6th of September, 2025
There’s something for everyone at Planes of Fame this Saturday, September 6, 2025!
We’ve got a great day planned as we present the “AT-6 ‘Texan’ Flying Extravaganza!” plus a special focus for “Hangar Talk,” and lots to see and do for all ages. Doors to the Museum open at 9:00am and Members are always admitted FREE!
This month we’ve got a real flying treat we’re calling the “AT-6 Flying Extravaganza!” We’re putting three (or more!) North American AT-6 “Texan” aircraft into the skies over the Museum for a special twenty-minute formation flight. These beautifully restored aircraft are loud and proud representatives of a time when they served as everything from advanced training aircraft during World War II to forward-air-control and combat flyers during the Korean War. At 12:15pm, we’ll host the flight experience. Our Museum Guides will teach a bit about these amazing planes and then we’ll start each of their 600 horsepower engines in front of the crowd and watch them taxi away. Our skilled pilots will then fly formation and make multiple passes overhead.
For this month’s “Hangar Talk,” we take a look back to 1945 and the dramatic end of the Pacific War. Eighty years ago this week, representatives of the Allied Nations and the Empire of Japan met onboard the American battleship USS Missouri to sign the instrument of surrender documents, officially concluding hostilities.
It was a long and difficult road to get to the end of this brutal war. Beginning at 10:30am in our Maloney Hangar, “Hangar Talk” will devote its time to looking back at the pivotal events in the final months of the war.
We will examine the fierce fighting that accompanied the war’s last twelve months, a period of time that resulted in over 1.5 million deaths – most aptly referred to as “the Killing Year.”
We’ll examine four critical weapon systems and combat strategies utilized by the United States to bring about the Japanese capitulation – with horrific and tragic results.
We’ll look at the Soviet Union’s entry into the war in August and how that impacted both allied and Japanese thinking.
We’ll review the planned invasions of the Japanese islands by the United States and the counter actions taken by the Japanese. These invasions almost assuredly would have caused incredibly high casualties.
We’ll examine the conditions demanded by the allies for Japan’s surrender and the turmoil these conditions caused within the highest levels of the Japanese government.
And we’ll close with a look at the allied Occupation of Japan – efforts focused on rebuilding a devastated land and instilling freedom to an exhausted populace. Due to Japanese resilience and adaptability, these efforts have exceeded all expectations.
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.
The weather promises to be a perfect day to enjoy an ice cream treat or a cold smoothie so 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!
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