic display aircraft to flying condition for the maximum public viewing experience, Planes of Fame currently has about 40 aircraft in flying condition and is always working on new restoration projects. Some of the aircraft in the Museum’s collection are the only flying examples of their type in the world and a few are even the only ones of their type in existence at all.

Throughout the year, Planes of Fame hosts special events at its Chino facility on the first Saturday of each month, as well as a world renowned two-day air show at Chino in May and a warbird fly-in at the Valle, Arizona facility in June.

Planes of Fame Air Museum has a special membership program available to the public, with one of the benefits of membership being the ability to actually experience the thrill of flying in genuine warbirds. At each monthly special event, members in attendance, including last-minute sign-ups, can have their names entered into a free drawing for a warbird orientation flight!

Planes of Fame is open to the public every day, except Christmas and Thanksgiving, from 9 AM to 5 PM. General admission is $11, youngsters 11 and under are admitted for $4 and admission is free for accompanied children under five.

Source: The Air Museum Planes of Fame
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