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Thunderbolts & Lightning: A Warbird rhapsody

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A lovely sight of two P-47 Thunderbolts warming up. The one at left is a Curtiss-built P-47G while the other is a late model P-47D.

The Central Coast AirFest, held at Santa Maria Airport (KSMX) in California, is a show I’ve enjoyed since the first one back in 2018. The event has evolved the last few years under the stewardship of the Planes of Fame Air Museum and is now a full blown major warbird event — a Chino redux?

While time will tell if the famed Chino air shows will ever return, Santa Maria is more than ready to fill those big shoes.

The Planes of Fame Lockheed P-38 Lightning is the first of a long warbird lineup seen at the Central Coast AirFest. Coincidentally Santa Maria Airport was a wartime traing base for P-38 pilots.

The 2024 show, held Sept. 21-22, had something for everyone: Civilian performers, warbirds, modern jets, vintage jets, and even more warbirds. No less than 26 warbirds took to the air during the day.

Flying started with a Missing Man formation honoring the late Brig. Gen. Clarence E. “Bud” Anderson.

Vicky Benzing taxies by in her immaculate 1940 Stearman. An estimated 1,000 Stearmans are still flying today, of the more than 10,000 built by Stearman and Boeing.

Vicky Benzing then took to the air, opting for her scarlet Stearman instead of her P-51 “Plum Crazy” which remained on static display.

Air show performer and race pilot Vicky Benzing brought her P-51D Mustang “Plum Crazy” to the show. Previous owner Clay Lacy raced this Mustang at Reno from 1964 to 1972, winning the National Championship in 1970.

The AirFest turned into a VaporFest thanks to the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet and U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II, creating vapor cones and trails repeatedly during their flights.

A F/A-18F Super Hornet flirts with supersonic flight over the skies of Santa Maria. Commonly referred to as a vapor cone, this cloud of condensed water can form around an aircraft flying at transonic speeds in moist air.

Prop vortices on takeoff were plentiful and even the mighty P-47 managed to pull some vapor!

Classic jet fans enjoyed Jason Somes and his crimson MiG-17, and Greg Colyer with his T-33 Shooting Star “Ace Maker.”

Jason Somes make a high speed pass using afterburner in his Polish built MiG-17 jet fighter. The afterburner adds 30 MPH to the MiG-17 top speed of 680 mph.

There were active duty flight performances by the US Navy F/A-18F Rhino Demo team, the US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey, and the USAF A-10 Demonstration Team.

Sadly, 2024 marks the final season that air show fans will ever see the A-10 team perform, thanks to the retirement of the type already underway.

The U.S. Navy Legacy Flight paired a F/A-18F Super Hornet with this F8F Bearcat. The Super Hornet first flew in 1995, 50 years after the Bearcat entered service.

There was a USN Legacy flight with the F/A-18 Super Hornet forming up on a F8F Bearcat. An Air Force Heritage Flight paired the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II with its familial namesake, a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. As a big fan of dissimilar aircraft formations I always look forward to these types of flights.

The USAF Heritage Flight had these Thunderbolts from different eras flying in formation. After a storied career, the A-10 fleet began a phaseout from the USAF inventory in 2023.
An uncommon sight as a P-47 Thunderbolt breaks formation with a P-38 Lightning. This P-47, named “Dottie Mae” holds the distinction of being the last American airplane to go down in the European theater.

A pair of B-25 Mitchells were also on hand to round out the bomber selection.

The Erickson Air Collection brought its B-17 Flying Fortress “Ye Olde Pub,” which participated in the flying demos and then shifted to revenue flights after the show finished.

This Lockheed-built B-17G Flying Fortress, from the Erickson Air Collection, makes a fly-by during the show. Living history rides were available after the air show.
A nice view of the North American B-25J Mitchell ‘Sweet Dreams’ operated by Lost Coast Warbirds. This is the newest Mitchell to fly, having been restored to airworthiness last year.

As good as all the performances were, the absolute highlight of the day was seeing not one, but TWO rare de Havilland DH.98 Mosquitoes flying together. Both of these former Royal New Zealand Air Force “Wooden Wonders” were also restored in New Zealand. Ahh, the glorious sound of four Merlins flying overhead.

