Recently updated ramp access limitations at Santa Maria Airport (KSMX) in California mean that the Planes of Fame Air Museum’s Central Coast AirFest will no longer be able to host the annual National Aviation Heritage Invitational (NAHI) vintage aircraft competition.
Because of the addition of commercial airline service at the airport, Planes of Fame Air Museum is no longer permitted to use the Security Identification Display Area (SIDA) restricted area or any ramp space beyond the federally designated clear zone for the Central Coast AirFest, according to Steve Hinton, president of the Planes of Fame Air Museum.
“Unfortunately, this makes it physically impossible to accommodate the 20 to 40 vintage aircraft which have historically participated in the NAHI competition over its 25-year history,” officials said.
“While we are disappointed that the partnership with the National Aviation Heritage Invitational could not move forward as we had hoped, we at the Planes of Fame Air Museum remain enthusiastic supporters of NAHI’s mission and we wish them all the best in finding a new venue that meets their operational needs and supports the continued success of their program,” Hinton said.
Ken Perich, NAHI executive director, echoed Hinton’s disappointment.
“We had to make the hard decision of whether to dramatically shrink the NAHI venue to fit the much smaller available footprint or to look for a partner organization which had the capacity to accommodate the anticipated number of aircraft expected,” he explained.
NAHI was founded in 1998 at the Reno Air Races by Rolls-Royce, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the National Aviation Hall of Fame, and the Reno Air Racing Association. With the Reno Air Races move to Roswell, NAHI needed a new home. It was announced in September 2024 that the Central Coast AirFest was that home.
The NAHI competition is open to aircraft 45 years or older, which have been preserved or restored to airworthy condition. There are five judging categories; Antique, Classic, Military, Large, and Contemporary which compete for the Orville and Wilbur Wright Trophy, the Paul E. Garber Trophy, the Henry “Hap” Arnold Trophy, the Herb Kelleher Trophy, and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Trophy. In addition, there is the popular People’s Choice Award Trophy.
For more information: PlanesOfFame.org, HeritageTrophy.com
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