Although it’s officially named the Lyon Air Museum, this unique collection of mostly World War 2-vintage aircraft and military vehicles is also the story of its namesake founder: U.S. Air Force Major General William Lyon. Located at the end of John Wayne Airport’s runways in Santa Ana, the Air Museum offers guests the opportunity to examine historic planes – including Boeing’s B-17G Flying Fortress, North American’s B-25 bomber, and Douglas’s A-26, C-47, and DC-3 – as well as classic German and American vehicles such as Hitler’s Mercedes-Benz G4 Offener Touring Wagon, multiple motorcycles, jeeps, and vintage consumer cars. A silver 2004 Porsche Carrera GT sits mysteriously at the edge of the collection, seemingly as a nod to Lyon’s post-military career as an Orange County real estate developer and collector of rare vehicles.
In addition to the permanent collection of planes and cars, the Air Museum also includes display cases of model planes and military memorabilia, a small gift shop, and temporary exhibitions such as a Microcars collection – complete with a film in a small theatrical screening room. Tickets are $14 per adult and $7 per child, with senior and veteran discounts, and parking is free. In addition to roughly an hour’s worth of official exhibits, guests can watch planes take off from SNA Airport while they tour the exhibits, and get pretty close to private jets parked immediately outside the Museum’s grounds.
