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| Come Grow With Us! |
The Estrella Warbirds Museum has always been "the place to go" for local meeting, group dinners and company events.
If you enjoy working with people and groups and are interested in making some extra money each month, we are currently in need of a part time facility rental coordinator. Experience preferred.
Contact us today! We'd love to hear from you.
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Sep. Dinner
Special Guest Speaker
Stephen B. Dwelle
COL, USAF, Retired
Top Gun Instructor, Fighter Pilot, Thunderbirds Solo Pilot
Wednesday, Sep 4, 2019
No Host Bar starts at 5:30 p.m.
Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m.
Steve Dwelle is a native of Visalia, California. Born on July 1st, 1940, he was educated in local schools and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in World Business from San Francisco State College in 1962. Entering the Air Force as an enlisted man in August 1963, he later attended Officers Training School and received his commission in December of 1963.
Steve earned his pilot wings in 1965 at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. In his 21 years in the Air Force, he had flying assignments throughout the world including 198 combat missions in Southeast Asia, and a 2-year stint as the Solo Pilot on the Thunderbirds Air Force Aerial Demonstration team. He was Commander of the Aggressor Squadron in the USAF Top Gun organization in the Nevada desert near Las Vegas, Nevada. His fighter dossier includes the F-100 Super Saber, the F-104 Starfighter, the F-4 Phantom, the F-5E Tiger, and the F-15 Eagle, which remains one of the best in the world today.
Career broadening assignments took Steve to Washington DC where he served 2 years in the Fighter division at the Pentagon and 2 years in the U.S. Senate as a Liaison Officer, and to the Fighter Command Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, as Director of Fighter Plans. He retired as a Full Colonel in 1984.
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Dinner is catered and open to the public ($20/person), reservations are
required
prior to 6 p.m., Monday prior to dinner
, either
On-line HERE
or
call
805 296-1935.
Please NOTE:
No seating without prior reservations.
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Red Ball Express Motor Pool
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M1A1-6 Ton |
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The
Red Ball Express Motor Pool is a collection of vintage U.S. military vehicles from 1941 through 1945, assembled by
Herman Pfauter, a collector and restorer of these vehicles since his teenage years. Many of these vehicle have been on display at the
Estrella Warbirds Museum.
During the past month, Herman Pfauter donated three vehicles from his collection to the
Estrella Warbirds Museum, to include this fully restored 1945 Ward LaFrance M1A1-6-ton 6x6 heavy wrecker truck. Built by Ward LaFrance of Elmira, NY, this was the largest wrecker used by the armed forces in all theaters of war in WWII and in the Korean conflict. We are thankful and forever grateful to Herman Pfauter for his donation and to his dedication to preserving these historical vehicles for future generations to see up close, that their way of life does not come without sacrifice.
Stop on by and check out the full collection in the
Red Ball Motor Pool facility at
Estrella Warbirds Museum!
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Estrella Warbirds Museum
recently acquired a
Saab J-35 Draken,
which has been transported to Paso Robles. This exceptional Swedish Mach 1.7 fighter jet exceeded our original budgeted cost and ran just under $6,000. We still need your help!
Read more information about this aircraft and/or to donate, please click on the J-35 Dralen.
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Now On Display in The Woodland Auto Display
There are quite a few rare and unique vehicles for your viewing pleasure at the
Woodland Auto Display. Not quite hidden, but off towards the rear of the facility is a fairly unique 1916 Packard, Model 2-25. What makes it more rare and unique is that it was converted to a race car.
This car was purchased in 1916 by a wealthy Argentine plantation owner, William Humphres. It was originally a two passenger "Runabout" with a 424.1 cubic inch Twin Six engine.
However,
William Humphreys set out to convert the vehicle into a road racing car and it was highly modified for its' day. The front axle is from a rare Hispano Suiza which gave it 4 wheel brakes which was unusual at that time. The chassis was modified and many engine components replaced in order to give the car a lower center of gravity, lower hood line, etc. The engine was replaced to meet US rules of a maximum of 300 cubic inch displacement. The race car was completed in the late teens to early 1920's and was raced in Argentina, the USA, and possibly in Europe. It appears to have last raced in 1924.
This is only one of many sprint, midget, modified race cars, plus numerous classic vintage and historical vehicles on display at the
Woodland Auto Display. Come on down and visit us soon! Plan on staying a while to take it all in.
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| Click on picture for more information. |
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