Planes of Fame Air Museum

Came in on a rainy Thursday - the volunteers(?) working the counter were very nice. The planes themselves are well maintained and varied, too - once you get past the well kept WWI-WWII planes that everyone knows, there's a bunch of little gliders and experimental aircraft like the Miles and Atwood Special that might enthuse any aviation nerd. Just wish their gift shop had some more bomber jackets!

A good air museum. Most of the planes were WWII aircraft, but they have planes from a Wright Brothers flyer reproduction to aircraft through the Korean War. The staff were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Many of the aircraft on display are still air worthy.

First time visiting, we had a lovely time! All staff were friendly and welcoming. You enter and exit through the gift shop, entrance is $20 per person, 4 and under free! Restrooms were near the entrance/exit. I recommend bringing lots of water to stay hydrated, it’s a bit warm in the areas 🙂 There are some areas where it is empty, but that didn’t take away any of the magic. We enjoyed our time there and talking to the folks there.

Fantastic museum. The indoor exhibits are well maintained, freshly painted, and dusted-off. The gift shop is well stocked with desirable merch (not junk).

This is a great museum, you could spend the whole day here. I spent 3 hours without trying. There's a lot of history, and the docents are very knowledgeable. It's amazing that they can restore planes into flying condition.

An amazing "little" museum. It's really not small, just looks like it from the outside. I had an incredible chat with Victor, who also took me into two areas that weren't finished yet. Forever grateful for the tour, the chat, and the amazing history. Highly recommend visiting if you're an aviation enthusiast. Lots of history, lots of planes, and even a tank!

This place is amazing. The kiddos will definitely enjoy seeing the airplanes. Staff is friendly and very knowledgeable of the aircrafts that are on display. Place is clean and very organized so you know where to go even though it's a self guided tour. Gift shop is really cool with selling a bunch of memorabilia and a few toys.

I had i wonderful experience with all the marvelous history they have there. Great place to visit with your children. I recommend it to come and visit.

We spent 2 hours here and would have stayed longer only they were closing. Had an amazing tour guide called Tom. You could genuinely feel how enthusiastic everyone here was and how happy they were to share their knowledge. An amazing collection, we only got to explore 3 hangers, could have spent another 2 hours there! The fact that it is volunteer led is almost unbelievable, highly recommend a visit!

You'll find the Planes of Fame Museum on the northern perimeter of Chino airport when you see the silver F-86 Saber gate guardian as you drive up. This is one of the greatest private collections of historic aircraft anywhere, that rivals the big aviation museums across the country and is totally worth the trip out. Unlike those traditional museums, PoF keeps many of their planes in tip-top flying condition. I was told that of the 120 aircraft in their collection, 40 are in flying condition. You can tell those apart from their gleaming mirror polished surfaces and the oil pans under the engines to keep the floor clean. The multiple hangars house rare & historic restored aircraft from the Golden Age of Aviation, WWI, WWII and into the Jet Age. Some of the planes that I built as models from my childhood are here in 3D, full size in living color! The WWII birds are my favorites, such as the F4U Corsair (from Baa Baa Black Sheep TV show), P-47 Thunderbolt, P-40 Warhawk, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell & P-38 Lightning. They even have Tom Cruise's personal P-51D Mustang that he flew in Top Gun: Maverick! They take extra nice care of it and fly it to wherever he needs it. Anything for Tom! Make sure to visit each building because you never know what you'll find. I spoke to a mechanic that was working on an engine for a T-33 jet trainer belonging to a private owner and he was very knowledgeable and friendly. The building towards the back houses a model workshop and it is a modeler's dream like a hobby shop that exploded! In the boneyard are a lot of propeller & jet planes that have seen better days and awaiting facelifts like their brethren in the hangars. Everybody here is amazingly friendly and super knowledgeable about the entire collection, so ask as many questions as you can. While I was wandering around like a kid in a candy store, a number of school groups were getting tours from the docents. I wish I had this while I was that age!

