MUSEUMS LYON AIR MUSEUM
A
fter its establishment at
John Wayne Airport in Santa
Ana, California, by retired
USAF Maj Gen William Lyon, Lyon
Air Museum’s stated mission was
“to provide a quality venue of
inspiration where the stories of
aviation’s past can touch the lives
of visitors through educational
exhibits, authentic historical
aircraft and related memorabilia”.
The state-of-the-art 30,000
sq ft (2,787m^2 ) facility exudes
class and patriotism. Besides
featuring meticulously restored
flyable aircraft, the museum also
displays rare vehicles and related
memorabilia, with the emphasis
on the World War Two era and the
importance of the role played by
the US in shaping world history.
Complementing the full-size
warbirds is a wonderful collection
of scale model aircraft in themed
glass cases, complete with
detailed data cards, as well as
photo selections and written
descriptions of significant
military flyers.
The museum even has a
modern theatre featuring World
War Two aviation films as well as
a readers’ corner with a selection
of relevant books and magazines.
Dedicated and very knowledgeable
docents (some of whom are
aviation heroes in their own right)
are also on hand to enhance the
experience for visitors.
In addition to occasional visiting
display aircraft, the museum’s
permanent collection includes
Gen Lyon’s B-17G Flying Fortress,
a B-25J Mitchell, A-26B Invader,
C-47B Skytrain, DC-3 and an AT-6F/
SNJ-6 Texan – as well as the O-1E
Bird Dog that belongs to Lyon Air
Museum president Mark Foster.
Named Fuddy Duddy, the
museum’s B-17G (44-83563)
served as a VIP transport in the
Pacific at the end of World War
Two, and reportedly once carried
Gen Dwight D Eisenhower, architect
of the D-Day invasion and later
US President.
A veteran of combat missions in
Alaska and around the Aleutian
Islands, the museum’s B-25J
(44-29465) sports the moniker
Guardian of Freedom. Post-war, it
served with the USAF as a TB-25J
trainer until finally reaching the
civilian market.
Featuring fiercely imposing
shark mouth nose art, General
Lyon’s A-26B Invader, 44-34538,
appropriately named Feeding
Frenzy, flew combat missions with
the French Air Force in Indochina
in the 1950s before being operated
by the Hughes Tool Company as a
high-speed executive transport.
It’s believed Howard Hughes flew it
himself at times.
Named Willa Dean in honour
of General Lyon’s wife, the
museum’s C-47B Skytrain
44-76791 was supplied to the
French Air Force in May
1945 and eventually
found its way to the
Israeli Air Force in
- The Skytrain
is now finished in the
wartime colours and
markings of the USAAF’s 97th
Troop Carrier Squadron, 440th
Troop Carrier Group.
Originally manufactured for the
USAAF as a C-47A Skytrain (42-
100931), Lyon Air Museum’s DC-3
flew combat missions with the
440th TCG from Exeter airfield,
Devon, for D-Day. Now called
Flagship of Orange County (John
Wayne Airport is in California’s
county of the same name), it has
been finished to represent a DC-3
flown by American Airlines.
The museum’s Texan (serial 121-
22-39) – originally delivered to the
US Navy as an SNJ-6 on June 23,
1945 – entered the civilian market
in 1960, registered as N45CK.
Dreaming
California
Lyon Air Museum has been considered a true gem by aviation
enthusiasts since its public opening in 2009, writes Frank B Mormillo
Dreaming
Lyon Air Museum and Martin Aviation president Mark Foster fl ying his Cessna O-1E Bird Dog.
ALL FRANK B MORMILLO
B-17G ‘Fuddy Duddy’ basking in the California
sunshine on Lyon Air Museum’s ramp.
84 FLYPAST November 2018