Yanks Air Museum (and others) suing to stop the POF airshow?

[Scott Rose]

WTF?
A day early for April Fools... Is this real? Can any one fill in the back story?

A lawsuit has been brought against the Planes of Fame Air Museum by the Yanks Air Museum, Flying Tigers Aviation, SOCAL MRO, and Zangeneh Aeronautics with the sole intent to stop the 25th Annual Planes of Fame Air Show at Chino Airport slated for May 6 & 7, 2017.
The annual Air Show is one of the few remaining events in Southern California where visitors from around the world can enjoy the sights and sounds of aircraft from the Golden Age of Aviation flying overhead. Each year the Air Show attracts thousands of families, aviation enthusiasts, and others who come together to witness rare and historic aircraft, as well as some of the most talented aviators take to the skies. The Planes of Fame Air Show at Chino Airport is considered one of the top five air shows in the country.
As a non-profit, 501c.3 organization, the annual Air Show serves as the primary fundraising effort for the Planes of Fame Air Museum. Revenue from the annual Air Show helps us to carry on our mission to preserve aviation history, inspire an interest in aviation, education of the public, and honor aviation pioneers and veterans. And as this year’s Air Show marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of Planes of Fame Air Museum, we have seen how our mission has impacted multiple generations of families, and is introducing aviation to entirely new generations.
For the local community, the annual Air Show provides an economic stimulus to local businesses and entrepreneurs both on and nearby the airport. For the City of Chino and the County of San Bernardino, the Air Show provides increased visibility as thousands of visitors flock to the Chino Airport for the show.
PLEASE RESPOND ASAP AND SHARE THIS PETITION ON ALL OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND EMAIL. Help us save the Air Show! We are asking our friends, visitors, community, and colleagues to join together to support the Air Show. Please send us a note or letter indicating your backing of the Air Show and be sure to include your thoughts on why it needs to continue. Your letters and comments need to be received by April 4, 2017.
Please send all comments, concerns and questions to letusfly@planesoffame.org

https://www.change.org/p/planes-of-fame ... r-air-show

Last edited by Scott Rose on Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:01 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Editor: Modified topic heading

[TAdan]

I am eagerly awaiting an explanation. I sure hope it's an April fools joke. Sounds pretty bizarre.

[CJAM427]

Just came here to WIX to post the petition. I hope it's not an April Fools joke, it would be a pretty bad one. You would think Yanks would benefit from the airshow bringing in all the people it does.

Sign the petition here if you support Planes of Fame.
https://www.change.org/p/planes-of-fame ... r=61808787

[jamesintucson]

A quick internet search shows that it is not a joke. There is a law suit that was filed on the 27th in San Bernadino County, CA.

[WIXerGreg]

From their Facebook page:

*This is not an April Fool's prank. In response to the inquires regarding the nature of the lawsuit, the allegations involve the experience of economic hardship over Air Show weekend and an inconvenience to operations.

[Noha307]

Okay, I've been sitting on this question long enough. What is the relationship between Yanks and Planes of Fame? Two large aviation museums at the same airport? There has to be some connection.

[Nathan]

I say April fools.

its all too fishy. why would Yanks want to cut their own throat?!

[C VEICH]

This has gotta be the weirdest thing ever. I think if Yanks does not want to shoot themselves in the foot and gain a tarnished reputation in the vintage aviation community they might want to get their side of the story out there. Right now it just sounds like sour grapes. I'd like to know just exactly what the "hardship" and "inconvenience to operations" is that warrants a lawsuit. It just blows my mind that Yanks is suing to force PoF to STOP attracting a huge number if visitors to the airport! I'm calling BS, this has got to be a bad April Fool's prank.

[CoastieJohn]

???

http://planesoffame.org/index.php?page= ... ur-airshow

See the comments.
https://www.facebook.com/FlyingTigersAviation/

Last edited by CoastieJohn on Fri Mar 31, 2017 10:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[OD/NG]

There's obviously more to it that what appears on the surface. Seemingly irrational behavior like this just doesn't "pop out of the blue" for no apparent reason. There is something going on behind the scenes, and what it is I don't know. Does anybody know if there is "bad blood" between POF and Yanks?