This is a wonderful and nostalgic trip down memory lane for all of us airplane and military buffs who love history and travel. For me personally it was really special as the grandkids would ask questions about the origin of air travel plus very specific questions about the first flight. What better a place to take them( they live in California) to see the very first Wright Brothers plane from 1903 and a 104 other amazing and well maintained masterpieces to give them a first hand touch and feel plus the visual. We were lucky timing wise to be able to see and love an air show in October. The Blue Angels and a couple of other USAF planes and teams sadly could not be there because of the Government shutdown but we had groups from Canada who came in filling in the gaps. The admission for adults is $20 and you get way more than you paid for. This is a must do and absolutely do not miss for all ages. The Air Museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday ( closed Thanksgiving and Christmas). They also feature a monthly special event with a flight demo, lecture and a fun Q and A for the inquisitive fans. Loved it!!

Great experience at Planes of Fame air museum. I purchased the P-51 Warbirds experience for my husband's 40th birthday. From start to finish the experience was easy to book and the day of was amazing. I was required to pay a small deposit and paid the remaining balance the day of. I wanted something unique for his birthday and the P-51 is his favorite plane. He was completely surprised and actually teared up a little. Don't tell him I told you. Ha ha. We got there at 2 for the appointment and my husband signed a few waivers and then a short wait to meet his pilot. The whole experience is one hour, which included 20 minutes of flying time. The pilot gave my husband his personal history and how he got into flying this plan. He also gave him great history on the flying abilities of the P-51 and did some maneuvers while flying. They flew over to Lake Elsinore and came back. My husband loved every minute. The experience also included a signed certificate from the pilot, a P-51 keychain, and a patch for the experience. Admission for the person flying and guest are also included. The museum was really neat, and I am not really a plane person. It was interesting to see all of the people working on the planes in the hangers and they were happy to answer questions. Staff and volunteers were so nice and made sure to keep us hydrated with water as it was HOT! Overall, it was a great experience, and I would encourage anyone looking for a unique experience to check it out. I would do this for my husband again.

I can't say enough good things about this amazing place! Their collection of planes is amazing as it is, but throw in the friendly staff and you have struck gold! We had our grandson's birthday party here and every guest said it was the best party they had ever been to!!!! If you haven't been there go asap, you will not be sorry! And i can't forget to mention the junior modelers club, our kids love it! I hope to see you all at Wings, Tracks and Wheels, you will love watching the tank roll!!!

My son and I had an awesome experience Planes of Fame. I built a custom bicycle based on a P-40 Warhawk for my son for X-Mas, and they were so kind to let us take some photo's with the bicycle inside the museum. This was truly an unforgettable father son experience, and we're already looking forward to our next visit. And a special thanks to Pancho for giving my son the VIP treatment.

I recently visited Planes of Fame on a class field trip for my art class. The staff had no problem with us bringing in foldable chairs and drawing utensils. I have no interest in aviation, yet I had a good time, so I am sure someone who loves planes and military history would love. It was larger than I expected and there were many, many planes and miniature models. There were several volunteers talking to patrons and I overheard many visitors speaking about their time in service. $20 admission

Really enjoyed our experience here ! Please stop by and check out some history if you have the time. Very hospitable staff and most of the really cool planes are inside out of the sun so that helps.

Fantastic, informative, outstanding air museum! John showed us around for 2 hours and we were so thrilled the entire time. Stand up guy with so much knowledge, we will be back! I love how a lot of the airplanes are flying and being restored. Also we'll be attending the Central Coast AirFest 2025 next week!

Wonderful and friendly staff with a huge array of aircraft in flying condition. A definite must see- my daughter loves seeing these historical aircraft up close, in person.

It's definitely a MUST visit!! Especially for a day excursion if you have kids, or even for anyone who may be aviation/plane enthusiasts. I remember taking my son here a couple times for play dates with friends when he was a toddler. I recommend visiting when it's cooler and comfortable weather because the heat can affect your comfort as you explore the grounds and the museum space indoors for the planes/equipment. The grounds are spacious and can easily spend a full afternoon. One of my visits here, it was areally hot. Just keep in mind the warmer days may make your nose a bit sensitive to the scent (probably from products they use to preserve the exhibits). The history and the structures are incredible. What a very hands-on learning experience and a great educational tool to experience with kids, or even as a family excursion.

Took my 3 year old son and he loved every second of it as did I. Everyone working there was so great and informative. I underestimated how many planes, model planes, etc. they would have there. We definitely will be going back soon!

