2014 Planes of Fame Airshow
Mooney International: Planes of Fame Air Show 2014 “A Salute to the Mighty Eighth”
There really is nothing like the sound that a mass of warbirds firing up brings, or the sound of them flying by at low level near top speed. Every year I find myself counting down the days to the Planes of Fame airshow in Chino, California.Their wide array of flyable warbirds, which span from pre WWII through the Korean War,has always captivated me. This year’s show was no different. With a vast collection of flyable aircraft, the Planes of Fame puts on one of the most impressive airshows in the entire country. .
[pullquote-right]“This year’s theme was ‘A Salute to the Mighty Eighth’, honoring the men and women of the Eighth Air Force during World War II.”[/pullquote-right]The show was held this year on the weekend of May 3rd and 4th. Mooney International was the premier sponsor of the show, and announced the resumption of the Mooney production line after five years of being dormant.They were promoting their newest Mooney, which is slated for delivery in July of this year. Even though the temperature neared the triple digit mark Friday and Saturday, tens of thousands of people still came out for the sights and sounds of the 2014 Planes of Fame Air Show. This year’s theme was ‘A Salute to the Mighty Eighth’, honoring the men and women of the Eighth Air Force during World War II.
Aircraft flying during the event showcasing the Pacific & European theaters, as well as the Korean War included:
(2) F4Us, a F6F, (3) B-25s, a SBD, (2) TBMs, a Val, an A6M, a FM-2, (2) P-40s, a P-2, (2) B-17s, (2) C-47s, a C-53, a P-38, a P-63, a FW-190, a Spitfire, a T-6, an AD-5, a F-7F, a Yak-3, (3) F-86s, a Mig-15, a T-33, (11) P-51s and (4) P-47s.
A few of the notable highlights of the weekend were:
A flight of four P-47 Thunderbolts (out of only six or seven left flying in the world today) that were flown in formation each day, and the Bremont Horseman, flying aerobatics in 3 P-51 Mustangs early in the show, and closed the show with aerobatics in 3 F-86 Sabres.
Also performing during the show were:
Ron Hackworth in the N9MB Flying Wing, Sean Tucker in his Oracle Challenger, Rob Harrison in the Tumbling Bear, John Collver in his T-6 ‘War Dog’, Clay Lacy in his Learjet, Lucas Oil who raced 2 jet cars side by side, and the USAF F-22 Raptor demo team who also flew a heritage flight with a P-38, P51, and P-47.
The Planes of Fame airshow has never disappointed me and has once again left me counting down to next year’s show.
I’d like to thank Mooney International for their outstanding hospitality over the course of the weekend, as well as Harry Geier and the entire Planes of Fame Museum staff for once again hosting such an incredible event.
Steve Lewis
Visit some of the performers at their websites:
These photos courtesy of Airshowvid.com