By Gareth Kelly
Being on the pulse of all things modern and rapidly changing in the world, it’s easy to forget, while living in California, some of the important past that got us here. Without huge developments in aeronautics, engineering and a prosperous automotive industry, the past 60 years would have been very different.
Unbeknownst to many residents of San Luis Obispo county, there is one place trying to not only preserve some of this illustrious past but to also inspire future generations to themselves continue the developments that have come before them. If you want to fly an F18 fighter jet, look at an Indy car, and check out a whole host of cool military artifacts, ordinance and memorabilia from the past half-century, then the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles is the place for you.
Started in 1992 right next to the Paso Robles Municipal Airport, the Estrella Warbirds museum was started with the simple goal of the restoration and preservation of military aircraft, military vehicles and memorabilia and those who flew and worked on military aircraft.
With many jets on display, various other planes, helicopters and a hugely popular flight simulator capable of simulating flying in 30 aircraft, the museum, one of only a handful in the country that is both a drive-in and fly-in museum, has slowly but steadily grown to a site now covering more than 12 acres.
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”#6B8E23″ class=”” size=””]“In 2009, we added the Woodland Automotive Display Building, which is home to a fantastic array of automobiles. We have a beautiful Mercedes with wing doors, Indy cars and classic cars from various decades in American history,” said Sue Dollemore, the museum’s fund development manager.[/pullquote]“As we’ve continued to grow with the use of grants and donations, we’ve been able to expand. We’ve expanded our main hanger, Hanger One, and with a 50 percent increase in visitor traffic, we are currently in the process of building a new facility to house a collection of pristine trucks from General Patten’s Red Ball Express from World War II,” Dollemore said.
With monthly dinners, social gatherings and a committed group of volunteers, staff, donors and the like, the Estrella Warbirds Museum will be expanding its hours from summer of 2015 to be open seven days a week.
Always looking to increase its community outreach and fundraising opportunities, it will also be hosting an Air Show on Aug. 29, something that had to be cancelled this year due to the museum’s ongoing construction. They are also looking for a certified curator to head up operations at the museum.
The Estrella Warbirds Museum is located at 4251 Dry Creek Rd. in Paso Robles. It is currently open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children and all active military get in for free. To find out more, visit www.ewarbirds.org.
Got a story to share? Fly over to your email and tell Gareth all about it at .
