Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum at Travis AFB, CA

[jdvoss]

Attached is the collection of A/C photos taken at the subject museum on April 16, 2011

Douglas A-26C S/N 43-22652


Boeing B-29A S/N 42-65281


Boeing B-52D S/N 56-40696


de Havilland C-7A S/N 60-3767


Beech C-45H S/N 52-10865


Douglas C-47A S/N 42-92990


Lockheed C-56 S/N 41-19729


Douglas C-118A S/N 51-17651


Fairchild C-119G S/N 53-22134


Fairchild C-123K S/N 55-4507


Douglas C-124A S/N 0-21000


Cessna LC-126 S/N 49-7892


Convair C-131D S/N 54-2806


Douglas C-133A S/N 58-1999


Lockheed C-141A S/N 63-8088


Republic F-84F S/N 52-6359


NAA F-86L S/N 53-0704


NAA F-100A S/N 52-5770


McDonnell F-101B S/N 58-0285


Lockheed F-104A S/N 56-0752


Republic F-105D S/N 62-4299


Beech AT-11 S/N 41-27616


Grumman HU-16D S/N 51-7254


Cessna O-2A S/N 68-10848

[Obergrafeter]

Why are they on the parking lot? Are they building a museum to put them inside?

[jdvoss]

Thanks so much for your observation! The good news is that a building is indeed planned to honor Jimmy Doolittle but at this time I do not believe that it will be intended to house the entire collection. The building ($12 Million !) will be financed by "donations" and they have just started the finance campaign (i.e. the first million) so it may be a long time in coming. You might find the attached link of interest.

http://www.jimmydoolittlemuseum.org/

[APG85]

Fantastic collection! It's a shame they are sitting outside. I was under the impression that the building was intended to house the planes...not the case?

The B-29 recovery (China Lake) and restoration is quite a story and she's a combat vet. She really needs to get under a roof...

[1bdvet]

Thanks for sharing!

[jmkendall]

That B-29 is restored in its original markings and is not just a cosmetic restoration, the interior was extensively restored and many of the systems made operational.

The A-26 is restored using A-26k components, I think from the ex Florence bird, as the parts showed up around the same time they were scrapping her. She two has feed trays, working turret, ect.

They had a very talented restoration staff during the 80s and 90s, and then everything just kinda fell apart when they were downgraded to an AirPark rather than a museum.

[jdvoss]

JMKendall:

You are so correct about the B-29 being in its original markings. Apparently when the Travis restoration team brought the B-29 up from China Lake they stripped off the aluminum paint and discovered the original WWII markings. I've attached a link for the photo of the very aircraft on Tinian in 1945. One key difference however: The original photo shows it marked as "12" and the current aircraft is now "11" . Must be a story here!

http://1000aircraftphotos.com/MilitaryProp/9004.htm

[APG85]

I'd like to see pictures of the interior of that B-29...

[Hamilton H-37500]

Thanks for posting those. I tried to go to the museum last month when my 92 year-old father-in-law was visiting us. We waited well over an hour for a guide to take us onto the base (after a half-hour of paperwork), but then they told us it would be another 2 hours of waiting before anyone would be available. We reluctantly had to leave.

It sounds like a great collection (and the pictures document that) but it's really tough to get in since entry is dependent upon availability of an escort, and visitors are very, very low priority on a working base.

[jdvoss]

Thanks so much for your note regarding entry to Travis. I went on a Saturday morning and got to that security building about 30 minutes BEFORE the museum opened. I was the only one in the Sec Bldg at that time so my background check went pretty quickly. The Escort showed up shortly thereafter and I just followed him (in my car). I understand that weekdays are chaotic with so many trying to gain access for varying reasons.

An alternative to Travis is the Aerospace Museum at former McClelland AFB. It too is right along Interstate 80 (north of Sacramento) and takes about 45 minutes to get there. Ironically, McClelland is the base where Jimmy Doolittle had his 16 B-25's modified for his famous raid. Seems that that museum should have been called "Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum" !!

John

[Glenn_Alderton]

JDVOSS

Nice to catch up with you again. I sent a test email to you from my website but it either never got through or it's changed.

I was at Travis last August. I was actually going to go to another museum but missed the turn off, and saw Travis a little while later. So I asked if I could go in. As a non American. I can't get in without an escort. They obliged after about a half hour so I got a bonus museum after all that.




nice icon.

[Glenn_Alderton]

BTW

Here's the B-29 as I saw it

[APG85]

Nice shots of the B-29!