Tri-State Warbird Museum Flying Showcase

On September 27th, 2025, I attended the Tri-State Warbird Museum Warbird Flying Showcase at Clermont County Airport in Batavia, Ohio. This event featured ten vintage military aircraft flying low passes and performing unique formations for an audience of about 750 spectators. The event was held between Runway 4/22 and the Tri-State Warbird Museum, with very close proximity to the runway. 

(From top to bottom) a P-40 Warhawk, B-25 Mitchell, and P-51 Mustang fly in formation over Clermont County Airport on 09/27/25.

The first two aircraft to perform were the Ryan PT-22 Recruit and the Boeing-Stearman PT-17 Kaydet, two World War II-era training aircraft. The PT designation stands for “Primary Training,” as these aircraft would have been used for initial training for American pilots. The Recruit is a sleek monoplane famous for its metallic finish, and the Kaydet is legendary for its iconic biplane design. 

The next aircraft to fly were the Piper JC3 Flitfire, Piper L-4H Grasshopper, and North American AT-6D Texan. The Flitfire and Grasshopper are small, relatively slow aircraft that were capable of performing various tasks, ranging from ordering artillery adjustments to medical evacuations. Both aircraft could operate from very short and unimproved runways. More than twenty Allied nations utilized the AT-6D Texan (AT stands for “Advanced Training”) during World War II to train fighter pilots. The Tri-State Warbird Museum’s Texan is painted bright yellow and named “Tweety” after the cartoon bird. The Texan was also the first aircraft of the day to have armament capabilities, with the potential to hold up to three .30 caliber machine guns. 

Following these were the larger Grumman HU-16C Albatros “Erica” and Beechcraft TC-45H Expeditor “Hokie Pokie.” The Albatros is an amphibian, meaning that it can either land on land or on water, although it is notoriously difficult to land on rough seas. The Albatros’ primary duty during its service life from the late 1940s to the early 1980s was to perform search and rescue missions. The specific airframe belonging to the Tri-State Warbird Museum was restored by a commercial airline pilot before being donated in early 2025, making it the museum’s newest aircraft. The Expeditor performed a plethora of different duties, including bombardier training, navigator training, cargo operations, and VIP transport. “Hokie Pokie” was joined by a similar model from Terre Haute, Indiana, for the performance. 

Perhaps saving the best for last, the final act of the showcase featured the North American P-51D Mustang “Cincinnati Miss,” Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, and North American TB-25N Mitchell “Yankee Doodle.” The Mustang was one of the most important aircraft of World War II, being both lethal and simple to manufacture. The P-51 received a major engine overhaul during the war, which significantly improved flight performance. Mustangs served in every theater of the war, notably being flown by the Tuskegee Airmen. Although the P-40 Warhawk became progressively more obsolete as World War II progressed, it still served an important role as an export to China, Russia, and other Allied nations. The P-40 airframe at the Tri-State Warbird Museum was in service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, but was placed into storage and forgotten about until after the war due to a serious incident that damaged the aircraft upon landing. Lastly, the B-25 Mitchell was a medium-altitude bomber that saw widespread usage during World War II. “Yankee Doodle” was the second-to-last B-25 ever produced, and recently starred in an adaptation of Catch-22 on Hulu. 

From training and cargo transport to bombing and aerial combat, the 2025 Warbird Flying Showcase depicted the long-standing strength of the American aerospace industry.