Warbirds in Action, Minter Field, Shafter California
Minter Field in Shafter, California was initially established as an Army Air Corps training base during WWII. Over 11,000 pilots were trained at Minter field during WWII. The Minter Field museum commemorates the rich history of the field and hosts the Warbirds in Action airshow annually. Media day for the airshow this year fell on the 66th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid, and 2 B-25s arrived to commemorate the event. Executive Sweet, based in Camarillo and Heavenly Body based in Van Nuys flew together in formation, demonstrating the different forms of bombing runs that the B-25 typically used during WWII.
A Hawker Seafury flew in formation with 3 of the 5 P-51 Mustangs at the show. The Commemorative Air Force SoCal Wing brought their Hellcat and Zero for a mock dogfight and formation flyovers. An F4U Corsair also flew some passes, delighting the crowd. A rare Lockheed Howard 250 was also on hand and flew a couple of formation passes with the B-25 “Heavenly Body”.
With the history of Minter Field so rich in training, it was appropriate to see a large collection of trainer aircraft at the show. A PT-17 Stearman flew and was giving rides on Friday and Saturday. Several T-6 Texans, T-28 Trojans, PT-26 Cornells and BT-13 Valiants were at the show on static display and flying. A T-34 arrived on Saturday and was part of the static display.
There was a healthy amount of foreign built trainers at Minter this year, also. An Australian CAC-25 Winjeel, the only flying example in North America, was a nice addition to the show. The Thunder Delfin team took to the skies in their Czechoslovakian Aero L-29 Delfin trainers, flying formations and other impressive displays. A Yak-11 Moose flew in an interesting formation with the Seafury and 2 Mustangs. A BAC Jet Provost helped close the show.
The Strega, a modified P-51 Mustang air racer, performed some high speed passes, rivaling the performance of the Jet Provost. Some of the T-6 Texans at the show were also modified for air racing. It was interesting to contrast the vintage aircraft with those that had been modified for air racing. Rob Harrison in his Zlin-50 “Tumbling Bear” thrilled the audience with his aerobatics. Dan Buchanan also performed, despite some heavy winds, in his hang glider with pyrotechnics. During Rob’s second performance, Dan launched in his hang glider while Rob flew nearby and they playfully taunted each other over the radio. Despite rising fuel costs, the volunteers at the Minter Field Museum put on a wonderful show. I want to thank all of the helpful and hospitable volunteers at the Minter Field Museum.
By Eric Van Gilder