Yanks had better provide an explanation really fast, lest they get blackballed in the warbird community. Remember, the warbird community is really, really small and people have very long memories. This could potentially be a PR nightmare for Yanks if all of this true and there aren't mitigating circumstances of which we are not aware.

One thing I've never understood is why Yanks doesn't keep their museum open during the annual Chino air show. For as many years as I can remember, they are always closed the Saturday and Sunday of the airshow. This makes no sense to me. Why don't they take advantage of the crowds and keep their musuem open? From my own personal experience, I would have gone to the Yanks Museum every Chino air show for the last 20 years, but alas, they are not open and hence they don't have my money which I would have gladly given.

Anybody have any explanations for this?

[quemerford]

Anybody have any explanations for this?

My thoughts too: signing the petition without any real detail, is too knee-jerk. Can't find any detail behind the lawsuit either.

[JohnB]

More to the point...a petition has no legal standing.

Obviously Yanks believes it has a valid point...and knows that a lawsuit will generate bad PR...but doesn't care because it believes it is in the right.
So if you KNOW your going to alienate some people but still press on, logically I can't see that a petition would sway their opinion and actions.

As to why they close during the airshow...two guesses:
-lack of customers because everyone is watching the air show...or don't go to the airport because of the extra traffic...
Or
-They close the building because of potential liability to visitors in case a display aircraft somehow crashes into the facility. That would be based on the assumption that more accidents happen at air shows than daily airport operation. Remember the recent Hunter crash in the UK?

[quemerford]

Strange goings-on indeed: posts I've seen so far are focussing on Yanks, while the lawsuit has "supposedly" been brought by other businesses too, including Flying Tigers Aviation, SOCAL MRO, and Zangeneh Aeronautics.

Maybe a change of thread title would present matters more accurately?

[Tim Savage]

Strange goings-on indeed: posts I've seen so far are focussing on Yanks, while the lawsuit has "supposedly" been brought by other businesses too, including Flying Tigers Aviation, SOCAL MRO, and Zangeneh Aeronautics.

Maybe a change of thread title would present matters more accurately?

From what I have gathered from my trips to CNO, I have been told that this is being driven primarily by one of the benefactors of Yanks and it is driven by ego. My guess is that the funding for this lawsuit comes from that benefactor. This is not the first conflict that Yanks has brought to POF from my understanding.

Yanks has participated in the airshow for years by displaying aircraft etc. They haven't been denied the right to participate, but it is hard to fully participate when your airplanes don't fly and are likely never to fly. They make the claim that all of their airplanes are flyable but then make a huge PR blast over the fact that they are going to fly their P-40 in 2017 and have spent the last year returning their "flyable airplane" to flying condition. You can't leave them sit and expect them to stay flyable.

As for Flying Tigers, I am pretty sure when I was out there they were providing fuel for airshow airplanes. I remember when we showed up at the show POF told us to get fuel from whomever we chose. Didn't appear they were playing favorites.

POF and their show have been going on a long time, well before Yanks opened to the public. It is unfortunate that Yanks has decided to make this terrible PR move. Each time I have visited Yanks it has been because I have been at CNO for the POF airshow. I have been there many other times on business, but have never had the time to visit. During the week of the show I always made it a point to take extra time to see places like Yanks. Not this year.

The is undoubtedly going to be a PR blow to Yanks, but I doubt they care. From my understanding Yanks is primarily supported by one family ( who I think owns the airplanes...but I didn't look at the FAA registry). They could be making more money off of hosting corporate events and wedding and the tax implications than they do from aviation visitors.

I for one and am happy to deprive them of this aviation guy's money even though it is an outstanding collection. The people at POF are some of the most generous and kind folks in the Warbird movement. We need to get behind them.

[CoastieJohn]

For you guys that will follow this closely, you may want to save this before it disappears from the comments section on the Flying Tigers FB comments section. It's the legal document that was filed in court and gives the "rest of the story" so to speak. Folks can draw their own conclusions.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l6crfjlsutwqq ... 9.pdf?dl=0