Fly in for history

The museum has unveiled one of the first stealth operational aircraft that flew in secrecy until 1988. Its type flew in combat missions in Panama (1989), the Persian Gulf War (1991), the Balkans (1999), and the Iraq War (2003).

As you approach the aircraft you instinctively question its ability to fly. Its angular design and highly swept wings render the aircraft unstable in all three principal axes, thus requiring constant flight corrections by the pilot and its onboard computers.

Conceived at the Skunk Works and built by Lockheed, this single seat, twin-engine wonder was designed to evade enemy detection by its reentrant triangular construction and black, radar-absorbing coating.

The F–117 came to the museum by way of the Air Force’s Tonopah Test Range where it was demilitarized by removing top secret assets. It then was trucked to the museum where engineers rebuilt the F–117 to its former, lethal appearance. A purpose-built hangar, reminiscent of the revetment that sheltered the F–117 in wartime, was constructed to house the aircraft.

Former Navy flyer and Minnesota industrialist Bob Pond founded the museum with his original collection of 14 World War II aircraft in 1996. Constructed on land leased from the FAA and contiguous with Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) taxiways, the museum has a sublime winter climate and a superb location at the base of the often-snowcapped Mount San Jacinto (10,834 feet).

The museum performed as a World War II Air Museum until the new vice chairman, Fred Bell, was appointed in 2010. Under his dynamic management the museum has more than doubled its exhibition hangar space to 100,000 square feet, including an impressive display of aircraft from both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts and increased the number of aircraft on display to 76. Bell steered the museum through the blackout days of COVID-19 with innovative online programs and drive-through events while planning the $2.5 million expansion scheduled to begin in 2024.

Visitors are welcomed by friendly and informative docent volunteers who guide them from hangar to hangar through U.S. aviation history. Behind the scenes, volunteer specialists work hard to restore and maintain both the static displays and flying aircraft. The museum, a nonprofit educational institution, is funded by donors, visitor entrance fees, and hosting corporate events.

Visiting pilots can fly into Palm Springs (PSP) or one of the other airports in the Coachella Valley, Bermuda Dunes Airport (UDD), or Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM). The museum offers a discount for visiting AOPA members.

Patrick Mathews is a 15-year docent at Palm Springs Air Museum. He is a travel and aviation writer and past contributor to AOPA Pilot.

palmspringsairmuseum.org