By Kevin Wilkins
On Saturday, March 7, 2026, visitors to Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California, will witness the end of an era as the Boeing P-26A “Peashooter” makes its final scheduled flight over Chino Airport. The occasion forms part of the museum’s popular monthly Hangar Talk event and promises to be an unforgettable send-off for the world’s only flying example of this historic fighter. Doors open at 9:00 a.m., with museum members admitted free of charge. The morning’s program begins at 10:30 a.m. with Hangar Talk, featuring presentations that place the Peashooter’s remarkable story in historical context. Then, at approximately 12:15 p.m., directly in front of the crowd, the aircraft’s distinctive 600-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp radial engine will come to life. With its unique hand-crank start and unmistakable profile, the Peashooter will take to the skies over Southern California one last time before departing for its new home at the museum’s Santa Maria facility in the coming months.
Planes of Fame’s Boeing P-26A, serial number 33123 and registered as N3378G, entered service with the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1934. It later served in the Panama Canal Zone before continuing its career with the Guatemalan Air Force. In 1957, museum founder Edward Maloney repatriated the aircraft, ensuring its preservation for future generations. Today, this 1934 “time machine” remains airworthy, capable of speeds of approximately 234 mph—an impressive figure for an aircraft of its era.
The P-26 represented both a bold step forward and a nostalgic farewell. It was the U.S. Army Air Corps’ first all-metal monoplane fighter, marking a significant leap in design and performance. Yet it retained features that quickly became obsolete: an open cockpit and fixed landing gear. Indeed, it was the last USAAC fighter procured with the classic fixed-gear configuration, bridging the gap between the braced biplanes of the early 1930s and the sleek, retractable-gear monoplanes that would define the years leading into the Second World II. That combination of innovation and tradition gives the Peashooter its enduring charm. Slender, braced by external flying wires and sitting proudly on its spatted landing gear, the aircraft captures a transitional moment in military aviation. Seeing it in flight is not simply watching an antique airplane—it is witnessing a living artifact from the dawn of modern air combat.
The March 7 event is included with standard museum admission, and organizers encourage enthusiasts not to miss what will be the Peashooter’s final flight at Chino before it is carefully packed and transported north to Santa Maria. For Southern California aviation fans, this is a rare opportunity to see the only flyable original P-26 in the world take to the air. With doors opening at 9:00 a.m., Hangar Talk beginning at 10:30 a.m., and the flight demonstration scheduled for 12:15 p.m., March 7, 2026, promises to be a landmark day at Chino Airport—one final salute to a pioneering fighter and the remarkable legacy it represents. For more information about the event, click HERE.
