Page 18 - World Airshow News Autumn 2024

tHE pALm SpRINGS AIR muSEum By Jim Froneberger

Flying on His Father’s Wing
Aviation History in the California Desert

W long palm tree-lined boulevards, II to the present day. Many aircraft are left the Navy in 1945 and began a suc-
hen most people think of Palm
cessful business career with his company,
kept in flying condition and regularly fly
Springs, California they think of
in airshows and provide Living History
Advance Machine Company, making the
championship golf and tennis,
to clean and polish commercial flooring.
beautiful resorts, movie star homes, and Flight Experiences (LHFE) for paying large Zamboni-like floor scrubbers used
passengers.
the hot sunny weather the California des- In the 1970s, Pond started collect-
ert is known for. What many people don’t bOb pOND’S LEGACy ing warbirds. His collection grew to as
know is Palm Springs is also home to one The Palm Springs Air Museum traces many as fourteen planes, including all of
of the best aviation museums in America. its roots back to businessman Bob Pond’s the Grumman Cats from the Wildcat to
The Palm Springs Air Museum is lo- aircraft collection in Minnesota. Pond the Tiger Cat. After selling his company
cated adjacent to the Palm Springs Inter- was trained as a Navy pilot during World and retiring to Palm Springs, Pond began
national Airport and has several build- War II, but the war ended before he was moving some of his airplanes to the des-
ings filled with aircraft from World War able to see any action in the Pacific. He ert. In 1993, when four Palm Springs men

www.airshowmag.com 18 Quarter 4, 2024