The wondrous sight of two wooden de Havilland Mosquitoes flying together is pretty special. Both were restored in New Zealand with the silver one being completed this year.

With the demise of the Reno Air Races, it was recently announced that the AirFest is the new home for the National Aviation Heritage Invitational (NAHI) vintage aircraft competition. Previous winners on display included a Korean War era Fairey Firefly, two lovely WACOs (a ZQC-6 and a SRE), and a SNJ-4. 2025 will see the return of full competition for the coveted Neil A. Armstrong Aviation Heritage Trophy.

This spotless 1936 WACO ZQC-6 was an Antique class winner at the 2022 National Aviation Heritage Invitational. This sesquiplane is one of only 68 built. A type of biplane with one wing being significantly smaller, sesquiplane comes from Latin and means “one-and-a-half wings.”

This air show is well on its way to becoming a centerpiece for West Coast warbird events. A sign of things to come was a pile of structural steel soon to become the Planes of Fame maintenance/museum facility at Santa Maria. The AirFest still has the enjoyable ambience of a smaller show coupled with quality aerial displays.

Warbirds seen warming up prior to a flight demonstration at the 2024 Central Coast AirFest in Santa Maria. Two P-40 Kittyhawks are joined by a rare P-51A Mustang.

One of the largest World War II bases on the West coast, Santa Maria Army Air Field was commissioned as a bomber base in 1942. After the war, it was placed on the surplus property list and eventually became the Santa Maria Municipal Airport (KSMX).

For more information: CentralCoastAirFest.com

More Photos From The Show

Two TBM Avengers pass show center in formation. In 1943 Grumman delegated Avenger production to General Motors with the TBM designation with more than 4,400 delivered.
A gorgeous P-51A Mustang passes in review. This Mustang crashed in Alaska in 1944 and was recovered in 1977. Although original parts were used in the rebuild, it used P-51D structural components. The first post-restoration flight took place in 1985.
A rare sight of a Thunderbolt pulling vapor during a climb maneuver. “Snafu” is one of only two Curtiss-built examples existing, and spent years in the UK before returning to the U.S.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II of the A-10 Demonstration Team pulls vapor during a performance during their final season. This A-10 wears a Vietnam era livery along with the “Memphis Belle III” name. During Vietnam, a F-105 was named “Memphis Belle II” after the famous B-17.
Dennis Sanders conducts one of his trademark Hawker Sea Fury demonstrations, accented by Sanders smoke generators. Retired in 1953, the Sea Fury was the last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy.
Introduced in 1943, the Fairey Firefly was a Royal Navy carrier-based strike fighter that served into the 1950’s. Wearing Korean War markings, this is one of only three airworthy Fireflys remaining.
This P-51 Mustang “Bardahl Special” heads to the hot ramp at the Central Coast AirFest. Modified for air racing, Steve Hinton qualified this Mustang for Reno at 469 mph.
It is not everyday that one sees D-Day invasion stripes on a large aircraft like this Nebraska ANG KC-135 Stratotanker. The WWII livery pays tribute to the 401st Fighter Squadron of the 370th Fighter Group, which eventually evolved into the 155th Air Refueling Wing.
A USMC Bell MV-22 Osprey on static display. Starting in 2007, the MV-22 replaced the CH-46 as the primary assault support aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps.
This Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk is based at NAS Lemoore. The international orange markings indicates this helo and crew are tasked for Search and Rescue duty, and can perform wildfire firefighting if needed.
This REACH medivac Eurocopter EC-135 cut their stay short and departed on a call during the air show.
This duo of sleek T-38 Talons visited from Beale AFB. Their T-38s provide instrument and general flight training for U-2 pilots at Beale.
This Mooney M20E belongs to a local Chick-fil-A franchise owner. In production on and off over a 60 year span, the M20 was the 20th design from Al Mooney.
A 1956 Beech D50 Twin Bonanza on static display. Despite the name, this aircraft shared very little with the Bonanza. The Twin Bonanza is considered to be the grandfather of the King Air.

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Comments

  2. I thought all B-17 G models had the forward-facing chin turret. Isn’t this more likely an “E” or “F” model?

    Reply

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