On the third weekend of May, as they do every year, the people at the Planes Of Fame museum in Chino, California, organized one of the largest warbird airshows in the world. The museum is home to an exceptionally large collection of airworthy 1940s aircraft, including many last-of-its-kind airplanes: The last airworthy razorback P-47, the only Boeing P-26 still flying, the last Mitsubishi Zero still powered by its original engine, a rare P-51A, etc. A Northrop N-9M (Northrop's second flying wing, leading up to the B-35 and B-49 bombers and ultimately to the B-2) was also airworthy until recently, and a Bell P-59 (the first American jet) is well on its way to being restored to flying condition. Once a year, the museum flies all its airworthy aircraft. Many warbird owners and museum on the West Coast also bring their airplanes into this airshow, which snowballs into one of the biggest warbird gatherings anywhere.

  Here's the laundry list of warbirds included in the airshow: Grumman F3F, Wildcat, Hellcat (x2), Bearcat, Douglas Dauntless, Vought Corsair (x4), Vultee Valiant modified into an Aichi Val, Mitsubishi Zero (x2), Republic Thunderbolt, North American B-25 (x2), Mustang (x4), Texan (x3), and F-86, Boeing Stearman and B-17, Supermarine Spitfire, Fairey Firefly, Hawker Sea Fury (x2), Curtiss Warhawk (x2), Lockheed P-38 (x2) and T-33, Mikhoyan-Gurevich MiG15, Cessna L-19 (x2). In addition, many warbirds were on static display, including the museum's N9M and P-26, large transports such as a C-47 and Convair 240, airplanes ranging from the common Beechcraft 18 to the rare Lockheed Electra, an assortment of old trainers such as a Waco and a Ryan Recruit, and jets such as an L39 painted in Sukhoi-like blue camouflage and a Gnat in a Red Arrows paint scheme.

  Unlike many airshows, where one or two warbirds fly at a time, Chino puts as many as ten warbirds in the air at once, and they chase each other doing laps around the airport. This way, once every ten seconds or so, the crowd gets one low banked pass, sometimes featuring two airplanes in tight formation. Some of the more powerful warbirds are flown through aerobatics, and a wing-walking act is also a regular feature. Tailchases and mock combat take place over the runway and high overhead, such as when two Warhawks and two Zeroes dogfight to defend a Douglas Dauntless and a replica Aichi Val, or when an F-86 chases a MiG-15. During the lunch break, war re-enactors on the ground hold a mock battle featuring a variety of ground vehicles. Two Reno racers then sped their way around the airfield. Towards the end of the show, most of the museum's warbirds featured over the day, plus a few guest airplanes, are flown together in one massive gaggle, consisting of about 20 diverse aircraft. The airshow ends with a modern fighter tactical demo; This year, it was Viper West showing off what they could do with an F-16. Truly a terrific airshow, the high point of the airshow season for any West-Coast warbird fan.