International Flight and Space Museum
Another view of the Norton storage yard. Seen here is the F-107 at right, the tail of the F-84 at left, an unidentified (and evidently unclaimed) C-46, and various other aircraft or components. What was not claimed by area museums or interested parties was, evidently, ultimately scrapped. (William Simone Collection)
F-101A s/n 53-2431 as seen in the remains of the International Flight and Space Museum in October 1970. By 1970, the adjunct museum was closed and most aircraft were eventually distributed to other museums or, if unclaimed, scrapped. The F-101A was scrapped. (Photo by R.A. Schoelfeld via Airliners.net)
IFSM established in August 1962
Frank Tallman and Paul Mantz incorporated the International Flight and Space Museum in August 1962 as a non-profit museum to allow Tallmantz to obtain display aircraft from the U.S. government on loan. The museum was set up as an adjunct facility to the Movieland of the Air and was a fenced-in outdoor display area located adjacent to Campus Road just south of the Tallmantz hangars.
However, most of the aircraft that were placed on display at the IFSM came from a collection of USAF aircraft held at Norton AFB, located about fifty miles northeast at San Bernardino, California. Through the late 1950s a good number of surplus aircraft had been gathered in a compound on the base, earmarked for a possible museum but becoming, instead, a source for aircraft to be used in various Hollywood film and TV productions. From all available information, it was an unusual and off-the-record arrangement that flew beneath the radar for a number of years.
Sometime in the early 1960s, probably in 1964, there was a command change at Norton AFB and the order was given to get rid of this unofficial collection of aircraft which, at that time, held such diverse aircraft as a North American B-45, a North American F-107, a B-47, a B-29, a B-17, several F-86s, a TB-25, a C-46, a P-51 Mustang, and an XF-85 Goblin. A comprehensive list has yet to be assembled as far as this historian knows. Most of these aircraft had entries on their USAF records that indicated a transfer to “Class 26,” suitable only for non-flight purposes and disposal. Many of them had come to Norton from Edwards AFB where they had been used in various test programs.
In any event, with the push on to clear the base of these aircraft, they were made available for transfer on a first-come, first-served basis. Paul Mantz and Frank Tallman followed closely what was happening at Norton and, in December 1964, moved to claim the B-17G, s/n 44-83316. A Tallmantz crew arrived and inspected the airplane, found it in excellent condition, and removed the control surfaces for recovering. They left the aircraft expecting to come back and fly it out. In the intervening weeks, 20th Century Fox crews came and stripped out the cockpit and other interior areas to help equip studio sets for the filming of the TV production of 12 O’Clock High, then in the midst of filming its first season. When Mantz heard what happened, he sent his USAF contacts a scathing demand for an explanation but the damage was done and the B-17 was abandoned to the film studio. The wings were removed and the fuselage moved off for use as a prop for the TV location set at nearby Chino Airport.
Despite that failure, Tallmantz did obtain a significant number of aircraft from the Norton collection. According to William Simone, who has intimate knowledge of the history of the F-107 and F-86s at Norton, ownership was unofficially obtained by Tallmantz. These aircraft were not placed on loan. The Norton personnel wanted the aircraft to ‘go away,’ a process contrary to the normal process of surplus aircraft disposal. Tallmantz obtained, at least, F-107A s/n 55-5118, XF-85 46-524, F-101A s/n 53-2431, the fuselage of B-50A s/n 46-010 (Lucky Lady II), Lockheed F-80 s/n 44-84588; Lockheed T-33A s/n 53-5541, F-86A s/n 48-263, the fuselage of F-86A s/n 48-242, Republic F-84 s/n 51-1445, XT-37 s/n 54-717, and a Northrop SM-62 missile. (There are reports, specifically by Leslie Hunt in his 1968 book Veteran and Vintage Aircraft, that show both the Norton’s B-47B, s/n 50-045, and B-45C, s/n 48-007, also displayed at the ISFM, but this seems doubtful based on the photo record and a few foggy memories.)
All of the transferred aircraft were dismantled as needed and transported from Norton to Orange County Airport and placed on display somewhere around 1964. As noted above, they were dropped from USAF jurisdiction and, though it appears no paperwork was actually executed transferring legal title, possession became nine tenths of the law for the time being.
The IFSM also obtained for display several Navy fighters including two Grumman F9F Panthers and one F11F Tiger. It appears one of the F9Fs became a kid’s climbing display and was pretty stripped out. The F11F was obtained in January 1965 and finished in a Blue Angels scheme and displayed in the IFSM yard.
By the way, the B-29 at Norton was reportedly granted to Ed Maloney’s Air Museum but it evidently was not able to move the aircraft and its ultimate fate is unknown, as is that of the B-47 and B-45. That trio, plus whatever else was left over after it was picked over, probably never left Norton other than destined to a scrap dealer.
The P-51 Mustang seen stored at Norton remains at this writing an enduring mystery. It appears to be painted in a World War II camouflage scheme but has post-1948 USAF markings.
Loan of B-17G 44-83525
After the debacle experience by Tallmantz in getting the Norton B-17, the establishment of the International Flight and Space Museum was ultimately instrumental in arranging the loan of another USAF B-17G, s/n 44-83525. This B-17, an ex-drone director DB-17P, was the last B-17 remaining in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB in 1967. After losing out on 44-83316, Tallmantz was promised the loan of another B-17, and in 1967 Tallmantz held the USAF to its word and 44-83525 was released to the IFSM with a five-year lease. What was unusual about this arrangement is that the USAF authorized the museum to actually operate the aircraft for movie and display purposes. Tallmantz eventually obtained title to 44-83525 in a trade deal with the Air Force Museum when it sent two Catch-22 B-25s, the SM-62 missile it got from Norton, and Stinson L-1 for the B-17. The B-17 never was displayed in the IFSM display area; rather, it was either on the flight line or held within the Movieland of the Air display area.
IFSM Closes and Collection Disbursed
By the late 1960s, the museum had largely been abandoned as a viable operation. The former display area was occupied by ex-Catch-22 B-25s being held in storage for sale. Tallmantz disbursed the IFSM aircraft to whoever would come and get them. The B-50 fuselage went to Planes of Fame at Chino, as did many of the fighters and trainers in the IFSM collection.
The remaining, unallocated display aircraft were eventually hauled off to the south end of the airport for storage and were soon enough reduced to derelicts. One of these, the rare F-107A, was saved by a private individual, William Simone. Simone embarked on a decades-long effort to save and restore the F-107 in the face of efforts by the USAF to reclaim the fighter so it could be scrapped. In a tale worth reading, the F-107 is now displayed in fine condition at the Pima Air Museum at Tucson, Arizona.
The fate of the remaining ISFM aircraft, plus other unwanted Tallmantz display aircraft, was ultimately the scrapyard when all was said and done.
International Flight and Space Museum Aircraft Listing
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