certainly hot on its heels.
The facility often hosts open-
cockpit days and special themed
automotive displays featuring
fabulous vehicles from other
collections. It can be rented or
made available for other bespoke
functions, too.
General Lyon joined the USAAF in
1943 and served with Ferry
Command in the Pacific and
Europe before moving to the
North African Division of the Air
Transport Command later in World
War Two. During the Korean War,
he flew 75 combat missions in
C-46 Commando and C-47
Skytrain transports.
Among his many decorations are
the Legion of Merit, Distinguished
Flying Cross and Air Medal with
two Oak Leaf Clusters. His last
command before retirement from
the USAF was as Chief of the Air
Force Reserve
from 1975 to 1979.
He became a successful
businessman in civilian life and
an active supporter of the local
community from his headquarters
in Newport Beach, California, and
his company built 75,000 homes
in Arizona, California, Nevada,
Colorado, Washington and Oregon.
In the 1980s he established three
privately held firms, Lyon Capital
Ventures, Lyon Realty Advisors and
the Lyon Management Group. Along
with partners, he also purchased the
airline AirCal in 1981, which merged
with American Airlines in 1987.
His next venture was to purchase
Martin Aviation, a turboprop and
piston-powered aircraft repair
facility at John Wayne Airport
originally founded by local aviationpioneer Eddie
Martin in 1923. The
company is now co-located with
Lyon Air Museum and Mark Foster is
president of both.
A dynamic and well organised
individual, Mark Foster began his
aviation career as a youngster
‘bending metal’ in Steve Hinton’s
Fighter Rebuilders workshop
at Chino Airport in Southern
California. He was also a volunteer
at the co-located Planes of Fame
Air Museum.
Recognising Foster’s many
talents, Planes of Fame eventually
selected him as its vice-president
and general manager before
General Lyon finally made him anoffer he couldn’t refuse, and he
became president of both Lyon Air
Museum and Martin Aviation.
Besides his beloved Bird Dog,
Foster is also qualified to fly the
SBD Dauntless, P-51 Mustang, F4U
Corsair and AT-65/SNJ Texan, and
in his spare time (limited though
it may be) he still volunteers to
fly and help maintain warbirds for
Planes of Fame.
With people such as Gen
Lyon and Mark Foster at the helm,
the future of Lyon Air Museum
seems assured.North American B-25J
Mitchell ‘Guardian of Freedom’
over Orange County, California.November 2018 FLYPAST 87Lyon Air Museum
19300 Ike Jones Road, Santa Ana,
California, 92707, USA
Tel: 714-210-4585
http://www.lyonairmuseum.org