Idaho’s 2026 air show season launched with a 250th United States anniversary-themed event at Mountain Home Air Force Base about an hour from Boise on the weekend of May 16-17.
You can count on a patriotic crowd to venture out for an event like this in Idaho, and the American flags whipped in a brisk wind that chilled, but did not discourage, those who came to see the hometown favorite F-15s, vintage warbirds, civilian aerobatic acts from the gyrating to the graceful, and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Attendance was estimated at 20,000 for the weekend.
Air shows at Mountain Home AFB are titled Gunfighter Skies, a tip of the hat to an earlier era when a Mountain Home unit attached guns to their previously missile-only F-4 Phantoms in pursuit of North Vietnamese adversaries.
A treat from the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles, California, was the World War II Douglas C-47 nicknamed Betsy’s Biscuit Bomber. Wearing olive drab paint with just enough fading and weathering to look like a grizzled wartime machine, this C-47 carried paratroop re-enactors with classic old-school round parachute canopies. They made a realistic jump on Friday at a version of the show for the base population at Mountain Home AFB.
Alas, weather in the Mountain West in May is as fleeting as a social media fad, and Saturday brought a chill wind out of the north that put the jumpers out of limits. The jumpmaster released two weighted streamers on a set-up pass over the field to see how far the wind drift would carry the parachutists.
When the winds drifted the streamers far to the south, the show announcer was amused at the turn of events, saying somebody should call Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, nearly 500 miles distant, and tell them to watch for the streamers.
The jump was scrubbed for Saturday, but the venerable Biscuit Bomber made photo passes along the crowd line.
A heritage formation featured the P-47 Thunderbolt and F-86 Sabre from Planes of Fame Air Museum tucked in with one of Mountain Home’s F-15E Eagles from the 366th Fighter Wing in a graphic panorama of Air Force fighters over the years since World War II.
The hometown crowd cheered a solo performance of the P-51C nicknamed Boise Bee, from the nearby Warhawk Air Museum of Nampa, Idaho.
Boise’s Mark Peterson flew aerobatic maneuvers in his restored Vietnam-era Cessna A-37 Dragonfly jet. Wingtip-mounted smoke generators clearly traced his movements, and the gusting wind etched artistically irregular ropes in the sky.
The Smoke-N-Thunder jet-powered dragster breathed long plumes of flame and clouds of cloaking white smoke as aerobatic pilot Brad Wursten flew low overhead. The upshot was a race between the two, adding a touch of theatrical drama that would be the highlight of the day for some visitors.
Vicky Benzing’s aerobatics in the purple P-51 she calls Plum Crazy were old-school in the best sense of the term, reminding the crowd what that powerful fighter can do under the guidance of a savvy pilot. Her performance was equal parts power, precision, and smooth handling.
And the Air Force Thunderbirds showed the crisp pride that has made them an inspirational draw for decades.
Sunday’s show was terminated early with the collision and crash of two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler jet aircraft in an open area off base shortly after noon. All four crewmembers in the jets ejected safely.
Mountain Home Air Force Base was temporarily locked down, with show attendees remaining on base until the crewmembers were safely recovered and the crash scene was secured.
“First and foremost, we are incredibly thankful that everyone involved in today’s incident is safe,” said Col. David Gunter, 366th Fighter Wing commander. “The extraordinary professionalism of our emergency response teams, including the city and county, allowed for quick response to the aircrew as well as securing the scene to ensure the safety of our guests, performers, and community. And to all of our guests here today, I can’t tell you how much we appreciated your patience, trust, and support.”
For more information: GunfighterSkiesAirShow.com
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