This museum was so interesting. It had so many hangars with planes in them and also along the outside. It was nice to learn most of them are still being flown. They had plane engines on display, and employees are there to answer any questions or give a bit of history. They also had war tanks and old automobiles.

Fantastic museum and loved the air show. We took a youth group from our church there and the kids loved it - especially the B-17 bomber they were able to get in. The people there are very nice and the atmosphere is fun. Good place to take in some history and appreciate those who have sacrificed for our freedoms. My only disappointment is that I realized after we left that they charged us the full price for admission rather than the group rate that we should have been charged for having 10+ people with us.

This is a great museum with lots of cool planes and helicopters and a GREAT shop for touristy stuff.

What an amazing event space. We had our wedding ceremony and reception there this past weekend. Our family and friends haven't stopped telling us stories of how much they enjoyed the space. The museum, the history, the beautiful scenery, it all was so impressive. For us personally, it was the incredible team that helped us accomplish such a beautiful event. Karen, you were so helpful, you really went above and beyond to make everything perfect. Thank you Planes of Fame!!!!

This past weekend, I had the grandkids and wanted to find something nice and different to do. After living in Chino Hills for over 24 years, I finally visited the Planes of Fame Museum at Chino Airport--and what an incredible experience! It was so much more than I ever expected. Everyone was welcoming, and admission was very reasonable. You need a full day to truly enjoy it and take in all the history behind those planes. I highly recommend it to anyone, even if you're not into planes or history!"

Good morning, aviators. This is your Boss speaking. Today's activity is museum exploration. So buckle up, tie that shoe lace and put your sunglasses on. Here we go! ;D Planes of Fame Air Museum (est 1957) is an aviation museum in Chino, California (40 miles East of LA). The museum has many flying and static aircraft, with a total of 150 aircrafts. Furthermore, they have incredible number of rare aircraft, many the last remaining examples of their kind from the golden age of aviation to WWII and to the Jet age. PFAM has ten hangers and memorial where they house those aircrafts such as Ed Maloney hanger, Bob Pond hanger, Foreign hanger, USS Enterprise hanger, Friedkin hanger etc. The museum was very informative and I was impressed how they preserved and acquired different aircraft throughout the years. The highlight of my visit was when I saw Tom Cruise's P-51 Mustang on display - loaned to the museum. You'll spend 1.5 hrs to 2 hours to see all hanger exhibits in this museum. Ticket admission price was affordable. Service was good. Staff were amiable, knowledgeable and professional. Free Parking. Overall, it's a wonderful museum and heaven for aircraft fans. I highly recommend this museum.

A great museum and reasonably priced! They have very unusual planes and very good signage to inform you about the planes.

What an outstanding collection they have. I have been to many aircraft museums both here and overseas and this rates among the best. Many of the aircraft are in flying condition which is even more impressive. When I went, they had a Mosquito in their collection that actually flew. The collection is large with both military and civilian aircraft. They also have a large collection of air racers. The employees are friendly and knowledgeable. Being an military aircraft historian, I am pretty confident in my knowledge of the subject. But even I learned a few things from talking to the staff. The drive out to Chino is well worth it and this should be on the bucket list of any military aircraft fan.

Awesome collection of vintage aircraft. You can climb inside a B-17 Flying Fortress which is really awesome. Most exhibits are static. Lots to look at. Great place for kids to stop in. Go during cooler weather.

This place is incredible, I had no idea this gem was so close to home. I brought my 8 year old son and we were lucky enough to have Don give us a tour. We learned so much- I was just as captivated as my son. 10/10 experience and I highly recommend

The Planes of Fame Air Museum located in Chino,California is a terrific experience for the entire family,couples,airplane fans,military historians and when visiting SoCal! Boasting a collection of over 100 aircraft,including a replica of the famous1903 Wright Flyer,World War I and ll aircraft,Korean War,Vietnam War and much more.Most of the aircraft in their collection are restored and operational and have been restored. They have a terrific gift,memoribilia and souvenir store to bring some aviation back home with you or for a friend! The staff here are very knowledgeable and are ready to answer your questions!We had a great experience at the Planes Of Fame Air Museum in Chino,California!

So this place is great for planes of course. Most of the planes are still up and functional. Sundays you can jump in the B-17 that is viewable from the parking. The guys are very well knowledged in the history. A/C is limited because they are hangars, so if it is hot, is will be hot. The cool is in the gift shop, where they have connection of shirts and plane toys. Oh yeah they have some planes that you can recognize from Disneys Planes movie, because that's where they got their concepts. Also since they are at a hangar you sometimes heart and see planes coming in. Yanks air museum is also around the corner, but I win be checking that out today.

This place is awesome! I went on Father's Day because dads got in free and we all had a great time! All the staff was friendly and helpful and the planes were so cool! I will be back again!

My grandson just turned 9 and loves airplanes, so we brought him to this museum. There are old airplanes you can go into, an old helicopter you can go into as well, lots of old airplane and army artifacts. There was also an air show. There was one food truck, another truck for coffee and churos. Entrance fee for 3 adults and 1 child was $60. Very interesting museum...

Without a doubt, an "A#1" experience all the way around!!! We went for a P51 ride with the pilot, Garren (sorry if misspelled). He was absolutely amazing, and so humble. My husband is not generally very emotional but this experience brought out such genuine happiness and appreciation. Aside from Garren's expertise, the rest of the staff, especially Liz, took such incredible care of us. We felt like VIPs. It's RARE to find that in any business, and was so unexpected. You made it such a pleasure. We cannot recommend having a war plane ride here more, or just coming to visit their incredible plane museum. Everything was so well done from the planes (huge number), to the gift store. We want you all to know you did a fantastic job. God bless each of you ~Adrian & Marie Corbett and family

If you like aviation history this is a must visit spot, particularly if you like warbirds from WWII. Visit the first Saturday of the month and you will be able to see one of those warbirds fly! That's the best thing about the museum; they fly their planes! With regards to the facility, the museum is clean and very accessible, the exhibits are well displayed and informative, the employees and volunteers are friendly, and the gift shop is great with lots of books, apparel, toys and other souvenirs. You will have a great time visiting.

A must see! Really impressed with the Planes of Fame Air Museum. They have a lot of vintage and war planes. Many are restored and in operable condition. A few highlights include the Wright Brothers, Voodoo, Good Year blimp, P-38 Lightning, B-17, Sherman Tank, and many others. Lots of neat exhibits and memorabilia. The Dosen's are great. Helpful and friendly. They were great to my son. I loved the model room and the library. Their gift shop is wonderful. Tons of good stuff. Quality items. Support local and stop on by. You will not be disappointed.

It was great to see the planes up close and personal. Place was clean and accommodating Enjoyed my time with the family there

Fun place to take a toddler and plenty of things to see. We really enjoyed the airplane demonstration they had!

The museum is perfect for all people who want to explore aviation and military aircraft. We love bringing our kids here and will continue to do so!

What an amazing place to see up close american and world history aircrafts. Great for families and children to see wonderful historical planes. See video of my first visit

Interesting musuem went years ago so haven't been recently but enjoyed when I went very informative and many planes

What a great museum, really enjoyed all the planes displayed inside and outside. Was cool to see the restorations in progress and what they will be working on later.

Best air museum I have ever been to. 1st Saturday event is not to miss. Looking forward to wheels tracks and wings event in may 6th and 7th!

Went with a group from our church and really enjoyed the history of the different aircraft.

I grew up near Dayton OH and visited the huge Air Force museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base on many occasions. This, much smaller, museum can join my list of faves. There is a great variety of planes and the written descriptions are easy to read and full of excellent info. The volunteers are very friendly and share wonderful personal stories when applicable. I thought I knew a lot about aircraft used in WW 11. I was mistaken. These displays don't stop with aircraft. There are ground vehicles as well. I loved the presentation about the USS Enterprise. I must admit that my 76-year-old knees got tired so I used several of the benches available to visitors. I also appreciated the multiple restrooms at various locations. The gift shop and the staff are knowledgeable and friendly. There is a nice variety of gifts and memorabilia to choose from at good prices. I saw very, young kids, teens, parents, and seniors enjoying this experience

Lots of planes to see and there's one you can actually enter. My 3 years old little one had a blast

Such a great museum! So much history and such beautiful planes. The docents are very knowledgeable and always willing to share information or answers any questions. My family loved the museum and will definitely visit again.

Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. My three year old daughter seems obsessed with cars and planes so I thought I'd bring her here to see planes up-close. I was surprised this place wasn't more crowded. It was actually quite empty, even with a film crew on site at the time of our visit. I felt like I was taken back in time to the 20s, especially with the music they were playing outside. I don't know anything about planes but I appreciate the history and craftsmanship. There are about seven main display areas, mostly inside a hangar. There are military jets, air racers, unrestored aircrafts, as well as military vehicles. They even have model airplanes inside a display case at each of the display areas. Some of the planes on display are also used for flying so they may leak oil. Just be careful with little ones so they don't step into an oil pan. Also check the events calendar on the website to make sure there isn't a private event or flying event on the day you plan to visit. There are plenty of planes to look at but you can probably finish the entire tour in about two hours. If you get tired you can step out and get something to eat and come back. Just be sure to keep your sticker for re-entry. You enter and exit through the gift shop, which has some nice memorabilia, toys, and t-shirts. Price will most likely change but they were as follows during our visit: $11 general admission ($2 off with Yelp check-in for one adult only) $4 children under 12 Free for children under 5 $9.90 AAA members (must present current membership card) You can also rent this place for private events. My iphone navigation gave me horrible directions getting here. It told me to park along Euclid Avenue and walk for a while to destination. What???? You just have to turn on Merrill Avenue and follow the directions to the museum. Yanks Air Museum is also nearby so don't get confused between the two. I will definitely come back and take a closer look at each of the planes.

**FAVORITE AVIATION MUSEUM** Granted, I haven't been to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, but so far, this aviation museum is my favorite because it has a little of everything. PARKING ======== Plenty, own lot. ADMISSION ========= Individual Admission Prices for Groups (group = 10 or more paid admissions) General Groups ages 12 and over $8.00 General Groups ages 5 to 11 $3.00 School Groups grade 9 thru college $5.00 School Groups K thru grade 8 $3.00 Children ages 4 & under Free GUIDED TOURS ============= FREE! Tour guides are available on request at no charge. All of their guides are trained volunteers - suggest to reserve a tour guide at least two weeks in advance and reconfirm your tour 48 hours in advance. MUSEUM ======== The original collection consisted of 10 airplanes. Has grown to over 150 aircraft, more than 50 of which are flyable. Number of the aircraft on display are sole surviving examples. And there are some restoration projects, too. PRO TIPS ======== - Check-in on Yelp for $2 off admission - Book 2 weeks in advance for tours - Sign-up to become a member, I did! Nice benefits including free admission to the museum and the Airshow. OVERALL ======== Loved seeing some airplanes that I've only read and not seen in person. Some rare examples, including some German fighters. HIGHLY RECOMMEND for aviation geeks, families, and bored people in Chino.

What do you do with an almost 2 year old when Grandma and Grandpa need to keep him entertained for the entire day? Well, rather that sit him in front of the boob tube, one thing you can do is take him to the nearby international airport and let the incoming planes nearly land on his head. That will most likely get you points big time. I suppose that if security had seen us pulled over in the NO PARKING ZONE, we might have had to call his mom to pick him up while we were led away in handcuffs. We got lucky. Then, you take him over to the plane museum so he can get even closer, but with less risk. Then, you watch him point and babble and go "ruuuum ruuuum" (his rendition of an airplane flying) for the next hour, take plenty of pictures, and text them to his mom to make her feel guilty. It was an easy day for us and quite cheap. The Planes of Fame Air Museum is a well known, but small, museum occupying one of the hangars are dedicated to restoring mostly WWII aircraft and later. There is a modest entrance fee for big people. We did not pay it simply because we had already worn him down with earlier activities, were very much aware that, as gifted as his mother says he is, he still had a 2 year old's attention span. And we knew he could be just as easily entertained in the gift shop and peeking through the glass doors into the hangar. Besides, there was a huge airplane outside in front of the museum that had already taken his breath away and launched his imagination. We can always come back again when he is a bit older. The gift shop was great...kites, model airplanes, tanks, clothing (like jackets, jump suits, shirts), plenty of kids toys, pictures, videos, and books. Once he discovered some soft stuffed airplanes appropriate for his age group, he began "ruuuum ruuuuming" again. Keep an eye on their calendar on their website. There is an Air Show scheduled for early May. And just so you know, he also had a great face-to-face encounter afterwards with a couple of young cows that still reside in the diminishing dairy lands surrounding the airport, and pulverized a fist full of sweet strawberries from one of the roadside stands nearby. What a cool day!

Went here a few months back with my boyfriend since he really loves airplanes and was wanting to check out an airplane museum for awhile. Luckily, Groupon gave us an opportunity to do so to this particular location. Parking wasn't all that difficult for us since we had gotten there right when it was opening for business for the day, so we got to park in the lot in front of the place. But there is parking offered in the lot right across as well as along the street too. The entrance actually led us to the gift shop where you purchase your entrance to see the aircrafts. After doing so, you step into the room next door where you begin seeing different aircrafts and it leads you to an adjacent hanger. There were about three or four hangers to check out as well as planes in kind of a backyard type area that lead to the aviation library on site. That day that we went there was an actual war veteran sharing his story and the girl scouts were also there to sell cookies while some older folks were selling old aviation books in the main hangar where you entered into from the gift shop entrance. They do offer air shows and we were able to see an actual plane in action from a distance, so that was really cool. My boyfriend and I definitely had fun not only seeing the actual planes and getting up close and personal with them, but there were also tiny model airplanes to see in display cases and so much history to learn from these different flying vehicles. I was a bit sad that the offering of what to see was pretty small, but I can definitely see the appeal that this place brings to all generations.

Some reviewers complained about the flies...well, if you had ever lived in Chino, you would know it is impossible without flies. That's Chino's natural condition. Flies are attached on your front door or on the hood of the car and either trap or spray works effectively to eliminate them. Besides that, I was amazed by the exhibition of Planes of Fame Air Museum. The place was empty during the weekday afternoon so me and my friend got to spend lots of time there. I think yelp check-in offers 10% discount, even if you don't have a smart phone to check in, mentioning yelp, the lady will give you discount. (somehow my check-in wasn't work there last time I was there, I think GPS wasn't accurate) the only complain is the heat, it was really hot inside the museum without fresh air, so we had to get out once a while to have some cool breeze before enteringagain. Winter might be a better season to visit. Oh, they have Saitek flight simulator as well, just it doesn't look to be opened due to weekday that place lacks traffic, you might want to call to make sure before you go.

Museum was very informative and an amazing place to visit. It's set up very nice and the layout is very welcoming. It's easy to navigate and everything is very clean and organized. I had a sight issue however, this is the 5th Air Museum I have been to in America and this is the only one without any mention of the Tuskegee Airmen or people of color involved in the wars. They are part of history and I feel it is important to have these people and their histories included as they are part of history just as much as the next soldier. Enjoyed my time there thoroughly, but please think about adding a Tuskegee Shrine or exhibit!

An incredible blast into the past! Pro- How these people manage to keep these planes as spotless as the day they left the factory is beyond me! It's an extremely humbling experience walking through the many hangers and seeing these massive metal birds and getting to know the history behind each of them. Don't be afraid to ask the volunteers questions! Unless they're actively working on a plane, all of them love sharing what they know! Cost: Very inexpensive considering the size of the facility and the work put into keeping each plane maintained! Con- To be honest, none.

I thought sure I wrote a review for this place. I've gone a few times as well as to the air show they hold. I'm personally not into planes myself, but my fiance' is. There was a time, it was pretty dusty, but they've made it cleaner and nicer to be in there. The gift shop is nice.

I have been coming to this museum since I was about 4 years old, I first came on my birthday, and it was an amazing experience, the people were very nice and helpful, the planes were beautiful, the hangers were clean, and much more! I first went to the airshow in 2012 when I was still 4, I attended with my family and it was a blast seeing the history take flight and soar over Chino Airport! They also host what is called "Hanger Talk", where they speak about a World War 2 or Korean War topic. After that, they host what is called a "Flying Demo" featuring one of their warbirds. I highly highly highly recommend going to this museum with the family, you won't be disappointed!