7th of February, 2026
Planes of Fame Air Museum is proud to present the Flight of the Republic P-47G “Thunderbolt” this Saturday, February 7, 2026. It’s been six years since the Museum’s P-47 has taken to the skies over Chino and we’re thrilled to see this “Juggernaut of the Air” return to flight.
Doors to the Museum open at 9:00am and Members are always admitted FREE!
“Hangar Talk” will kick-off at 10:30am with some outstanding presentations and at 12:15pm, directly in front of the crowd, the Thunderbolt will fire up her 2,000 horsepower Pratt & Whitney R2800 radial engine. We got lots more to see and do this Saturday so hope to see you at the Museum.
Here’s what’s in store:
We’re honored to have noted NASA engineer Dr. Ashley Korzun join us for this special presentation that gives us a sneak-peek of what to expect in the coming years of space exploration. NASA will return Americans to the surface of the Moon in the next few years, sending vehicles much larger than we did during Apollo. Our goal – develop a sustainable presence on the surface. This talk will share a bit of what NASA is doing to enable our return to the Moon, and how the lessons learned from the past are influencing the future.
At a recent Hangar Talk, the Museum’s Michael Quinney focused the first part of his multi-part series on the historical evolution of aircraft carriers in the United States Navy. He continues with Part Two where he will show us the design work and construction techniques that are being put to use to build tomorrow’s supercarriers. Michael will take us through the ship and explore the advanced technology at work to make the Ford Class of carriers the most advanced in the history of mankind.
The Museum’s David Michaels returns to the Hangar Talk stage to portray another personality from history. Only this time it’s not a General but his own father. David’s dad, George, served as a production manager at Republic Aviation’s Farmingdale plant during World War II. Through his father’s eyes, we’ll hear the little known story of the men behind Republic Aviation – Russian emigres who helped changed aviation in the United States through their vision and design skills. The P-47 Thunderbolt was the first of many outstanding aircraft to roll off the assembly lines at Republic.
Joining David will be the Museum’s Lorie Rodrigues as she portrays one of the hundreds of thousands of women who helped win the Second World War by rolling up their sleeves and building the guns, ships, tanks, and airplanes. These were the “Rosie’s,” so named after a popular song. At Republic Aviation on Long Island, New York, female riveters helped turn raw metal into war-ready wings. This presentation explores how their work quietly, but decisively, helped America take flight.
The Brazilian Expeditionary Force was the only independent South American ground combat unit to serve in Europe. Known for their tenacity, the “Smoking Snakes,” as they were called, fought with distinction in Italy from September 1944 to May 1945, helping the US Fifth Army break the Axis-held Gothic Line. Daniel Bermudez, president of the Historical Unit of Southern California, will outline the group’s key achievements during the war, which included the victory at Monte Castello and the liberation of Montese. They famously captured an entire German division at Collecchio and took over 20,000 Axis prisoners.
At 12:15pm on our Hot Ramp, we present the flight of the Republic P-47G “Thunderbolt.” One of the largest single-engine aircraft of the World War II era, the Thunderbolt served with distinction in all theaters of World War II.
The Museum’s Scott Cassells will briefly talk about the role of the Thunderbolt during the war and explain how its rugged design gave it unique capabilities in combat. Then, pilot John Kerpa will fire up the 2,000 horsepower radial engine, taxi away, and then put on a fantastic aerial display overhead. Upon the aircraft’s return, Scott and John can answer questions from our guests.
Planes of Fame features some of the most famous and rarest aircraft in the world. As you walk our seven hangars, you can see these aircraft on display, watch as our teams perform routine maintenance, learn how to rivet, and get a history lesson from our Museum Guides.
We’ve got our Food Trucks on site featuring outstanding Mexican fare, coffee drinks, smoothies and a variety of frozen treats!
Hope to see you at the Museum this Saturday!
BECOME A MEMBER
