by Jack
Spad XIII
Despite the Chico Air Museum being around for almost 9 years, there are still many folks in the area that are unaware of it. That’s a shame, because this is one of the finest (free) aviation museums north of Sacramento, all the way to Portland.
They have a very friendly and knowledgeable staff to make your visit informative and fun. I know – I work there!
Here are just a few of the rare planes you will encounter: A 1940 Culver Cadet, 1917 Spad XIII, a modern F-15 Eagle, 1955 P2V submarine hunter, Piasecki HB1 helicopter (Vietnam era), Corsair II jet, Bell B47 Helicopter, F86 Saber jet, Pitt’s Stunt bi-plane, BT-13 ( WWII trainer) and much more. We also have an excellent air and space room with millions of dollars in space shuttle artifacts.
In addition to restored planes, we also have a room filled with rare model airplanes and RC planes can be found in most any direction you care to look.
Curtis Hawk with retractable landing gear
Original works of aviation art and historic posters are also on display, like this Curtis Hawk (currently on loan to the MONCA museum)
On most clear Fridays you can sit in our viewing area and watch the USAF U2 spy plane practice touch and go landings or watch our A&P guys assemble a USN Guardian, one of six still in existence. Our library is an excellent resource for aviation history, including rare aviation books in French, Polish and Czechoslovakian.
We’re easy to find… just follow Convair Ave. to the north end of the runway at the Chico Airport. You’ll see a giant hanger and lots of airplanes parked outside. There’s something for everyone, even the little kids love it.
Off Topic FYI
Another new show on Fox News Sunday nights called, “The Wise Guys” has joined “Life, Liberty and Levin.
We had some out of town people visit with us recently, and we took them to see the air museum.
The docent who guided them was so helpful in explaining the history of all aircraft on display and the part they all played in aviation history.
Our guests were impressed with the assembly of different aircraft and displays in Chico’s Air museum and how the docent personalized their tour, from modern day jets to bi winged planes of the past. They really enjoyed sitting in the pilots seat of a large transport cockpit while its history and function were explained.
Lots to see and people excited to show it all to you. Hats off to a great staff and a wonderful visit.