Warbirds 20 Under 40 Relaunched!

One of the principal reasons we do what we do here at Vintage Aviation News is to promote the engagement of younger generations in the warbird and vintage aviation communities. The Warbirds “20 Under 40” program initiated by the National Warbird Operator Conference does exactly that, and we thought we should share the following press release describing its function…

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One of the purposes of the annual National Warbird Operator Conference is to bring people and ideas together. One new initiative to achieve this was introduced at the 2019 conference in February called Warbirds “20 Under 40”. This program recognizes 20 individuals under 40 years old for their contributions to the warbird field. The warbird community feels it is important to recognize young individuals making a positive contribution to the industry and helping to preserve the history of these aircraft and the people involved.

The program was originally developed by Mark Clark and Darcky Kapke of Courtesy Aircraft Sales, who later passed the torch to Peter DeLisa. “What is not often seen or acknowledged is the number [of] younger people who are carrying on the movement. These people need to be recognized and thanked for their efforts,” DeLisa said.

Nomination forms are now available online for the 2024 Class. Qualifications for nomination are:

• Involvement in warbirds

• Under 40 years of age on August 1, 2024

• Nominee could be a pilot, maintainer, ground crew, historian, photographer, etc.

A panel of judges with warbird backgrounds will evaluate the nominees to verify whether he/she meets the panels qualifications highlighting their passion and dedication to the warbird movement.

Winners will be recognized at Oshkosh AirVenture 2024. The organizations supporting 20 under 40 have pledged warbird flights and/or stick time in various parts of the country. These flights will be a fantastic reward for the winners of those who support the warbird movement. The example they set for others is to be commended.

To nominate a candidate, download the nomination form here. For more information, contact Peter DeLisa at warbirds20u40@gmail.com