Museum Remodel!
Our P-38 Museum is well over
20 years old, and was past due for a facelift. But, actually, we did much more than that.
Our P-38 Museum has been completely remodeled. It has taken us nearly eight months to complete the job and tens of thousands of dollars.
That's where you can help. Since we do not receive any funding from the USAF, Lockheed or the March Field Air Museum, your help really counts with us! Make Your Remodel Donation here.
If you're ever in the area, please stop by and check it out!
Address
| Physical |
I-215 at
Van Buren Blvd
Riverside, CA |
| Mailing |
P-38 National Association
PO Box 6453
March ARB, CA 92518 |
| |
How our Museum
would look from a P-38
Hours of Operation
Due to our limited number of available docents, we are open on Saturday and Sunday during these hours:
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Docents
Each Docent volunteers their time at the Museum to answer questions and act as "hosts" to our visitors. All Docent Duty is coordinated with great dedication by Scott Frederick.
If you have a passion for the P‑38 and a few hours to spare, we sure could use your help.
We offer free training, so if your spirit is willing, let us know.
Active Docents
Tim Atherton
Kristopher Blouir
James Bridges
Tim Mallis
Marcos Oviedo
Bob Pepper
Howard & Maryann Ramshorn
Leland "Lee" Rash
Larry & Sherry Segrist
Volunteers Welcome!
The P-38 Association is always looking for helping hands. Whether it's helping out at our P‑38 Museum in Riverside, CA, or volunteering to be "boots on the ground" at air shows, membership drives or a myriad of other activies, we welcome your participation. Just fill in this brief form and someone from our organization will be in touch!
Valle Museum
The P-38 National Association, along with the good folks at the Planes of Fame, have built several permanent exhibits at the POF Valle AZ location.
If you'd like to check out some of our steller exhibits, you can do so here.
P-38 Museum
The P‑38 Museum is appropriately housed in an airplane hangar, adjacent to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, CA.
You can't really miss our sign on the East side of I‑215 near March ARB in Southern California.
Our museum is dedicated to Chief Test Pilot, Tony LeVier, who flew over 200 different types of aircraft, declaring the P‑38 to be his favorite! Read more about Tony LeVier.
In the beginning...
After the P‑38 National Association was founded in May of 1987, one of it's proudest accomplishments was building the Museum, which is supported on contributions of memorabilia and donations from the public and our Association Members.
Construction on the Museum began in the late 80's and was supervised with perfection by P‑38 pilot, and former Association President, Dick Willsie. Have a look at the early construction photos of the Museum, and see what it looks like today!
We have two sculptures on display. One is of Tony LeVier (on which you can have engraved your name or the name of a loved one). The other is the amazing P‑38 sculpture which we donated to the March Air Museum, and it is displayed in their main courtyard!
You can view a larger image of each sculpture by clicking on it.
The entire P‑38 Museum project was accomplished with volunteer man hours and volunteer dollars -- what an extraordinary accomplishment!
P-38 Exhibits
Sadly, we don't have the millions of dollars that it would take to purchase a P‑38, even if one could be found (no easy task with so few surviving these days).
We did, however, originally have an airworthy Lightning on static display in our museum (here's a photo), but it was ultimately sold to Ronald Fagen and is now in Minnesota at the Fagen Fighters facility with the "Ruff Stuff" nose art.
Since our museum was built large enough to house the real one, we decided to buy a full-sized P‑38 replica, which is currently on exhibit.
There is also ample space for individual displays of the Fighter Squadrons, Fighter Groups and WASPs, members of each who have built and furnished their displays within the Museum.
Each display houses historic, priceless photographs, antiques and memorabilia from WWII having to do with their specific outfits.
There are genuine artifacts of all kinds. The entire history of the P‑38 Lightning can be found in this one facility. The walls are lined with countless photos of this beautiful aircraft and the men and women who built, maintained and flew it.
Needless to say, these exhibits offer a unique opportunity for visitors to have a genuine "P‑38 Experience."
The photos alone are worth a trip to Riverside, but the Museum doesn't stop there. Each group has gathered original uniforms (with combat ribbons), parts from the aircraft, gas masks, canteens, aircrew scarves, maps and much more, (all under the watchful eye of 24-hour live surveillance to ensure their safekeeping).
COVID UPDATE
FEBRUARY 23, 2022
The California Department of Public Health no longer requires everyone in California to wear a mask in indoor public spaces. These new guidelines will apply to the P‑38 Museum. You are all invited to visit us, and to feel free to continue wearing a mask if you wish.
Important Notice
Although we are housed on the grounds of the March Air Museum, the P‑38 Association's Museum is a separate and independent non-profit organization.
We are not affiliated with the USAF or Lockheed, and our entire operation is supported solely by people like you. See how you can help us with our mission!
Replica
Since we didn't have the millions necessary to buy an actual P‑38, we did the next best thing and bought and built a full-sized replica.
P-38 Pilot Joe Onesty
with P-38 Replica
Click to Enlarge
Our replica is from a company owned by the late Dave Tallichet called Military Aircraft Restoration Corp. I found that the company is now located in Chino, CA. Couldn’t find a website, but they have a very slim Facebook page here. The Pacific Wrecks website also has a bit of info about them here.
Although the P-38 is a replica, Association Director Lowell Stacy dragged the landing gear out of a canyon behind someone’s farm. It was the result of a WWII midair collision.
Above is a picture of P-38 pilot (and member of our Board of Directors) Joe Onesty with our P‑38 replica.
Dioramas
The P‑38 Museum has many exceptional dioramas, both built with volunteer manpower and materials by P‑38 Association volunteers Howard Ramshorn, Lowell Stacy and the late Stan Jones.
March Field Diorama
This diorama shows March Air Force base circa 1942‑43 when it was an active P‑38 base. View this amazing exhibit by clicking on the photo below:
March Field Diorama
Romanian Rescue Diorama
This diorama depicts the incredible rescue story of Dick Andrews and Dick Willsie (read about that here!), and features an interactive video with the pilots telling their story in their own words!
Romanian Rescue Diorama
