Warbird Information Exchange

Ed Maloney a pioneer in the Warbird movement and founder of Planes of Fame passed away yesterday of colon cancer. Sad news , he was a good friend.

A huge force in the movement. All the best to the family and friends.

I'm sorry to hear this. I always enjoyed being around Ed -- he was a really nice presence above and beyond the many airplanes he saved for us to enjoy. I will miss his smile.

Blue skies and tailwinds, Ed.

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Neal Nurmi

---Wingman Photo---

Sad news, But he is now flying with his son Jim. So many one of kind planes survived because of his foresight.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

One of the great aviation preservationists.
His museum is one of our greatest aviation collections, he had the foresight to save a.c. when no one else did.

RIP.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

R.I.P. Mr. Maloney.

(Chino, 2007)

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

A great man and a visionary when almost nobody was. We all owe him a debt of gratitude.
Godspeed Ed.

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Quite the legend, he started collecting Warbirds back when you probably could count private serial collectors on one hand.
Happy Trails and Tailwinds Mr. Maloney! I'll hoist one to ya' tonight.

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He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
DBF

Here's another one hoisted to Mr. Maloney Clear skies and tailwinds to you, sir!

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Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas

PIC, Ford 6600 pulling Rhino batwing up and down the runway

Planes of Fame is a family based operation, the passing of the founder is a significant and sad moment for the organization and certainly my thoughts are with Karen and her family.
Ed was an enthusiasiast to the end. One of my favourite moments was a few years ago after the airshow at Chino, as the sun set taking pictures on the ramp with Ed after another successful show . Taking pictures of aircraft he saved and shared with the public almost semed surreal. I know a couple of other forum members were there and probably thought the same.

A true pioneer on many levels, without his vision and determination , non of his legacy would exist.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ed in December 2015 for the A6M Zero Living History Flying Day. It was great to finally meet him . I know that he formed the Air Museum in 1957 and had my fingers crossed that he would see the anniversary next year. I didn't ask any personal questions at the the time, but since 8 years old I had known about the museum and always been a fan and wanted to meet him. I got the feeling that he had wished he had saved more WW II aircraft than he did.
We talked a little about the ex RNZAF SBD Dauntless that Planes of Fame have and I gave him a book about the RNZAF 25 Squadron and that my relation has flown 25 SQN SBD's during the war and being killed on operations on a mission at Rabaul . Ed thought of re-painting the PoF SBD back in its RNZAF colors ,or at least one side , may be an option in the for the future ..

I was humbled to meet such a person and wished I had more time to talk with him then. Thank you Ed.

Damon.

The public-sector equivalent of Paul Garber.

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Kevin McCartney

Godspeed Ed

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

I think he may be #1 on the list of greats. He was a "Buy and Hold" investor when there was no investment value. He collected and kept airplanes like the P-51 and Corsair when he could've made a quick buck selling them to countries that used them in their air forces. He collected airplanes that had no spare parts or were so obscure it would be decades before anyone thought they were cool. He preserved types that were worth far more for their scrap metal value or parted out than as a whole. He was able to see their future worth and value . The Warren Buffett of old scrap airplanes. I don't think there's anything he bought that hasn't increased dramatically in value. Very few losses. His son Jim in the Pt-22, Art Vance in the Hellcat, the F4U-1 racer, and the O-47. Too many losses but overall a very safe operation.
Thank you Mr. Maloney.

Blue skies Mr. Maloney...