Warbird Showcase adds car show to Culpeper event

The Capital Wing of the Commemorative Air Force will add a car show to the Warbird Showcase event on Aug. 15 at the Culpeper Regional Airport.

In addition to WWII warbirds on static display and flying overhead, visitors to the Showcase will have the opportunity to see dozens of immaculately restored cars.

“Car show enthusiasts are just as passionate about restoring, maintaining and operating their vehicles as we are about our WWII aircraft. The Capital Wing decided to add a car show to our Warbird Showcase at the Culpeper Regional Airport on Aug. 15. The airport has acres and acres of space, perfect for displaying both cars and airplanes” according to Pete Ballard, Assistant Adjutant of the Capital Wing. “We’ll have several categories of cars including antique, classic, foreign and domestic. Some of the cars on display will be much older, or newer, than the aircraft we fly, making for a fantastic contrast.”

There will be a nominal fee for car owners to display their vehicle at the car show, but entrance is free to the public, although the non-profit Capital Wing will appreciate a donation.

“The Capital Wing is also excited to announce that we are adding two more cities to our Warbird Showcase Tour so that more people in Virginia can experience our WWII warbirds up close,” Ballard said. “We’re adding a stop at the Hanover County Airport, just outside Richmond, on Saturday, Aug. 22 and also a stop in Charlottesville later in the fall.”

Warbird rides will be available in the Capital Wing Stinson L-5 forward air controller airplane, Boeing PT-17 Stearman bi-plane and General Motors TBM Avenger, the largest single-engine bomber of WWII. Rides start at just $89.

Advance tickets can be purchased thru the main page of the Capital Wing website at www.capitalwing.org or by emailing [email protected] and asking for tickets.

Ride tickets will also be sold on site the day of the event for any flight times still available.

“Warbird Rides are really an opportunity for people to experience what those young men did during WWII,” said Ballard. “You get to sit in those seats of our nation’s heroes and think about the sights and the sounds and the smells and really take it in.”

This is a family-oriented event with something for everyone. Parking is free. A food truck will be on site for lunch and refreshments.

There will be several other iconic military aircraft on display including a North American SNJ fighter trainer, a British Percival Provost and a North American T-28 as well as a Martin B-26 50-caliber machine gun turret.