Thomas Akers
Entrepeneur, Aerospace Engineer
Wednesday June 7th, 2023
No Host Bar: 5:30 p.m., Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m.
Thomas Akers is an entrepreneur and aerospace engineer who has specializes in the development of unmanned aircraft and weapon systems for military missions. Currently, Thomas leads a team of 35 engineers, technicians, and support staff at Zone 5 Technologies developing innovative aircraft which support our servicemen and women around the world. Zone 5 currently supports multiple government customers including the Special Operations Command, Air Force Research Lab, Navy Air Warfare Center-Weapons Directorate, and Air Force Special Operations Command.
Thomas moved to the Central Coast in 1997 to attend Cal Poly and he has called the San Luis Obispo area home ever since. He is a current Tempelton resident with his amazing wife Jen and his daughter Kayden.
In April of this year, Thomas kicked off the Estrella Warbirds Youth STEM group and is wrapped up the pilot phase in May. The STEM group is focused on creating a challenging and rewarding environment for youth in 8th through 12th grades to pursue STEM in the context of aviation and aerospace.
Thomas will be speaking about his experiences in aerospace and unmanned systems and the EWM STEM group.
Dinner is catered and open to the public ($25/person), reservations are required prior to 6 p.m., Monday prior to dinner, either On-line HERE or call 805 296-1935.
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LEARN CPR - AED Save a Life |
Classes open to the first 80 signups. |
Open to all friends of the museum, staff, docents. Click anywhere on image above to register prior to July 8th. |
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Home to the world class Woodland Auto Display:
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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?
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805 674-3939
805 674-3939
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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.
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Above is a "before" image that was in our April 2022 newsletter. Then, it was not much to look at, but now, see the incredible job that the Vehicle Restoration crew did during this past year. The bomb lift itself was entirely recreated by the all volunteer restoration staff. Well done! |
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Warbirds, Wings & Wheels 14 Plus Swap Meet |
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Over 200 attendees to the Friday night kick-off dinner and barn dance enjoyed the music of Monty Mills and the Lucky Horseshoe Band plus the delectable delights provided by caterer, Larry Eastwood. Ken Clapp thanked the dinner crowd for the tremendous opportunity he was being presented with as the Ken Clapp Annex was scheduled to open the next day. |
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Richard and Claudia Woodland congratulate Dick and Wes Willhoit upon receipt of the Woodland Choice of Show Award for their immaculate 1934 Ford Roadster. |
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Rodney Landis received the President's Best of Show Award for his 1968 "Presidential Blue" finished Ford Mustang Fastback.
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Friday and Saturday, May 12th and 13th, were gorgeous days at the museum! The parking lots were full and the taxi-way and aircraft display area was lined with display cars, music filled the air and 14th Warbirds Wings & Wheels and Swap Meet event drew many people to visit the museum. The Woodland Auto Display saw the new annex dedicated to NASCAR executive and aficionado, Ken Clapp, while a new home for the West Coast Stock Car / Motorsports Hall of Fame. (See story below).
There was a host of craft and food vendors along with Eberle Wines and 805 Firestone Beer providing refreshments. There are lots of pictures of the event or if you wish to share your favorites, are available here.
Warbirds Wings & Wheels is one of the largest fund raising events held each year with all profits going to the daily operations of Estrella Warbirds Museum. We would like to thank our host of Sponsors along with everyone (and there were many) who played a part in the production of this annual event! This year, there was an entire team of people who worked "behind the scenes" to insure successful completion of this event. Thank you everyone!
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Best of the West
The above picture is from the Museum's participation in the Santa Margarita "Best O The West" show that happened this last weekend. The Museum Parade staff, with the critical help from S.L.O. Tow Co. and JohnBoy Heavy Tow, both from San Luis Obispo. prepared, transported and docented (it's a real word!) 6 of the Museum's military vehicles at the show. The show was fundamentally an antique tractor show, with an added showing of military vehicles to accent the Memorial Day Weekend. More pictures can be seen here.
