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| Come Grow With Us! |
The Estrella Warbirds Museum has always been known for its constant change and quality of the displays. If you have not been to the museum in a while, there is no better time then this summer to catch up on the latest aircraft, military vehicle or automotive display that has become part of the museum since the last time you visited.
If you have a little bit of extra time on your hands and are looking for a new hobby or willing to share your knowledge or even learn something new, we are always looking for
gift shop workers, docents or volunteers in the restoration or maintenance areas. We are all family and would like you to join us! It's fun! There are plenty of new friends to meet and enjoyable times to be had.
Contact us today! We'd love to hear from you.
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October Dinner
Special Guest Speaker
Julius Royal
Former Hungarian Air Force
Wednesday, Oct 5, 2016
No Host Bar starts at 6:00 p.m.
Dinner starts at 7.p.m.
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Julius was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1932. He attended a class for Jews at a Christian school. His father Dave, was a blond, blue-eyed mechanical engineer and Austrian from a British family. About 1942, in the middle of the night, Dave wasd seized by German agents and taken to Berlin to work on U-boat designs. The family only heard from him once or twice before he was killed by advancing Soviet artillery at the end of the war.
In 1944 Julius heard his mother, Dr Rosie Neumann Royal, was held at a temporary camp in a football field and scheduled to be deported to Auschwitz. He got to see her one more time before she was herded into a cattle car. One of his mother's sisters was forced to live in the ghetto. Julius' aunt Magda was gassed at Dachau, along with her 5-year old daughter. An uncle was transported to Ukraine and died as a slave laborer. Dr Rosie Royal survived Auschwitz and practiced medicine in Budapest until age 75.
Julius wanted to be a pilot and attended the Hungarian Air Force Officer Academy from 1952 to 1954. In 1956 he was the co-pilot of a crew of four aboard a fighter-bomber during the Hungarian Uprising. When his aircraft was shot down by a much faster Soviet MiG-17, he bailed out and fled across the Austrian border.
Make sure you have signed up on line or have a current reservation. Hope to see you there! More information about Julius Royal, the event and pictures from last month's dinner meeting
can be found at this link.
Dinner is catered and open to the public ($17/person), reservations are required prior to 6 p.m., Monday prior to dinner, either on-line or call 805 296-1935
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Airfest 2016 Paso Robles Airport Appreciation Days
As per Richard Woodland, a primary sponsor for the Inaugural MelgaSwap Meet, "A very sincere thank you to all who participated in our first swap meet attempt. In spite of some first time glitches, it really came off as an artistic success. I personally stopped at each vendor to thank them for coming out and supporting us. It was virtually unanimous that they were selling things, making a few bucks, loved the concept and wanted to know when the next one would be."
As the museum continues to grow, Estrella Warbirds Museum board has continually looked at different ways to involve the community and the museum. Judging by our growth rate, it seems to be working! Nearly every new event brings people to the museum whom are amazed at what they never knew existed before! The city of Paso Robles certainly feels the museum has been a great asset to the community and this past month leased an additional ten adjacent acres to allow for future expansion.
Click on the above picture for more pictures from Megaswap Meet 2016!
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| Randy Wilbur levels the grade. |
This past month saw completion of more improvements to the grounds at the museum. New drainage lines were added and additional ground coverings were added to smooth off the transition between buildings after the Red Ball Building was completed. This should greatly assist during winter rains, plus allow for a more level static display area frequently utilized for special events. Thanks Randy Wilbur of Wilbur Construction for their consistent quality work over the past many years. It is greatly appreciated!
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New Vehicles have been added to the Woodland Auto Display
Did you know that the first patent for an automobile was awarded to Kark Benz? The year was 1886! One of the latest displays at Estrella Warbird Museum is an 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen Replica. This is one of less than 90 in the world, produced according to the original patent engineering drawings under the auspices of Mercedes Benz as part of the 100 year anniversary. It features a 954 cc single cylinder that generated .75 (yes, only 3/4) horsepower. Does it run? Just ask Claudia Woodland who had the opportunity to take it on a cruise before it was put on display. Claudia didn't quite replicate the initial publicity stunt done by Bertha Benz, Karl's wife, when she drove off to visit her mum, (without her husband's knowledge) on one for the first long distance trip from Mannheim, Germany through Heidelberg and Wiesloch to Pforzheim. Not only was she the driver, but she was also the resident mechanic and found petrol at the Wiesloch Pharmacy. Click on picture below for more information.
One other new vehicle is also old, and rare. You will find a 1939 "Big Car", (Big Car is an early term for Sprint Car). This race car is a very unique example of blending the aviation industry into the world of auto racing. I maintains a Ranger inverted 6 cylinder air cooled engine, which was first developed in 1930 by Fairchild Aircraft and Engine Company for the training type of aircraft they designed and build. Among those were the Fairchild PT-19 and PT-26 military single wing training planes. It was an extremely reliable engine and was continually upgraded over the years. Click on link above for more information.
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| Claudia Woodland out for a drive |
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