Warhawk Weekend to Highlight the Curtiss P-40
Event to include book signing, film screening and P-40 restoration tour
HAMMONDSPORT, N.Y., July 16, 2018 – The iconic Curtiss P-40 Warhawk will be the focus of an event at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, Saturday, July 28, 2018.
The P-40 aircraft was the pride of the American volunteer group of “Flying Tigers” fame that flew out of China prior to Pearl Harbor under General Claire Chenault. Thirteen thousand Curtiss P-40 fighters were produced during World War II.
During the Warhawk Weekend event, attendees will see:
• “The Flying Tigers” book signing (2 p.m.). Sam Kleiner, author of “The Flying Tigers: The Untold Story of the American Pilots Who Waged Secret War Against Japan,” will discuss his book about 300 young American men and women who crossed the Pacific before Pearl Harbor to risk their lives defending the embattled forces of Chiang Kai-Shek’s China. These individuals were effectively paid mercenaries, secretly recruited by a mysterious shell company that the U.S. government created to circumvent its official stance of non-intervention in the war.
• A screening of the classic 1942 film “Flying Tigers” starring John Wayne (5:30 p.m.).
• A tour of the museum’s P-40 restoration project. The restoration involves using parts from three P-40s, two that crashed in the Everglades and one that crashed on St. Simon Island. When completed, all mechanical and hydraulic systems of the plane will be operational and on display.
For the day-long event, the cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
About the Museum
Open year-round, the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum is in the town of Hammondsport, N.Y., in the heart of New York state’s Finger Lakes region. The museum is home to a priceless collection of items related to early aviation, motorcycles and local history. It also celebrates the life and accomplishments of Glenn Curtiss, the father of naval aviation and a pioneer in motorcycle manufacturing. For more information, visit the museum’s website at curtissmuseum.org or call 607.569.2160.
