HRH Drops By Lyon Museum

The Lyon Air Museum played host on Dec. 1, 2011 to Prince Edward, His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, who was in the country from the American Air Museum in Britain as part of a fund raising trip.

Prince Edward, 76, who carries out royal duties on behalf of his first cousin Queen Elizabeth II, flew into John Wayne Airport aboard a private charter jet and spent a few hours touring the facility as the guest of Lyon Air Museum's founder, Maj. Gen. William Lyon, USAF (Ret.), who serves as the U.S. chairman of the board of trustees of the American Air Museum in Britain.

"Through his comments, the Duke of Kent gave his hosts the impression that Lyon Air Museum was one of the highlights of his visit to the U.S. due to the facility's unmatched offerings and its uniqueness among vintage aircraft museums worldwide," a museum spokesman said.

Following the brief tour, Prince Edward and his entourage joined Gen. Lyon and his family, as well as Lyon Air Museum President Mark Foster and others, for dinner at the Lyon estate in Coto de Caza, an exclusive gated community where "The Real Housewives Of Orange County" is filmed.

Prince Edward is a patron of the American Air Museum in Britain, which stands as a memorial to the 30,000 American airmen who gave their lives flying from UK bases during the Second World War, and also honors those who fought in Korea, Vietnam, Libya, Iraq and other conflicts and battles of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Accompanying Prince Edward were Richard Ashton, director and executive vice president at the American Air Museum and Imperial War Museums (IWM) Duxford, Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Squire, president of the American Air Museum board of trustees, and Maj. Gen. James Eugene McInerney Jr., USAF (Ret), a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars and America's most highly decorated pilot.

The group is in the U.S. on behalf of the American Air Museum in Britain's "Honor & Educate Campaign." The campaign is designed to improve the physical museum, create a virtual "museum without walls" on the Web, and develop learning programs to bring stories of sacrifice and courage to current and future generations.

The 30,000 sq. ft. museum celebrated its second anniversary on Dec. 10, 2011. Lyon Air Museum is located on the west side of the runway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

For more information see www.lyonairmuseum.org or call (714) 210-4585.

CAPTION: HRH Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent (left); Maj. Gen. William Lyon, USAF (Ret.) on the right, and Willa Dean Lyon (center).