This program will begin at 10 a.m. with a seminar describing the exploits of the nation against Japanese aggression. Trained for combat by Claire Chennault, the Flying Tigers (technically known as the American Volunteer Group ñ AVG), first went into combat shortly after the Japanese attack against Pearl Harbor and soon provided the Allies with the first positive combat results against an enemy that seemed otherwise unstoppable at the time. The program will conclude with a flight demonstration by the Planes of Fame Curtiss P-40N Warhawk, a fighter made famous in the hands of the AVG pilots.
Throughout the year, Planes of Fame will host similar events on the first Saturday of each month, as well as a major two-day airshow in May and a fly-in at its auxiliary facility in Valle, Arizona in June. From March 1 through April 26, Planes of Fame will also host a Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum exhibit titled ìAt the Controls,î featuring large-format photographs of airplane and spacecraft cockpits; and, from April 28 through July 6, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian exhibit, Native Words, Native Warriors,î will tell the story of a unique Native American contribution to the Allied victory in World War II.
