The Estrella Warbirds Museum is an

aviation museum An aviation museum, air museum, or air and space museum is a museum exhibiting the history and artifacts of aviation. In addition to actual, replica or accurate reproduction aircraft, exhibits can include photographs, maps, models, dioramas ...

dedicated to the restoration and preservation of military aircraft, vehicles, and memorabilia. The museum is located at Paso Robles Municipal Airport in central California and is named after Estrella Army Airfield. In July, 2009, the museum opened an automobile display featuring classic racing cars, The Woodland Auto Display.

History

The museum began in 1993, when it acquired and moved three buildings from a former almond orchard to the airport. Originally founded as the Estrella Squadron of the

Commemorative Air Force The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is an American non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that preserves and shows historical aircraft at airshows, primarily in the U.S. and Canada. The CAF h ...

, it became independent in 2000. A collection of military vehicles was donated by Herman Pfauter and in 2015 it was placed on display in a new building called the Red Ball Express Motor Pool.

Facilities

The museum is made up of the Hangar One, Al Schade Restoration Hangar, Thompson Hall, Freedom Hall, Brooks Building, Woodland Auto Display, Hind Pavilion, and Pfauter Building.

Exhibits

Exhibits at the museum include a radio room and an

flight simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they re ...

Collection

Aircraft

Aermacchi MB-326 The Aermacchi or Macchi MB-326 is a light military jet trainer designed in Italy. Originally conceived as a two-seat trainer, there have also been single and two-seat light attack versions produced. It is one of the most commercially successf ...

* Aeronca L-16 *

Beechcraft T-34 Mentor The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is an American propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston ...

* Bell UH-1D Iroquois *

Cessna T-37B Tweet The Cessna T-37 Tweet (designated Model 318 by Cessna) is a small, economical twin-engined jet trainer type which flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force (USAF) and in the air forces of several other nations. The T ...

Douglas A-4A Skyhawk The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed an ...

* Douglas C-47B Skytrain * Douglas ERA-3B Skywarrior – cockpit *

Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed a ...

* Focke-Wulf FWP.149D * Fouga CM.170 Magister * General Atomics Gnat-750 * General Dynamics F-16B Fighting Falcon * Grumman A-6E Intruder * Grumman F-14B Tomcat * Grumman F9F-8P Cougar * Grumman US-2D Tracker * Gyrodyne QH-50D DASH * LTV NA-7C Corsair II *

Lockheed P2V-5F Neptune The Lockheed P-2 Neptune (designated P2V by the United States Navy prior to September 1962) is a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. It was developed for the US Navy by Lockheed to replace the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and ...

* Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star *

Lockheed TF-104G Starfighter The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, supersonic interceptor aircraft which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the Century Series of fighter aircraft ...

* McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II * McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II – cockpit * North American QF-86F Sabre * North American T-28B Trojan * North American SNJ-5C Texan * North American Rockwell OV-10A Bronco *

Northrop AQM-38 The AQM-38 was an American target drone, developed during the 1950s by the Radioplane Division of the Northrop Corporation, Newbury Park, California, and manufactured by its Ventura Division at Van Nuys, California.Northrop F-5E Tiger II *

Radioplane MQM-33 The Radioplane BTT, known as RP-71 by the company, as WS-426/2 by the United States Navy, and as WS-462/2 by the US Air Force, is a family of target drones produced by the Radioplane Company (later a division of Northrop). History In the post ...

* Ryan BQM-34S Firebee * Saab A 32A Lansen * Saab J 35 Draken * Sikorsky UH-19D Chickasaw * Sikorsky UH-34D Choctaw *

Stinson L-5E Sentinel The Stinson L-5 Sentinel is a World War II-era liaison aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces, U.S. Army Ground Forces, U.S. Marine Corps and the British Royal Air Force. It was produced by the Stinson Division of the Vultee Airc ...

* Stinson Reliant I *

Taylor J-2 The Taylor J-2 Cub (later also known as the Piper J-2 Cub) is an American two-seat light aircraft that was designed and built by the Taylor Aircraft Company. The company became the Piper Aircraft Company and the J-2 was first of a long line of ...

UTVA Aero 3 The UTVA Aero 3 was a piston-engined military trainer aircraft built in Yugoslavia to replace the Ikarus Aero 2 then in service. One hundred ten were built, in Yugoslav Air Force service from 1958 to mid-1970s. It was superseded by the UTVA 75. ...

* Vought F-8K Crusader

Armament and ordnance

As of January 2019, the following armament and ordnance were on exhibit at the museum. * Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun * M40 105 mm Recoilless Rifle * General Dynamics M60A3 main battle tank * Quad 50 cal M2 Heavy Barrel Machine Gun * United Defense M901 ITV anti-tank vehicle * 57mm M1 anti-tank gun * ZPU-1 14.5 mm anti-aircraft gun

Military vehicles

As of December 2019, the following military vehicles were on exhibit at the museum. * AMC Mighty Mite Jeep * Diamond REO M52 * Dodge M37 WC Truck * Dodge M43 Ambulance * Dodge WC4 Power Wagon * Excelsior Welbike Mark 1 * FMC Landing Vehicle Tracked LVPT-5 * FMC Armored Personnel Carrier M113A3 * Ford GPW Jeep * Ford GTBA G622 Burma Jeep * Ford Model T Ambulance * Ford MUTT Jeep * General Motors DUKW 1942 Utility Vehicle AWD * Higgins LCVP Landing Craft * IHC M35 Series Troop Carrier * M35A1 Armored Gun Truck * M60A3 Tank * Alvis Saracen FV-603

armored personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Ac ...

* White M2 Half Track * Willys M274 Mule with 105 mm Recoilless Rifle * Willys M38A1 Jeep

Missiles

As of January 2019, the following missiles were on exhibit at the museum. * Hughes AIM-4 Falcon

air-to-air missile The newest and the oldest member of Rafael's Python family of AAM for comparisons, Python-5 (displayed lower-front) and Shafrir-1 (upper-back) An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying a ...

* Martin HGM-25A Titan I

intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapo ...

* Raytheon AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile * Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile * Raytheon AIM-54C Phoenix air-to-air missile * Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile

Other exhibits

Link Trainer The term Link Trainer, also known as the "Blue box" and "Pilot Trainer" is commonly used to refer to a series of flight simulators produced between the early 1930s and early 1950s by Link Aviation Devices, founded and headed by Ed Link, based o ...

Events

The museum holds an fundraiser event every year called Warbirds, Wings and Wheels.

Gallery

Image:A-6 Intruder at Estrella.jpg, A-6E Intruder Image:C-47 Betsy's Biscuit Bomber Estrella.jpg, C-47 Dakota "Betsy's Biscuit Bomber" File:Douglas_Skyhawk_TA-4J_on_display_at_Estrella_Warbirds_Museum.jpg, Restoration to static display Douglas TA-4J Image:Estrella AAF Tower Entrance.jpg, Estrella AAF Tower at the Warbird Museum Entrance Image:OV-10 Bronco at Estrella.jpg, OV-10 Bronco Image:SliderAirWww.jpg, Annual Warbirds Wings & Wheels Event

Footnotes

External links

* {{authority control Museums in San Luis Obispo County, California Buildings and structures in Paso Robles, California Aerospace museums in California Automobile museums in California Military and war museums in California Museums established in 1992 1992 establishments in California