April, 2024 News from Estrella Warbirds Museum

Upcoming Events

March 29, 2024

No: 2405

April Monthly Dinner

Hal Schmitt

Local Wine Maker

Former Top Gun Instructor

Wednesday April 3

No Host Bar: 5:30 p.m., Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m.

Hal Schmitt, a local wine maker and former Top Gun Instructor will be the guest speaker at the Estrella Warbirds Museum monthly dinner on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

Hal Schmitt is a former Naval Aviator who flew the F-18 Hornet on two deployments to the Middle East, one supporting Operation Southern Watch and the other supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Hal was selected to attend Strike Force Tactics Instructor training at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). Upon graduation he remained on staff as an instructor. He returned again as an instructor in 2004 and conducted training throughout the world. Being selected to attend the elite school is one thing. Excelling in the program and being assigned twice as an instructor is altogether more remarkable.

A graduate of the Notre Dame University ROTC program on a Navy scholarship, he served in the Navy for 15 years. It was upon completion of his second tour as a TOPGUN instructor that he resigned his commission and moved to the Central Coast to focus his energy on making wine. It was then that he established Volotus Winery. There is much more about Hal that I am confident you will find interesting. So plan on coming to the dinner and finding out for yourself.

Dinners are catered and open to the public ($25/person), and reservations are required prior to 6 p.m., Monday prior to dinner, either On-line HERE or call 805 296-1935.

It's Looking Brighter!

Visitors to Freedom Hall will notice a change. We are in the process of giving our guests a better viewing experience by lighting some of the display cases as seen here. We are using LED lights for ambiance as well as for artifact safety as there is minimal heat generated.

Here you can see how lights illuminate our interwar aircraft, CBI and P-38 artifacts display in Freedom Hall. Special thanks to the curator crew with Ken and Jim!

Home to the world class Woodland Auto Display:

Come Grow With Us!

The Estrella Warbirds Museum has always been "the place to go" for local meeting, group dinners and even company events. We greet visitors from around the world!

If you enjoy new people and groups, love history and want to be involved in a community project, we'd love to hear from you! We always need volunteers in our gift-shop, or docents in the museum or Auto Display. Maybe you want to get involved in restoration?

Best Links

Current Events Here

Past Member Newsletters

Volunteer Positions

Group Tours

805 674-3939

Facility Rental

805 674-3939

Got a Question?

Stuck on what to buy for a special person?

There is always the perfect gift of a flight on a real WWII veteran, our C-47B, Betsy's Biscuit Bomber.

Find more information here.

C-47B Betsy Biscuit Bomber - Update

Betsy's Biscuit Bomber will be airborne again this coming month as she travels to Pendleton, Oregon and taking part in Operation Firefly, a live commemoration of America's famed 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion on April 13th.

You will be seeing this historic aircraft in the skies above doing multiple fly-overs in May and June including The Corippo Memorial, the Ronald Reagan Library/Museum, plus graduations for Paso Robles and Templeton High Schools. How awesome is that?

EWM Aviation Youth Group

Career Day 2024 keynote speaker, Juan Browne, presents scholarships: Ray Foundation Scholarship in conjunction with EAA 465 to Bennett Orradre and Piper Banys (not pictured) and the EWM Chuck Miller Memorial Scholarship to Jasmine Rosales. We are immensely grateful for our relationship with our local Experimental Aircraft Association #465 and the support of Estrella Warbirds Museum benefactors for making these scholarships available. Matching funds were raised through the sponsorship of our Youth Aviation Club via ACI Jet’s 12 Days of Christmas 2023 giving to a local non-profit day.

More pictures of the event can be seen if you click on the above image.

Calling All Business Owners! Show Off Your Business At Our Upcoming Event!

The Estrella Warbirds Museum, will be hosting its 15th Annual Warbirds Wings and Wheels Event on May 10th and 11th, 2024. The weekend kicks off with our Friday night Barn Dance and Silent Auction. (Featuring none other than, The Monte Mills Band!) We expect to have 250 guests and dignitaries of the Paso Robles area at our Barn Dance, and over 3000 attendees to our First Co-hosted event between the Estrella Warbirds Museum and the National Motor Fest2! This event won’t disappoint!

We are in search of Silent Auction items for both the Barn Dance and Car Show Drawing. (Two separate opportunities to promote/showcase your business) It would be our hope that you will support our Museum with a donation of significance.

Here are some ideas on our Wish List:

Hosted or Vacation Excursions: Themed parties thrown by one or more hosts, Wine & Wine Tasting, Dinner parties, Golf Weekends, Golf Lessons, Disney Vacations, Limo Services or Spa treatments, Escape Parties, etc.

Tickets & Passes: Sports & Concert tickets, VIP Treatment Back stage Passes (CA Mid State Fair) Theatre tickets or annual passes, Annual Water Park Pass, Museum Passes.

New Goods: T.V.’s, Tablets, Phones, Smart watches, Electronics, Video Game consoles, Appliances, BBQ’s, Tools, Décor, or Gift Basket show casing your business!

Destination Getaways: Plane tickets, vacation homes, Time shares, All-inclusive vacations, cruises, or Travel points etc..

Gift Certicates of ANY KIND: Wine tasting. Restaurants, Shopping, Exercise/gym, Professional services, nails, beauty/salon/barber, Hotel stays, Car wash/detail certificates etc.

Don’t worry about the amount of Gift, we will bundle for you to create a fabulous package! All donations are tax deductible. The Museum is run by our volunteers and supports itself through private donations and our community business partners.

We thank you for your belief in our mission and consistency of presence in our community. Please know how deeply we appreciate any donation you may make.

With our genuine thanks, WWW15 Committee Go to www.ewarbirds.org/www/ for tickets and Event information and registration.You may call Carol Verstuyft at phone number 805 286-5566 to arrange a pick up.

Warbirds Wings & Wheels 15 +

National Motor Fest 2

The 15^th annual Warbirds, Wings & Wheels will be back again, on May 11, 2024! And we’re excited because this year will be the first-time collaboration between Estrella Warbirds Museum and Stier Events LLC, and will include National Motor Fest! Two legendary events come together for a bigger, better event full of every car class imaginable on display.

New this year will be a mobile Dyno on site where you can see car owners prove their power in a live demonstration of just how much horsepower their rides produce. Bring your earplugs, because Throttle Merchants return with six or seven of their nostalgic front engine dragsters which will fire-up during the day. Plus, you can find local Police and Fire agencies from the area, and every branch of the military, all displaying their vehicles for you and the kids to get an up-close look! You can also find plenty of airplanes, helicopters, jets, tanks, and more.

Registrations are now open for the Friday before awesome dinner & dance, vehicles, vendors, Dyno Day, volunteers and sponsors! More information and breaking news and registrations can be found here.

Are

You

Member?

Membership has its benefits! Why become a member? The museum is supported solely from private sources. Minimal membership dues go a long way in helping to preserve history for tomorrows generation. Membership gives you free access to the museum and our wonderful research library. Individual memberships are pro-rated at $75/year or $125/year for families. We have six different categories. You can find more information on membership and how to sign up the the link listed below.

Yes! I'm interested in membership

Estrella Warbirds Museum

& Woodland Auto Display

4251 Dry Creek Road

Paso Robles, CA 93446

805 238-9317

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