Braniff International's Boeing 727 with the dramatic Alexander Calder's Bi-Centennial Year paint scheme arriving at SFO.

Laser-equiped Pipeline Leak Detection Survey helicopter just lifting off on a cold day at Buchanan Field.

With small titles near the door.

I photographed this plane, BuNo 0972, here in 1938 at Oakland when it was still in service with the Navy, and again in 2012 at Schellville, CA. I think that is a record for the same photographer and same plane 74 years apart.

This has been over a year in the planning and it finally all came together on this day. I photographed this plane in 1938 at Oakland when it was still in service with the Navy, and again here in 2012. I think that is a record for the same photographer and same plane 74 years apart.
N20RW has been rebuilt by Christopher D. Prevost, owner of the Vintage Aircraft Company at Schellville, California. He purposely painted it in the markings of my 1938 photo and it is a very accurate job thanks to the input of Rich Dann and others. It first flew in September 2012 shortly before this photo was taken.

This was the first time that I had seen one of these interesting swing tail cargo planes.

Photo 1 of 3 (see here). After over two years of volunteer restoration work on the A-4 at the former NAS Alameda this beautiful Douglas A-4 was about to be remounted on the pylon at the main gate.

Photo 2 of 3 (see here). Suddenly the plane dropped and hit the pylon as the cables were slacked off. The reason was that the crane was tipping over and about to fall. It can be seen in the upper left hand corner.

Photo 3 of 3 (see here). The final scene with the crane on its side after hitting the tail section of the A-4 as it came down. The Skyhawk was eventually repaired and successfully mounted on the pylon (see here).

The Boeing Model 15 Hawk was produced in two series with 'FB' being the Naval version. This FB-5 was delivered to the US Navy as A-7104 but has been restored and is now on display at the Planes of Fame museum as A-7126.

I believe this is the only survivor of seven YG-1Bs sold to the US Army to establish in 1938 a rotary aircraft school at Dayton, OH. She was then re-engined with a 300 hp Jacob R-915-3 radial engine to become the only XR-3 built. Fortunately this interesting piece of aviation history has survived and is now on display at the Yanks Air Museum.

One of quite a few hulks to be seen at CNO on this day.

This HS-6 Sea King is on display aborad the USS Midway Museum.

This Luxuryliner was delivered to American Airlines October 8, 1970. The aircraft was a movie star when it appeared in the film Airport 77. Leased to Braniff Airlines for one month (October to November) in 1978 to start their new Hawaii service. Finally sold to Citicorp Leasing in May 1984, it would see service with National, Air Afrique, Iran Air, Cargolux and then bought by United Airlines in January 1988. The classic jumbo was retired on September 1999 and stored at Las Vegas, NV. Ferried to Greenwood, MS early in 200, the classic 747 was parted out over the next two years, then scrapped.

This Colt was previously HA-AND and is now parked at the Planes of Fame Museum in this pseudo-Soviet AF scheme as '05 yellow'.

This is not, obviously, a genuine Stratocruiser, rather KC-97 53-0200 having been given this superb makeover by the San Diego Air and Space Museum Restoration Facility.

Built in 01.45 for USAAF as C-54D 42-72442 and here painted thus in 1992. To RAF in 02.45 as KL977 and flown by 232 Squadron on regular Ceylon-Australia flights. Returned to USA in 1946 and allotted to US Navy as 91994. Stored at Davis Monthan 07.70. Bought by Aero Union and became N76AU in 01.76. Used as tanker until sold to Aero Flite in 10.01. Operational in 02.18 as N3054V with Alaska Air Fuel at age 73. Sadly, this aircraft, with its two crew, was lost in a crash immediately after take-off from Fairbanks, Alaska on 23 April 2024. By then, it was the last DC-4 flying commercially in the USA.

This beautiful Magister has been parked on the ramp at Chino since May 07. previously she was '220' with L'Armee de l'Air before being registered in the US as N220FM.