WIX Archives

Chino Update

Posted by Rob Mears on Fri Jan 18, 2002 12:54:49 AM

I visited Chino this past weekend. It was the first time in years and to be honest I would like to have spent at least another full day there.

The Air Museum Planes of Fame currently has a P-39, a Tora Zeke, and a Grumman Duck underway in their restoration hangar. They also had two F6F Hellcats displayed next to each other in the 'Bob Pond Hangar' which was a real treat :)

Their southeast display hangar had two beautiful F8F Bearcats, both of which will be airborne in the very near future. I think I fell head-over-heels in love with the bare metal example at the rear of the hangar!


I'm extremely excited to see that Yanks Air Museum has finally pulled their F4U-4 Corsair out of the dusty corner of their restoration hangar and has set about restoring her to flying condition. The Corsair's R-2800 was freshly overhauled and ready to be hung on the plane once the airframe is complete. The day I visited, the firewall had been freshly sprayed, and the wheel wells were in the process of receiving a fresh coat as well. Leon at the museum mentioned that the fighters might well be flown to their new location once the new museum facility is constructed. If so, it will be a huge treat to see some air-to-air shots of some of the Yanks birds.

The P-39 looked to be fresh out of restoration, and was supposed to be undergoing its first engine runs the day I visited. The engine test had to be postponed due to the fact that the disassembling of their twin Beech project had blocked the hangar door.

The P-51C was having its prop reinstalled, though I failed to inquire why it had been removed.

Youcan take a look at the link below to see a few shots of a few of the Yanks birds. Enjoy :)

http://members.aol.com/skychrgr/Chino

Rob Mears

Yanks Air Museum Pics

Follow Ups: