Lyon Air Museum Opens

The grand opening of the new Lyon Air Museum at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif. was held this month.

A pre-opening VIP and media preview was helds Dec. 10 and officially opened to the public with paid admission following the VIP/Media event.

The museum, presided over by former Planes of Fame honcho Mark Foster, features vintage aircraft including warbirds, military vehicles and motorcycles and antique cars. It's located at 19300 Ike Jones Road in Santa Ana.

Owned by millionaire Maj. Gen. William Lyon (USAF, Ret.) and his wife Willa Dean, ground was broken for the facility in 2007. Maj. Gen. Lyon held the position of Chief of the U.S. Air Force Reserve from 1975 to 1979.

He served in Europe, the Pacific Region and North Africa during World War II and later flew combat missions in Korea. Currently, Gen. Lyon is chairman of the Board and CEO of William Lyon Homes, Inc., Newport Beach, Calif.

His passion for aviation history and youth education is the driving force behind the LAM, a spokesman said.

"In establishing the museum, Gen. Lyon sought to create a world-class facility that would be available to the local community and would offer interactive educational exhibits designed to inspire young people," a spokesman said. "The LAM has on exhibit some of the world's rarest operational aircraft and vehicles."

The LAM is home to an operational fleet of historically significant aircraft such as the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress "Fuddy Duddy" and the DC-3 "Flagship Orange County." Docent-led tours will take visitors for a walk through history as they stroll among machines and artifacts that helped define the 20th century, he said.

Also on display is an original 1939 Mercedes-Benz Model G4 Offener Touring Wagon, used by Adolph Hitler in Germany and Poland until it was seized by the French Army at the war's end.