Palm Springs Air Museum Wins ADDY Awards at AAF-Inland Empire Competition
We are thrilled to announce that our museum has won several ADDY Awards at the 2023 AAF-Inland Empire Competition! Our hardworking team has put in countless hours to make this possible, and we are excited to share the news with you. Gold Elements of Advertising Logo Design: PSAM Stealth logo Sales & Marketing, Special Event, […]
MQ-25 Stingray – Warbird Wednesday Episode #162
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we will be discussing the MQ-25 Stingray drone. This drone has been in development since 2006 and was originally designed to be a lethal strike aircraft. In 2016, the Navy decided to retool the drone as an aerial refueling platform to extend the range of the Super Hornet. Built by […]
KC-10 Extender – Warbird Wednesday Episode #161
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we will discuss the KC-10 Extender. This aircraft is a derivative of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and is primarily used for refueling. The US Air Force plans to retire the entire fleet of KC10s, and they will be replaced by the Pegasus. The KC10 was selected to fill a gap […]
KC-46 Pegasus – Warbird Wednesday Episode #160
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we will discuss the KC-46 Pegasus, a new aircraft designed to replace the aging KC-135 fleet for the US Air Force’s air refueling needs. The KC-46 is a modern design, with its first flight in 2015 and acceptance in 2019, since it has faced various issues. Despite its challenges, this […]
KC-135 Stratotanker – Warbird Wednesday Episode #159
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we will continue with refueling aircraft like this KC-135 Stratotanker, a purpose-built refueler that first flew in 1956 and was introduced in 1957. The aircraft had a cruise speed of 529 miles per hour and was primarily used as a refueler for the US Air Force, the French Air Force, […]
Warbird Wednesday: KC-97 Stratotanker
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are visiting the KC-97 Stratotanker aircraft, which was used as both a tanker and cargo plane. It was a larger version of the B-29 design, with two pressurized decks, a right cargo door, and a flying boom for aerial refueling. It was introduced in 1951 and retired in 1978, […]
KB-29 Superfortress – Warbird Wednesday #157
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we will begin our journey looking at air refueling aircraft starting with the KB-29 Superfortress. The need for aerial refueling aircraft was driven at the time by the U.S. Air Force along with the United States Navy who were racing to carry nuclear weapons to defend against the Soviet […]
An-225 Mriya – Warbird Wednesday Episode #156
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are looking at the last of the heavy-lift aircraft in our series, the An-225 Mriya. It first flew in 1988 and was a product of the Cold War. Originally designed for the Soviet space program, this plane was a testament to aircraft designers not being afraid to try […]
C-17 Globemaster III – Warbird Wednesday Episode #155
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are looking at a more modern cargo plane, the C-17 Globemaster III. This aircraft carries the legacy name of the Globemaster name from the C-74 and C-124. Originally this aircraft was a proof of concept design and was meant to be a STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft […]
Training over Tuskegee
Primary training at Tuskegee was at Moton Field, just three nautical miles north of town. This was accomplished in an airplane built by Boeing Stearman. The early models were the PT-13 with the later models being the PT-17. They were a rugged brute of a biplane that made a great deal of wonderful, deep-throated noise […]
C-5 Galaxy – Warbird Wednesday Episode #154
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are looking at the BIG BOY of the airlift world, the C-5 Galaxy built by Lockheed. This aircraft is incredible because it can carry nearly everything in the American inventory. From multiple Apache helicopters to multiple Bradly fighting vehicles, this aircraft can do almost anything when it comes to […]
James Harvey
James Harvey attempted to enlist with the United States Army Air Corps in January 1943; however, he was turned down because of his race. Drafted into the U.S. Army in April 1943, Harvey was initially assigned to the United States Army Air Corps as an engineer. After applying for the Aviation Cadet Training Program, Harvey […]
Albert Manning
Albert Manning graduated from Tuskegee Army Airfield on May 28th, 1943 in Class 43-E-SE. He was now a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army Air Forces and trained to be a fighter pilot. He was assigned to the 99th Fighter Squadron and was with them when the squadron was redeployed from North Africa to Italy. […]
C-123 Provider – Warbird Wednesday Episode #152
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are looking at another short-field bird, the C-123 Provider. The C-123 is a very unique airplane with an interesting lineage. It started production in 1949, was not introduced until 1956, and was finally retired in 1995. There were a total of 307 Providers built. Surprisingly this airframe started out […]
Lee Archer
While flying with the 302nd Fighter Squadron as a fighter pilot, Lee Archer was given the nickname “Buddy”. Archer flew 169 combat missions in the European Theatre of World War II, flying the Bell P-39 Airacobra, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft. Flying a P-51C fighter with the distinctive red tail […]
DHC-4 Caribou – Warbird Wednesday Episode #151
