In recent years, the Estrella Warbird Museum in Paso Robles, CA, has been expanding its aircraft collection. The latest acquisitions have been no less than three aircraft from Camp San Luis Obispo, about 40 miles southwest of the museum. These include a Cessna O-1A Bird Dog, de Havilland Canada U-6A Beaver, and Hiller OH-23C Raven helicopter. All three are now set to become restoration projects to be permanently displayed at the EWM.
Having been in use with the California Army National Guard since its establishment as Camp Merriam in 1928, Camp San Luis Obispo, situated on California State Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) is also home to a collection of gate guard aircraft, many of which once served in the California National Guard. Among these was de Havilland Canada U-6A Beaver 53-2817 (construction number 0614), which was delivered from the DHC factory at Downsview, Ontario, to the United States Army on March 16, 1954. Originally, when the Beaver was adapted for use with the US armed forces, it was considered a liaison aircraft and was designated as the L-20. However, in 1962, then Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara decided to standardize the designation system for aircraft across the US Department of Defense in what became the Tri-Service aircraft designation system, considering the USAF and the US Army largely flew the Beaver as a utility transport capable of short takeoffs and landings (STOL) on unimproved fields, the L-20 was redesignated as the U-6. Following its service in the US Army, L-20A/U-6A 53-2817 served in the Aviation Section of the 49th Infantry Division of the California Army National Guard, and after that service, was placed on display at Camp San Luis Obispo.
The other fixed-wing aircraft acquired by Estrella from San Luis Obispo is Cessna L-19A Bird Dog, serial number 51-7312 (construction number 22046), which was manufactured by Cessna on November 7, 1951, and delivered to the US Army later that month before being re-designated as an O-1A under the 1962 Tri-Service aircraft designation system. Having been noted as being on the California Army National Guard inventory up to September 15, 1972, it was placed on display at Camp San Luis Obispo in the 1980s.
While several helicopters, from a Bell OH-13 Sioux to a Sikorsky UH-19 Chickasaw and CH-34 Choctaw, are displayed at the gates of Camp San Luis Obispo, the Estrella Warbird Museum has taken the camp’s Hiller OH-23C Raven, serial number 56-2259 (construction number 861). Like the Beaver and the Bird Dog, the Raven displayed at Camp San Luis Obispo was also operated by the California Army National Guard.
In the case of all of these aircraft, however, with Camp San Luis Obispo being only 7 miles from the Pacific coast, the excessive sea-air moisture has had a corrosive effect on the aircraft displayed there for over 40 years since the late 1980s. It was at this point that the California Army National Guard entered into discussions with the Estrella Warbird Museum to receive authorization for the transfer of some of the aircraft at Camp San Luis Obispo. By the end of December 2024, the museum announced that it would receive the Beaver, Bird Dog, and Raven, and would transport them 40 odd miles to the museum in Paso Robles for restoration to static display.
Throughout February, an all-volunteer team from the EWM came down to the gates of Camp San Luis Obispo and got to work under the California sun. Among their number were Pete Brazil, Rick Cimino, Keith Dekker, John Everett, Howard Guillory, Greg Heydenreich, Colton Hobbs, Rob Kinnear, and Scott Stelzle, who all set to work on dismantling the three aircraft on site, removing the wings and tail assemblies of the Beaver and the Bird Dog. Once this was done, the three aircraft were loaded onto flatbed trailers and trucked off to Paso Robles. By February 26, all three aircraft had arrived at the Estrella Warbird Museum, with the Beaver being the first to arrive, followed by the Bird Dog, and the Raven being the last to depart San Luis Obispo. Now that they have formally become part of the EWM’s collection, they will each become restoration projects for the museum. Once these aircraft are completed, they will be placed on permanent display at the Estrella Warbird Museum.
In addition to the aircraft, the Estrella Warbird Museum has taken on the responsibility of restoring a Japanese Type 97 Te-Ke tankette, one of only 10 surviving examples of this rare light armored vehicle. This particular tankette was captured by the 640th Tank Destroyer Battalion (part of the CA National Guard) in late 1944 while fighting in the Philippines. Since its capture, the Type 97 has been on outdoor display at Camp San Luis Obispo until its transport to Paso Robles. Unlike the aircraft, the Type 97 Te-Ke will not be displayed at Estrella following its restoration but will instead be shipped off to be displayed outside the headquarters of the 40th Infantry Division Headquarters building at Joint Base Los Alamitos, CA.
Meanwhile, there are still three helicopters at Camp San Luis Obispo (Bell OH-13 Sioux 51-13793, Sikorsky UH-19D Chickasaw 59-4973, and CH-34 Choctaw 53-4544), which remain at the discretion of the California Army National Guard. Though the Estrella Warbird Museum already has both its own Chickasaw and Choctaw helicopters, Museum Curator Ken Neuman has stated, “We still have eyes on the OH-13, but this may come to us at a later date depending on what the CA National Guard has planned for it.”
