Lyon Air Museum (Santa Ana, CA) -- September 2015

DAY EIGHT (26 September 2015):

When travelling, you always need to keep in mind when you have to secure your boarding positions for your flight the following day.  I’m able to do everything electronically, and have the stuff sent to my phone.  My parents preferred the paper method, so we needed to make sure those were secured before we headed out for the day.  Being able to have your position secured, and simply print out the boarding pass at the airline kiosk is useful.  But once that was done, then we could head out for the day’s events.

I’d been trying to meet some of my other contacts today too, but were having some difficulty in making connections.  Sure the plan in the later part of the day would be to enjoy the beach again, and soak up some rays before heading back, but we’d do something intellectual today also.  And that required a quick trip over to Santa Ana.

Located next to the John Wayne Airport was Lyon Air Museum.  This was founded by Major General William Lyon to have a collection of functional aircraft, rare vehicles, and World War II era memorabilia.  I enjoy going to air museums like this, because there’s always something of interest.

It’s always fun to look at the old cars, especially because you can see manufacturer’s which aren’t in business any more.  Plus it’s interesting to compare the amenities of these older vehicles (like this 1935 Packard) to what can be found in modern cars.

Of course, I like checking out the vehicles which were made during the war era to see what interesting designs were created then.  This 1943 German Kettenkrad tracked motorcycle is a good example, as in the post-war period I’ve never seen anything like this in civilian use.

And it’s nice to see the history of some manufacturers which have survived to the modern day, when you look at what was made as part of the war production.  Companies like BMW and Mercedes-Benz are still in existence today making vehicles, but they created things to drive during the war.  This 1939 Mercedes-Benz touring wagon is a good example.  Note how the front doors opened backwards to what we’re used to in modern cars.

The main reason to go to an air museum is to see the planes, like this Douglas C-47 “Skytrain.”  A fleet of over 800 of these planes dropped 13,000 paratroopers into Normandy during the D-Day Invasion.  Note the pans next to the wheels.  Those are there to catch oil dripping from the engines.  That’s one way to know these planes, for as old as they are, are still flyable.

One of the great things when visiting an air museum is to see the types of planes which took part in critical missions.  This B-25 Mitchell is a good example of that.  While this specific plane wasn’t involved, it was this type of aircraft which took place in the Doolittle Raid against Japan in 1942.

Not every piece in the museum saw action during the war.  This B-17 Flying Fortress was one of the last to be delivered to the Army Air Forces, and used mostly as a VIP transport in the Pacific.  This specific plane was used in the classic film Tora! Tora! Tora!, and later re-named “Fuddy Duddy” to honor a plane which flew 93 missions before being lost over Germany in December 1944.

While the planes are always the most impressive items in an air museum, the smaller historical pieces can be just as interesting for what they represent.  Occasionally there’s items from World War I (notice how it says “The Great War” on the sign), because it can really show you how different aviation was then.

And then there’s the aspects which give that local angle.  Due to the paper shortages and war rationing, much of the daily newspapers which chronicled the history were recycled, but it was nice to see these copies of the Santa Ana Register which showed the conclusion of the war.

It only took a hour or two to go through this completely, and that was including the short film on site, but it was worth it.  This makes a nice afternoon destination location when you’re in the area to see something perhaps you haven’t seen.

One little bit of amusement I had was where the Indian motorcycle was placed next to.  Perhaps your humor isn’t goofy the way mine is, but it should still appreciate the world play.

More Information on Places Visited or Mentioned:

Santa Ana (CA):  http://www.ci.santa-ana.ca.us/

John Wayne Airport:  http://www.ocair.com/

Lyon Air Museum:  http://lyonairmuseum.org/

Doolittle Raid:  http://www.uss-hornet.org/history/wwii/doolittle.shtml

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