Museum Spotlight: Warhawk Air Museum

The museum’s collection includes the Curtiss P-40N Warhawk “Parrot Head.” [Credit: Jim Raeder]

We all have our favorite aircraft—even the people who are charged with caring for them at aviation museums across the country. As 2023 marks the 120th anniversary of flight, FLYING magazine reached out to museums across the country to find out which aircraft are the personal favorites of the museum staff as well as the museum visitors.

Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, Idaho

The Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, Idaho has been open to the public since 1989. The collection ranges from a Fokker DR-1 triplane to a MiG-21.

According to Sue Paul, the museum executive director, the public's favorite aircraft are the World War II designs, particularly the P-51B model Mustang known as The Boise Bee, and the Museum's Curtiss P-40N Warhawk Parrot Head and P-40E Kittyhawk Sneak Attack.

The museum's P-51B model Mustang known as "The Boise Bee." [Credit: Jim Raeder]

"The N Model has a parrot head on the nose; the E model has the classic shark mouth," Paul said.

The museum's P-40E Kittyhawk "Sneak Attack." [Credit: Jim Raeder]

The P-40E was restored in the 1960s and first flown in 1971. The N model was restored to airworthiness in the 1980s. Both aircraft make the air show circuit and have competed in the Reno Air Races—they are also movie stars—look for them in the 2001 film Pearl Harbor.

When asked about her favorite, Paul says it's Sneak Attack because the airplane literally has her name in it: S U E.

airplane Boise Bee Curtiss P-40N Warhawk Fokker DR-1 triplane Idaho Mig 21 Museum P-40E Kittyhawk P-51B warbird Warhawk Museum

Meg GodlewskiAuthor

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.