Military/Aviation museums/sites to visit in California?

[HereBeMonsters]

Just booked flights to California for the honeymoon in September. Are there any museums or sites I should take a look at while I'm there? We're travelling all over, though will mainly be in the North of the state.
Isn't the Top Gun academy around somewhere near there?

[Eric Mc]

There are a number of Air Force and Nay/Marine bases in California - including the OLD Top Gun base at Miramar. Apparently, the Top Gun school is now at Fallon Air Force Base, Nevada.

I don't think that any active air bases will be open to casual visitors - although some bases have gate displays or small museums.

The civilian Planes of Fame museum at Chino looks like it would be good.

Edited by Eric Mc on Saturday 13th June 17:53

[HereBeMonsters]

Ah yes, I remember the classic line now "I gotta send somebody from this squadron to Miramar." Brilliant.

So nothing along the lines of a museum then? We'll be driving out to Vegas as well, and possibly Reno...

[Eric Mc]

I did mention Chino - whiuch is a bit like Duxford - lots of classic warbirds.

[HereBeMonsters]

Eric Mc said:

I did mention Chino - whiuch is a bit like Duxford - lots of classic warbirds.

Ah cheers, exactly what I was after. The word "civilian" in your previous description threw me!

A few too many piston engined warbirds in there for me, but I might check it out if the missus lets me.

[FourWheelDrift]

Castle Air Museum, Castle Air Force Base, Atwater California.

http://www.castleairmuseum.org/

They have one of the 3 US based Vulcans - XM605

Apparently if you are visting from Britain and you know when you are going and contact the museum and they can arrange a proper look around it, including inside, see here - http://www.vulcanxm605.20m.com/

[Eric Mc]

HereBeMonsters said:

Eric Mc said:

I did mention Chino - whiuch is a bit like Duxford - lots of classic warbirds.

Ah cheers, exactly what I was after. The word "civilian" in your previous description threw me!

A few too many piston engined warbirds in there for me, but I might check it out if the missus lets me.

As I said earler, miltary bases aren't generally accessable to the public - unless they are having an open day or something of that nature.
Many US bases have collections outside their main gate - but casually parking up and taking pictures of these "gate guards" might not be seen as very clever in the modern era.

There are now quite a few jet wqarbirds in the USA, buit I wouldn';t know ehre any Californian based civilian operated jet warbirds might be based.

A quick Google reveals the following collections in California:

Aerospace Walk of Honor, Lancaster
Aerospace Museum of CA, McClellan AFB
Alameda Naval Air Museum
Aviation Museum of Santa Paula
Blackbird Airpark, Palmdale
Burbank Aviation Museum, Burbank
CAF WW2 Air Museum, Camarillo
California Science Center, Los Angeles
Castle AFB Museum, Merced
Central CA Historical Military Museum, Dos Palos
Chico Air Museum
Classic Rotors Museum, Ramona
(Joe) Davies Heritage Airpark, Palmdale
Edwards AFB FTC Museum
Estrella Warbirds Museum, Paso Robles
Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, MCAS Miramar
Heritage of Eagles Air Museum, Firebaugh
Hiller Air Museum, San Carlos
Hillier Air Museum, Modesto
LAX Flight Path Museum, Los Angeles
March Field Air Museum, Riverside
Minter Field Air Museum, Shafter
Moffett Field Historical Society & Museum, Sunnyvale
Oakland Aviation Museum, Oakland Intl Airport
P-38 Museum, March Field
Pacific Coast Air Museum, Santa Rosa/Windsor
Palm Springs Air Museum
Planes of Fame, Chino
San Diego Air & Space Museum
San Diego Flight Museum
Santa Maria Museum of Flight
Saxon Aerospace Museum, Boron
Stockton Field Aviation Museum
Travis Air Museum, Fairfield
USN Museum of Armament & Technology, China Lake
USS Hornet Museum, Alameda
USS Midway Museum, San Diego
Warbirds West Air Museum, El Cajon
Western Museum of Flight, Torrance
Wings & Rotors Museum, Murietta
Wings of History, San Martin
Yanks Air Museum, Chino

The following is a list of Air Force, Navy, Marine, Army and Coast Guard bases in Calfornia:

Air Force Bases

Beale Air Force Base - east of Marysville
Edwards Air Force Base - north of Lancaster
Los Angeles Air Force Base
March Air Reserve Base - Riverside
Travis Air Force Base - east of Fairfield
Vandenberg Air Force Base - Lompoc

Army Posts

Fort Irwin - north of Barstow
Presidio of Monterey
Sierra Army Depot - Herlong

Coast Guard Bases

CG Training Center Petaluma
USCG Sector San Diego

Marine Bases
Camp Pendleton Marine Base - north of Oceanside
Miramar Air Station - San DIego
Barstow Logistics Base
San Diego Recruit Depot
Twentynine Palms Air Ground Combat Center

Navy Bases

China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division
Coronado Naval Amphibious Base - San Diego
Coronado Naval Base - San Diego
El Centro Naval Air Facility - west of El Centro
Lemoore Naval Air Station - west of Lemoore
Naval Postgraduate School - Monterey
Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona Divison - Corona
North Island Naval Air Station - San Diego
Port Hueneme Construction Battalion Center
Point Loma Naval Base - San Diego
Point Mugu Naval Air Station - southeast of Port Hueneme
San Diego Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center
San Diego Naval Station
Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station
Ventura County Naval Base - south of Oxnard

Enough to be getting on with