There were quite a few military vehicles there, but I believe we had the most impressive collection of all. We had 6 vehicles: the AMG "Deuce-and-a-half Gun truck aka "Snoopy" fully mounted with 2-50 caliber machine guns and 2-30 caliber machine guns, the 1953 Dodge M-43 Ambulance, the 1940 Ford US Navy 4-door staff car (Pearl Harbor, 2-star Admiral), the 2006 US Army HummVee, the 1942 US Army 1/4-ton Jeep (Ed Chidlaw's), and the 1945 US Navy 1/4-ton Jeep. Snoopy, of course, was the hit of the show, as we had stairs in the rear so that folk and kids could get in the back and actually touch the machine guns. The kids especially, loved that! They also loved getting in the HummVee and simulating the top gunner, which swivels 360 degrees. The Pearl Harbor Ford staff car was a hit, too, with the older folks.
Have to acknowledge, of course, the participation of the Museum docents and our Parade and Restoration staff, without whom we couldn't have represented the vehicles as we did. The Parade and Restoration staff included John Everett, Keith Dekker, Dennis Johanson, Greg Heidenreich, Mike Brophy, James Messineo. The Museum docents who volunteered their time were Stephanie & Brent Turner, Janice Nelson, Phil St. Martin, Dave Scott. Our hard-working tow truck staff who made several trips back-and forth from the Museum to the Ranch were Sean Brady and his crew from SLO Tow, and Elijah from JohnBoy's. Have to thank the owners of SLO Tow, Andrew and Elise Wauchope for donating their crew's time and fuel for our event. Thanks!
If you would like to help out volunteering for a position at an EWM event or to just help around the facility, click on the image above.
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West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame Memorabilia gets Paso Robles Home |
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The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame has a brand-new home.
The recent dedication of the 2,000-square foot Ken Clapp Annex, Gallery and Research Library at the Woodland Auto Display in Paso Robles, Calif. for the first-time offers public viewing of unique memorabilia - trophies, photos, scrapbooks and banners, along with historic race cars from all corners of the sport.
The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame previously existed as a digital presence. Richard (Dick) Woodland, a former competitor, team owner and member of the organization’s Board of Directors, believed his popular auto and warbirds collection at the Paso Robles Airport would be a natural fit for the Hall.
“The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame had no real home,” said Woodland, following the May 13 grand opening and ribbon cutting that was part of the 14th Annual Warbirds, Wings and Wheels Car Show attended by a crowd of 2,000. “I really wanted to name it after Ken Clapp, for everything he’s done on the West Coast, as a NASCAR officer, promoter, official and friend of racing. He’s a man who has done it all.”
Clapp, the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame’s chairman and CEO, has been a member of the motorsports community since attending his first race as a teenager in 1951. His recently published autobiography, “SEA TO SHINING SEA, Racing from the Wild West to Daytona,” is available from Coastal 181 and can be purchased at Estrella Warbird Museum's Gift Shop or Hunt’s Race World, 900 Riverside Avenue, Roseville CA 95678, telephone 916-773-7223.
“To have the Woodland Auto Display’s new annex dedicated to me was a wonderful surprise and honor,” said Clapp. “The benefits that it will offer the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame will go on for years to come. The thank you that I have addressed to Dick Woodland, the Woodland Auto Display founder, does not even begin to cover my appreciation.
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(left to right) San Luis Obispo County Supervisor John Peschong presents county proclamation celebrating the opening of the Ken Clapp Annex, Gallery and Research Library to Richard (Dick) Woodland and Ken Clapp. More pictures can be seen here.
About the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame:
The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame was conceived in 2001 as a means of recognizing significant contributors and contributions to the sport of stock car/motorsports competition. The mission of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame is founded to preserve history and heritage of the important role west coast stock car and motorsports figures have played in the sport’s development and continuation and to recognize, through annual enshrinement, of outstanding individuals and groups within the sport such as, but not limited to, designers, engineers, mechanics, drivers, race track owners, promoters, publicists and members of the motorsports media.
The Hall is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, dedicated to supporting a variety of organizations and groups from coast to coast. During its tenure, the Hall has raised more than $700,000 in the past five of its 22 years for youth, health and safety, hospitals, animal rescue, military and other charitable causes.
For more information on the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame visit: www.WestCoastStockCarHallofFame.com
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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. |
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& Woodland Auto Display
4251 Dry Creek Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
805 238-9317
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