One of America’s oldest and most prestigious aeronautical events will be opening next weekend in Midland as AIRSHO ’26 takes off.
This exciting held annually at Midland International Air & Space Port is hosted by the Commemorative Air Force’s High Sky Wing, and features flying displays of vintage military aircraft, along with civilian aerobatic performers.
The event also offers attendees a chance to get close to the aircraft and see them perform.
There will also be dazzling displays by the CAF’s award-winning pyrotechnic groups, who will shake the ground with simulated bombing raids, strafing runs and the infamous “wall of fire.”
This year marks the 35th Anniversary of AIRSHO, and as a way of saying “Thank you!” organizers have set special ticket prices at $10 for ages 14 & up; $5 for children aged 6-13, and children 5 and under get in free.
- Gates open at 9 a.m. Sept. 12-13, with flying beginning at 11:30 a.m. The show will conclude around 4 p.m.
- General Parking is an additional $10 per vehicle CASH ONLY Upon Arrival.
- VIP Parking is available for purchase online in advance ONLY for $25.
Brief History of the CAF
In 1957, a former World War II Army Air Corps flight instructor named Lloyd Nolen and a small group of friends pitched in to buy a P-51 Mustang so they could once again share the pleasure of flying, calling themselves “Mustang and Company.”
According to the group’s history, by 1960 they had begun a serious search for other World War II aircraft but they were rapidly disappearing, with only a few of the 300,000 airplanes produced by America during the war surviving, with many of the remaining birds stripped of instruments and equipment.
No one, not even the Air Force or Navy, was preserving the historic aircraft that changed the world forever, and the fledgling CAF made it their mission to preserve a flying example of every type of American aircraft from that war.