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we looking at another big cargo transport aircraft, the DHC-4 Caribou. The Caribou was known as the CV-2 and the C-7 in Army service. It had its first flight in 1958. The plane was pivotal in moving cargo in Vietnam for the U.S. Army. These aircraft were known for their […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Lourie DeBoer
Lourie A. DeBoer A native of Sacramento, California, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Lourie DeBoer graduated from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1995 and was commissioned as a U.S. Army Warrant Officer in 1997. Designated an Army Aviator in 1998, she reported to A Company, 3-158th Aviation […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Elizabeth Somerville
CAPT Elizabeth M. Somerville Captain Elizabeth Somerville attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and receiving her commission through the NROTC program. Following flight training in Pensacola, Florida, CAPT Somerville earned her Wings of Gold as a Naval Flight Officer in October […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Sarah Abbott
CDR Sarah E. Abbott Commander Sarah “Killface” Abbott is a 2003 graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering (Astronautics). Following commissioning, she attended Stanford University where she worked as a Research Assistant in the GPS Laboratory and earned a M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2005. CDR Abbott was […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Erin Miller
Erin Miller Erin Miller is the proud granddaughter of Elaine Danforth Harmon, a Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) member during WWII. Her grandmother’s last request was to be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). After she died in April 2015, this request was denied by the US Army which runs ANC. Erin led […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Ellen Ochoa
Ellen Ochoa Ellen Ochoa’s 30-year career at NASA culminated in serving as Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center from 2013 to 2018, leading the human space flight enterprise for the nation. She became the first Latina to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1993. She has […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Vicky Benzing
Vicky Benzing Vicky Benzing’s love for flying began as a child in Watsonville when she flew with her uncle in his plane. She discovered a passion for skydiving in college and shortly after informed her parents she wanted to be a pilot. She then began learning to fly in a family friend’s 1940 Taylorcraft. Vicky […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Tammie Jo Shults
Known for being one of the first female fighter pilots to serve in the United States Navy, following active duty she became a pilot for Southwest Airlines. She retired from Southwest Airlines in 2020. Tammie started her career as a naval aviator as a flight instructor in T-2 Buckeye. She then trained and […]
2023 Gala Honoree – Eileen M. Collins
Eileen M. Collins is a former astronaut and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. She retired from the Air Force in Jan 2005 and from Nasa in May 2006 after a 28-year distinguished career. A former military instructor and test pilot, Collins was the first female pilot and first female commander of a space shuttle. […]
Gulfstream TC-4 Academe (G1) – Warbird Wednesday Episode #150
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are continuing down the cargo/transport plane lane with a little more obscure aircraft. The Grumman Gulfstream I, originally known as the G159 when it was a working aircraft, it became the Gulfstream I when it transitioned over to civilian use. After WWII there were not a lot of higher-end […]
Antonov An-2 Colt – Warbird Wednesday Episode #149
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are looking at the Antonov An-2 Colt, another cargo plane. The An-2 Colt is a bi-plane with room for 12 paratroopers or light cargo. The aircraft was originally built by the Soviets in 1947 and 18,000 of these planes were built up until 2001. Still being produced by China, […]
C-133 Cargomaster – Warbird Wednesday Episode #148
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are going down the big plane lane again with another cargo plane, the C-133 Cargo Master. Built by Douglas, this plane was a purpose-built aircraft to be used for heavy lifting. A fun fact about this plane is that it had no prototype! It went from design straight to […]
C-124 Globemaster II – Warbird Wednesday Episode #147
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are looking at another cargo aircraft, the C-124 Globemaster II. Commonly known as “Old Shakey”, this plane’s first flight was in 1949 and it flew for more than two decades before being retired in 1974. Built by Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, CA, it could carry 200 fully armed […]
Junkers JU-52 – Warbird Wednesday Episode #146
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are looking at one of the most prolific and recognizable transport aircraft in the World, the Junkers JU-52 also nicknamed “Aunt Ju” or “Iron Annie” by German paratroopers. You might recognize this plane, as it is very similar to the Ford Tri-Motor. The aircraft’s first flight was in […]
Arado AR 232 Millipede – Warbird Wednesday Episode #141
Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are talking about a rare military transport cargo plane. A 1940 German Arado AR 232 Millipede. Built in very small numbers, this plane was assumed to be the reference for the designers who built 1950s cargo transport planes like the Fairchild Packet C-82 and the Fairchild C-119.