The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Capital Wing, in conjunction with the Delaware Aviation Museum Foundation (DAMF), will start the 2022 Warbird Showcase tour at Warrenton-Fauquier Airport in Midland, VA over the weekend of May 7th/8th. The event opens at 10 AM and runs until 4 PM each day; there are no parking or entrance fees. Warbirds scheduled to appear at the event will include B-25J Mitchell Panchito, a Stinson L-5 Sentinel, Fairchild UC-61 Forwarder, two Boeing PT-17 Kaydets, and a North American SNJ/T-6 Texan. Members of the public may purchase rides for any of the participating warbirds on hand.
To view the full tour schedule or advance ticketing options for warbird rides please click HERE; any seats not sold in advance will be available for sale on-site at the event. There are warbird rides priced to fit almost every budget, starting at just US$105 for a 20-minute flight aboard the Stinson L-5. These magnificently restored warbirds will be at the airport subject to pilot and aircraft availability, maintenance, weather, and provided sufficient numbers of flight experiences have been purchased in advance.
Since this event occurs over the Mother’s Day weekend, this Warbird Showcase will feature a “Women and Girls Can Fly!” program where the public can meet and greet our three female pilots, one of whom flies Panchito, while another drives the Fairchild UC-61 and the other is a student pilot. Furthermore, one of the flight school instructors at the Warbird Showcase is also a woman and has been a pilot since 1999. This special Warbird Showcase program aims to demonstrate that women and girls can master both general aviation airplanes and WWII-era warbirds too.
In addition to the flying, other attractions will be on hand at the showcase for the entire family. Two flight schools will have airplanes on static display, with flight instructors present to answer questions. A period WWII encampment, set up by local re-enactors, will also be on display along with military vehicles, including a unique Jeep. In addition, the CAF Capital Wing will have their Martin B-26 Marauder 50-caliber machine gun top turret on-site (and yes, the kids can climb inside it!) as well as their “PX” (Post eXchange) trailer selling warbird-related items. And finally, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) will have a food truck on-site so that the public need not leave for lunch.
For those wishing to see what it’s like inside the Capital Wing hangar (a Vultee BT-13 skeleton, sans engine, and ongoing maintenance for the TBM Avenger), a low-key “meet and greet” event will take place at Culpeper Regional Airport on Saturday, April 23rd, starting at 10:30 AM (warbird rides in the Stinson L-5 and PT-17 Kaydet will be available).
The Capital Wing and Delaware Aviation Museum Foundation are both non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations and are staffed entirely by volunteers. For more information, please contact CapitalWingRides@gmail.com or info@delawareaviationmuseum.org.
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