February, 2024 News from Estrella Warbirds Museum

Upcoming Events

February 3rd, 2024

No: 2402

February Monthly Dinner

Scotty Smith

Member, EWM, Docent

Car Club President

Wednesday Feb 7th, 2024

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

All of us have surely seen the many beautifully restored cars at various car shows and parades. No doubt there is a ton of work that goes into building and maintaining those vehicles. If you have ever wondered how one becomes a “car guy” and is motivated to participate in restoring cars it is a perfect opportunity to come to our dinner and listen to Scotty Smith talk about his journey.

Scotty became interested in cars by age 12, influenced by the “hot rod” culture in the 60’s and 70’s. While he and his friends were building models, mini-bikes and go carts he was influenced by his friends and older brothers who were buying muscle cars upon returning from Vietnam. He has considerable experience in the private and public sector as an automotive and heavy equipment mechanic as well as a commercial vehicle inspector.

Scotty’s presentation will include stories of him and his buddies building fast cars and eventually him volunteering as a docent with Woodland Auto Display, building hot rods and running a car club in Paso Robles.

His pictures, graphics and jokes are sure to entertain you. Scotty will be assisted in his presentation by his wife of 46 years, Robin.

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.

New - Firebase Lightning

Our M-101 howitzer and Willy's Jeep will be part of a Korean War firebase called "Firebase Lightning". This area will be refreshed to reflect a more "lived-in and used feel" that would be seen in a combat environment. We have already put up the foundation over the brick wall with corrugated aluminum and wood beams. Sandbags will be added to become a command post bunker with radio antennas and some barbed wire.

More to come as the area is transformed!

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.

Gary Corippo

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Gary Corippo. Gary left this world peacefully on Monday, 1/29/24 surrounded by his family in Fresno, CA.

For those of you who did not know him, Gary was the co-founder of Estrella Warbirds Museum along with Glen Thomson. Gary was also a force of nature! No project was too big or hard or impossible when Gary got involved.

Gary was the proverbial "Bull in the China Cabinet" and would not let anything stand in his way! He was the master of persistence. If it could not be done, Gary found a way.

I am sure some of you have witnessed or have heard of stories where Gary acquired many of the aircraft, artifacts, objects, vehicles etc. I am sure some of you have heard or witnessed other Gary stories where conversations were animated or legendary in scope!

But for all those stories, Gary was the heart and soul of this museum! Everything the museum has done or will do has roots in what Gary would have termed "making this museum better... by any means necessary".

For all the stories you may have involving Gary, I am sure they all contain his heart and soul behind what he did - always with good intent.

No service or ceremony has been set yet but I will be sure to inform you all if and when the family intends to for him.

As Gary was a United States Marine Corps veteran, I will end this message with an appropriate quote for him: 'And God said, "Let There Be Marines", and the devil ran in fear!'

Semper Fidelis my friend!

EWM Aviation Youth Group

The Estrella Warbirds Museum Youth Aviation Club will have its fourth annual Career Day for all High School and Middle School students who are interested in an aviation career on Saturday, March 16th beginning at 10:00 AM at the museum. Click here to see full details of this and the scholarships being offered.

In the past, the Youth Aviation Club has taken field trips to Lemoore Naval Air Station, ACI Jet Center, the San Luis Obispo Air Traffic Control Tower, and the Paso Robles/Cal Fire Air Attack base. The Club has restored a 1942 Gullwing Stinson and an F-4 Fuselage for display purposes, an R-670 radial engine, a moving wooden radial engine model, and two wooden propellers. Currently, students are working on a Navy A-3 cockpit display, re-upholstering Stinson seats, building a remote-control model, and learning about metalwork and rivets.

Students, along with their family and friends are invited to attend:

• Subject Matter Experts Include:
• F-18 pilot and Military alternatives
• Aeronautical Engineer
• Cuesta Aviation Maintenance Technician Certification Program
• Corporate Aviation
• Civil Air Patrol
• Young Eagles (EAA) flights (weather permitting/pre-registration link below)

• Information will be available regarding Youth Aviation Club activities
• Reduced museum admission for adults, youth under 18 free
• Lunch will be available for sale to support the Youth Aviation Club
• Young Eagles Day Flight Registration: https://youngeaglesday.org?9616

The Museum will also award its annual educational scholarship during this event.

Final date for registration is March 11th. RSVP w/name, # of attendees, include email address.

Donate Here.

We graciously appeal to you for your continued support for our beautiful Museum, and we are always looking for new recruits to our team of volunteers. Thank you!

The Viet Nam Experience

We are in the very infancy of planning a Vietnam Experience section in the museum. This section of the museum will be devoted to those who served in Southeast Asia (Vietnam Conflict) from 1965-1973. I realize there are periphery years around that date range of America's involvement in Vietnam (in addition Laos, Thailand and Cambodia) and that would be included if applicable.

More specifically, the display section will tell some stories of Vietnam through personal objects as well as visual accounts and their recollections.

That being said, we will be looking for personal objects that you or members of your family had and used in Vietnam that you would be willing to donate to the museum to have on display. George Marrett will have several items on display from his time rescuing downed pilots flying the A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam and should be credited with the inception of this project.

I would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You ALL for Your Service to Our Country!

If you would like to help out with this project, let's communicate.

Warbirds Wings & Wheels 15 +

National Motor Fest 2

Estrella Warbirds Museum is joining forces with Stier Event to cohost the biggest and best car show ever this coming May 11th. Presenting Warbirds Wings & Wheels 15 + National Motor Fest 2. Two legendary events become one! WWW is and has always been a major fundraising event for the museum. Proceeds support Estrella Warbirds Museum, Inc., 501(c)(3).

Hold on to your seats as there will be so much more announced over the next several months on what you can expect. We are bringing back the best of Warbirds Wings & Wheels plus adding so much 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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