Warbird Roundup 2024: More to see with a better view

Planes of Fame pilot John Hinton, with right hand on the stick and left on the throttle visible through the cockpit glazing, banked Warhawk Air Museum’s colorful P-40N Warhawk during the 2024 show. (All Photos by Frederick A. Johnsen)

The evolution and growth of the Warhawk Air Museum is mirrored in the growth of the museum’s annual Warbird Roundup, a treat in the Idaho community of Nampa, west of Boise.

If you spend time at the museum — and at Warbird Roundup — it becomes evident the unifying motivator within the museum staff is an interest in all kinds of people — veterans, their families, and anyone who walks through the doors with a sense of curiosity.

Sure, Warbird Roundup hosts warbirds and the museum features exhibits. But those items are a catalyst for the interactions between the people who attend. Museum founders John and Sue Paul set that tone decades ago, and it shows.

Some of the 17 warbirds flying during the 2024 Warbird Roundup formed an impressive line facing the crowd. Muted early morning sun fought its way through the pall of wildfire smoke that blanketed much of Idaho.

With long morning shadows filtered by a smoky sky, the line-up of warbirds awaited the call to action at Warbird Roundup. A fearsome sharkmouth adorns Warhawk Air Museum’s P-40 known as Sneak Attack.

This year’s Warbird Roundup, held Sept. 7-8, featured a new layout that placed the viewing area on a large open ramp intended to give attendees a better view of warbird startups and a broader reach of the flightline for watching Mustangs, Warhawks, and other snarling beasts from World War II as they roared past.

Collaboration with the Nampa airport manager and staff, the FAA, and an air boss produced a smooth-running set of fly-bys each morning that was repeated after lunch.

Gil Patrick eases his Cessna L-19 Bird Dog into the morning sky for Warbird Roundup.

“We heard a ton of positive feedback from the spectators, air boss, hot ramp crew, and pilots. Everyone liked the layout and the pattern we flew, plus all the extra space afforded us the chance to include more options for vendors,” said Carson Spear, Warhawk Air Museum’s executive director.

John Walborn’s O-1A looks very much the part of an Air Force Bird Dog of the Vietnam era, complete with replica white phosphorous marking rockets under the wing.

Former Air Force F-16 pilot Chris Fahey, a Delta Airlines 767 captain who also flies for Planes of Fame Museum of Chino, California, gave a lunchtime presentation on the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during Warbird Roundup.

Chris Fahey, from the Planes of Fame Air Museum, gave a well-received lunchtime presentation about the WASP — Women Airforce Service Pilots.

Planes of Fame and Warhawk Air Museum have a long relationship of supporting each other’s events, and the Chino group sent several warbird pilots and its rare P-51A Mustang and F8F Bearcat fighters to this year’s Roundup.

Steve Coutches flew from California in the scarce P-51H version of the Mustang that has been in the Coutches family for decades.

Take a look at the only P-51H flying in the world. Steve Coutches brought the rare fighter from California for Warbird Roundup. The H-model, an extensive redesign of the Mustang, was too late for World War II combat.

Warbird Roundup offered a rare airborne spectacle this year — a genealogy of Mustang fighters, ranging from the early Allison-powered P-51A, to the Warhawk Air Museum’s own high-backed P-51C, followed by iconic bubble-top P-51Ds, and the fastest of the breed, the redesigned P-51H.

Smoke curls up the backside of the tire on the P-51A as it kisses the pavement following a demonstration flight at Warbird Roundup. Legendary air show pilot Steve Hinton, from Planes of Fame, eased the vintage fighter through its landing.

Planes of Fame’s P-51A Mustang was one of its earliest acquisitions, in 1953. It is said to be the only flying original P-51A. A-model Mustangs are powered by Allison V-1710 engines. This vintage member of the Mustang family led the flight of several models of the famous P-51 at Warbird Roundup.

Known as Speedball Alice, this P-51D was shown at Nampa by Dan Vance.

Brant Seghetti flew this P-51D, called Blondie, during Warbird Roundup. Air racing fans may remember when this Mustang was sponsored by Jelly Belly candy.

New to this year’s Roundup was the B-25J Mitchell bomber painted as “Sweet Dreams,” a warbird returned to the air show circuit in 2023 after many years not flying. The pugnaciously chugging B-25 Mitchell was a popular flying favorite at Warbird Roundup.