There is something quite amazing about the air museum scene in America, from what little I've seen. There is just so much interest in and enthusiasm for preserving these machines. There are teams of volunteers and technicians, mechanics and airframe repairers at so many of them.

Palm Springs Air Museum is a case in point. There are quite a few airworthy aircraft in the collection and more are being put back in the air all the time. Perhaps the highlight of my visit was being able to crawl through a B-17 that is being readied for flight again. While not a combat veteran (it's an ex-firebomber that is being rebuilt as an operational bomber) it gives a great insight to the working conditions of the young aircrews. The workshop had several aircraft in for repair or refurbishment at the same time.

The museum has around 40 aircraft on display, primarily World War Two types, but also some more recent jets.

The museum is well presented with lots of space and plenty of opportunity for photography. The volunteers and guides are all friendly and knowledgable. The cafe there serves up a really good burger, too, and you get to eat under the wing of the B-17!

Image Gallery

To see a photo gallery of the pics I took while I was there in 2013, click on the picture below. There are also full walkaround galleries of the F-16, Grumman A-6 Intruder, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell, Catalina, Trojan, Harpoon, Dauntless, Choctaw, MiG-21, T-33, P-47 Thunderbolt, Spifire, Texan/Harvard, Cobra, Bearcat, Thunderchief, Mustang, Tigercat, Corsair, Hellcat, Wildcat, Avenger and Invader in the walkaround section of my site.