'FLYING' AGAIN TEMPORARY SITE FOUND FOR AVIATION MUSEUM.Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer BURBANK - There was a time when hundreds of Hudsons and P-38s were assembled in Burbank, ready for war. The rich and famous bought wooden Vegas in Burbank when there was only a dirt landing strip. Pilots stood beside what were then top secret airplanes, like the Blackbird blackbird, common name in North America of a perching bird allied to the bobolink, the meadow lark, the oriole, and the grackle and belonging to the family Icteridae. The European blackbird, Turdus merula, is a thrush. SR-71, for smiles and photos before taking off on test runs. Now many of those pieces of local aviation history - such as autographed au·to·graph n. 1. A person's own signature or handwriting. 2. A manuscript in the author's handwriting. tr.v. au·to·graphed, au·to·graph·ing, au·to·graphs 1. photographs, miniature models, signs from the old Lockheed site, books and airplane airplane, aeroplane, or aircraft, heavier-than-air vehicle, mechanically driven and fitted with fixed wings that support it in flight through the dynamic action of the air. parts - sit in crates Crates (krā`tēz), fl. 449 B.C., Athenian comic dramatist. He is said to have introduced into comedy themes other than those of personal satire, and he was one of the first to show the comic possibilities of the drunkard. , on tables and inside the garage of J. Ron Dickson's home. What Dickson saved as a child and an adult reflects the city's aviation past, which is true of collections of many others among the 300 members of the Burbank Aviation Museum who worked in the industry. But as the years go by and remnants of Lockheed and its original Skunk skunk, name for several related New World mammals of the weasel family, characterized by their conspicuous black and white markings and use of a strong, highly offensive odor for defense. Works at Burbank disappear from public view, he and the other members wonder if future generations will ever know the city's significance in aviation history. ``We're moving closer now to 100 years of aviation, and it's pretty sad we don't have anywhere in the Valley to recognize that,'' said Dickson, a Burbank resident who designs and makes model airplanes, just as his father once did. The Burbank Aviation Museum, now 10 years old, still lacks a permanent home for thousands of pieces of memorabilia mem·o·ra·bil·i·a pl.n. 1. Objects valued for their connection with historical events, culture, or entertainment: posters, publicity photographs, and other movie memorabilia. 2. preserved by the men and women of the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. who designed, built and maintained aircraft on every level. The museum group's goal is to preserve the stories of what was once the greatest assembly of aviation designers and builders in the world. Members of the group include SR-71 test pilots, P-38 prototype builders, airplane model hobby shop owners, history buffs The name Buffs can mean:
The group's efforts to build a museum read like the story of a fighter plane. Each time members get their plans up in the air, the attempt is shot down. But relief is on the way: In the next few weeks, the group will again be allowed to display memorabilia inside a structure at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood. The group had previously displayed items inside the Portal of the Folded Wings at the Memorial Park for a few years, but was told to vacate To annul, set aside, or render void; to surrender possession or occupancy. The term vacate has two common usages in the law. With respect to real property, to vacate the premises means to give up possession of the property and leave the area totally devoid of contents. more than a year ago. Les Copeland, president of the Burbank Airport Museum, said the group has sought support from Lockheed Corp., now based in Maryland, as well as from the city and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, to build a world-class shrine to aviation. So far, those efforts have gone unanswered. ``We don't have plans for one,'' Lockheed spokeswoman Gail Rymer said about a museum. ``The focus of the corporation has been on education, primarily on math and science. We want to invest in the future.'' City officials, however, said an aviation museum is likely in the future. ``We've always talked about it,'' said Burbank City Manager Robert ``Bud'' Ovrom. ``Once we settle on issues regarding land and the new terminal, I feel pretty good about the fact that we would support it.'' Meanwhile, a small aviation collection is housed by the Burbank Historical Society, and the aviation buffs are preparing to take many exhibits from members' garages and other storage sites to be seen again in public at the Pierce Brothers Memorial Park. ``The local history is not just of planes,'' Copeland said. ``It's of Rosie the Riveter Rosie the Riveter popular WWII song romanticizing women workers. [Am. Hist.: Flexner, 395] See : Mannishness and the women who worked here. It's the B-17 bomber built here and thousands of P-38s. Can you imagine how many spy satellites must have been directed at Burbank during the war? It's a fabulous history, but it's all disappearing fast.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) J. Ron Dickson shows off a model of Lockheed's old Electra airliner, built in Burbank, that he is saving for a museum. (2) Aviation museum exhibits will again be displayed at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood. David Sprague/Staff Photographer |
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