The Lyon Air Museum’s fastest plane, the A-26, to fly on Saturday, on Fly Day

A-26 Day: Our Biggest-ever Fly Day!

Mark your calendars to experience the sheer power and majesty of the A-26 attack bomber — the fastest aircraft in the Lyon Museum collection. With peak speeds of 355 MPH and a service ceiling of 22,000 feet, no Museum aircraft is more impressive.

The A-26 is scheduled to take flight on Saturday, February 12 at noon.

Guests can experience the rare take off and landing of this impressive aircraft from the ideal standpoint of Lyon Air Museum.

The plane was originally crafted as a single-pilot aircraft, which was highly unusual for an attack bomber of the 1940s.

According to Lyon Air Museum President Mark Foster, “While we can’t document it, we believe this plane was owned and flown by Howard Hughes, which makes it even more distinctive and unique.”

The Douglas XA-26 prototype first took flight on July 10, 1942 from Mines Field, El Segundo, Calif. It initially saw action within the Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific theater on June 23, 1944, when the squadron bombed Japanese-held islands near Manokwari. The bomber served for almost three decades, in World War II, Korea and Viet Nam as well as supporting the seaborne Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in 1961.

The impressive aircraft was acquired by General William Lyon for his private collection in 1999.

MANUFACTURER: Douglas Aircraft Company

MODEL: A-26B Invader (re-designated as B-26B in 1947)

ARMY AIR CORPS SERIAL NUMBER: 44-34538

DELIVERY DATE: 1945

PROTOTYPE FIRST FLIGHT: July 10, 1942

CREW: Three

POWER: Two 2,000 Horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-2800
“Double Wasp” 18-cylinder radial piston engines

WEIGHTS: Basic Empty Weight – 22,850 pounds
Gross Weight – 35,000 pounds

FUEL CAPACITY: 800 gallons

RANGE: 1,400 miles

WING SPAN: 70 feet

LENGTH: 50 feet

HEIGHT: 18 feet, 3 inches

SERVICE CEILING: 22,100 feet

TYPICAL ARMAMENT: Up to fourteen .50 caliber machine guns, and fourteen 5-inch rockets

TYPICAL BOMB LOAD: Internal – 4,000 pounds
External – 2,000 pounds

NUMBER BUILT: 2,448 (all models)

SPEEDS: Maximum – 355 miles per hour, Cruising – 250 miles per hour

The Lyon Air Museum is located at 19300 Ike Jones Road, in Santa Ana.

ADMISSION FEES
General: $8
Ages 5-17: $4
Under 5: Free
Seniors & Veterans: $6
Groups: $1-Off
School Groups: Free