Last week we walked around the Asia Pacific Theatre of War section of the Palm Springs Air Museum and had a look at an assortment of Grumman aircraft, among others.  This week we return to Palm Springs and walk through the European and North African Theatre of War hangar and have a look at a big restoration project the museum has on its hands.

As you walk into the Europe and North Africa Theatre exhibit hangar you'll spy the odd looking Bell P-63 Kingcobra.  Though American designed & built, it was the Soviet Air Force that flew the Kingcobra in combat during World War II.  The Soviets went so far as to send their best test pilot and a top engineer to the Bell factory in the US to help work out the bugs in the airplane making it a safer and more superior aircraft to its predecessor, the Airacobra.

The American built Curtiss P-40 Warhawk first flew in 1938 but saw its first wartime action with the British Desert Forces in North Africa and in the Middle East, flying as the Tomahawk (later versions were called the Kittyhawk). The P-40 became the third most produced fighter after the Mustang and Thunderbolt. There were more than 13,000 P-40s built from 1938 - 1944. The museum's P-40 is a two-seat trainer used to train pilots to fly the higher performance fighters.

Not usually considered a warbird, the L-4 "Grasshopper" saw action during World War II with the US Navy & US Army, and was also used as a Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) aircraft for basic flight training by civilian flying clubs to potential air cadets. Originally designed as the Taylor cub, the Piper J-3 Cub was very popular as a civilian aircraft. By the end of the war more than 19,000 of these light aircraft were built, with 5,700 being military.

Often considered the most beautiful fighter of its time, the Supermarine Spitfire is unmistakable with its sleek lines and elliptical wings. The museum's Mk XVI version saw action during World War II with 414 Squadron, 2nd Tactical Air Force, and shot down one of the most feared German weapons, the V1 "Buzz-bomb." With a surface ceiling of more than 44,000' and a top speed of 448mph, the Spitfire was a popular high performance fighter with many Allied air forces. Though the museum's Spit' needs some TLC, she is still a stunning piece of aviation history!

One of the most loved twin engine bombers in the inventory of allied aircraft was the North American B-25 Mitchell. Famous for many raids with, probably, the most legendary was that lead by LCol. Jimmy Doolittle when he led an attack on Tokyo with 16 B-25's that took off from the deck of the aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet. Also in the museum is an A-26 Invader, another twin engine bomber, used in multiple roles including ground attack, strafing and recon. The museum's A-26 served in the European Theatre during World War II, in Japan and Korea in the 1950s and, for 16 years, operated as a water bomber in British Columbia.

Often considered the best all-round fighter aircraft of World War II, the North American P-51 Mustang was a welcomed sight in the skies to the bomber crews heading across the English Channel bound for places like Berlin, Dresden, Kassle and Hamburg, to name a few. The museum's P-51 honours the Tuskegee Airmen, the famous African-American fighter pilot squadron. They were so effective at defending the bombers that they were specifically requested by bomber squadrons, asking for the Tuskegee trained "Red Tail Angels," to fly escort for them.

Another popular fighter aircraft of World War II was the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. The P-47 was a big brute of an airplane weighing in as heavy as 8 tons when fully loaded. It is thought to be the heaviest, largest and most expensive single-engine piston fighter in history. The Thunderbolt flew bomber escort, air-to-air fighter and ground attack, carrying rockets and as much as 2,500lbs of bombs, over half that of the B-17 bomb load. The museum's example was from the Robert J. Pond collection.

Moving from the Europe and North Africa Theatre museum hangar, you come to a magnificent restoration project, the B-17 "Miss Angela." The B-17 was another aircraft that came from the Robert J. Pond collection and is in flying condition but needed some TLC so the museum and volunteers are hard at work making sure she returns to the air again soon. The B-17 was considered a high-altitude, heavy bomber and could carry 4,800lbs of bombs at a speed of 250mph. There were several designs and variants culminating in a total production of close to 13,000 aircraft when production ceased with the last aircraft rolling off the production line on April 13, 1945.

Moving from the comfort of the air conditioned hangars of the museum, even in the heat of the day, you have to head outside to the museum "ramp" where an assortment of other aircraft are displayed including the Catalina, C-47, Harpoon, Tracker, Huey Cobra, Sikorsky Choctaw and MiG 21. You can also step inside the nose section of a C-119 Flying Boxcar to have a look through and even sit in the pilot or co-pilot's seat. However, beware the heat of the day as everything inside gets VERY hot.

There are also many displays, artifacts, an assortment of engines and lots of information for the museum patron as you walk around all the aircraft and displays. Don't miss out on this beautiful museum and the history that's available to you. Make it your mission to visit the Palm Springs Air Museum!

Visit the Palm Springs Air Museum website: palmspringsairmuseum.org

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