PIKES PEAK REGIONAL AIRSHOW 2026
✈️🇺🇸 PIKES PEAK REGIONAL AIRSHOW 2026 — WHAT A WEEKEND IN COLORADO SPRINGS! 🇺🇸✈️
If you heard the roar of aircraft over Colorado Springs this past weekend, there was a pretty good reason.
The 2026 Pikes Peak Regional Airshow took over the skies at the Colorado Springs Airport on September 19–20, bringing together modern military aircraft, historic warbirds, parachute teams, aerobatic pilots and aviation history all in one place.
And this wasn’t just about watching airplanes fly.
It was a chance to see aviation history — from aircraft that represent the WWII era to some of the technology flying with America’s military today.
🇺🇸 THE SHOW BEGAN WITH A POWERFUL TRIBUTE
One of the opening events was a Missing Man Formation, featuring historic aircraft including an F3F Flying Barrel, F4U Corsair, P-51 Mustang and FM-2 Wildcat.
The Missing Man Formation has long been used as an aerial tribute to fallen aviators and service members, making it a fitting way to begin a day celebrating America’s aviation and military heritage.
🪂 WINGS OF BLUE
The U.S. Air Force Academy’s Wings of Blue parachute team also took to the Colorado Springs skies.
For a city with such deep military connections — the Air Force Academy, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base and Fort Carson all nearby — seeing the Wings of Blue perform in their own backyard was something special.
🔥 C-130 MAFFS DEMONSTRATION
One of the more Colorado-specific demonstrations was the C-130 Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System — MAFFS.
These aircraft can play an important role supporting wildland firefighting operations when additional aerial firefighting capacity is needed.
Watching a big C-130 demonstrate that capability was a reminder that aviation isn’t always about combat or entertainment. Sometimes those aircraft and crews are helping protect communities right here at home.
⚡ THE F/A-18 SUPER HORNET
Then there was the sound that was pretty hard to ignore.
The F/A-18 Rhino Demonstration Team showed off the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet.
Speed, power, tight turns and that unmistakable roar of a military jet — the Rhino demonstration was scheduled as the finale of the flying program.
🛩️ THE WARBIRDS
For history fans, the airshow brought an impressive collection of historic aircraft.
Among the aircraft featured during the weekend were:
🇺🇸 P-51 Mustang
🇺🇸 B-25 Mitchell
🇺🇸 F7F Tigercat
🇺🇸 TBM Avenger
🇺🇸 SBD Dauntless
🇺🇸 AD-5 Skyraider
🇺🇸 FM-2 Wildcat
🇺🇸 F3F Flying Barrel
There were also bomber and fighter parades, giving spectators an opportunity to see several generations of aviation history where those machines belong — in the air.
The Red Tail P-51 demonstration was another scheduled highlight, connecting spectators with the history represented by one of America’s most recognizable WWII fighters.
🎪 AND IT WASN’T ONLY MILITARY AIRCRAFT
The weekend also featured the Trojan Phlyers, Kyle Franklin’s Flying Circus and Brad Wursten Airshows, bringing precision flying and aerobatics into the program.
⛈️ COLORADO WEATHER HAD OTHER IDEAS SATURDAY
Of course, anyone who lives around Colorado Springs knows the weather doesn’t always cooperate.
Saturday’s show was placed under a weather delay and eventually cut short at around 2 p.m.
But Sunday morning the aircraft were back.
Sunday even started with a special sunrise photography opportunity featuring F/A-18 Super Hornets, before another day of flying got underway.
📸 MORE THAN JUST AN AIRSHOW
Visitors could also get close to aircraft on the ground, see static displays, explore exhibits and learn about the machines and the people who flew — and continue to fly — them.
That’s one of my favorite things about an event like this.
A kid can walk up to an aircraft they’ve only seen in a history book, talk with people involved in aviation, and maybe walk away thinking:
“Someday, I want to fly.”
The previous Pikes Peak Regional Airshow in 2024 drew more than 30,000 people, according to organizers.
💰 AND THERE’S AN IMPORTANT PART PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW
The airshow isn’t simply put on for entertainment.
Proceeds benefit local museums dedicated to preserving military history and educating future generations. Organizers identified beneficiaries including the National Museum of World War II Aviation, Peterson Air and Space Museum and 4th Infantry Division Museum.
That means the aircraft may stop flying when the weekend is over, but the history continues to be preserved.
🇺🇸 COLORADO SPRINGS AND AVIATION JUST GO TOGETHER.
We live in a community where military aviation is part of everyday life. Sometimes we become so accustomed to seeing aircraft overhead that we forget just how remarkable some of these machines — and the people behind them — really are.
For one weekend, the Pikes Peak Regional Airshow gave everyone permission to stop, look up and appreciate it.
From WWII warbirds…
to parachutes in the Colorado sky…
to aerobatic aircraft…
to a massive C-130…
and finally the thunder of an F/A-18 Super Hornet…
Colorado Springs got one heck of an aviation weekend.
👏 A big thank-you to the pilots, crews, maintainers, volunteers, organizers, first responders and everyone behind the scenes who made the 2026 Pikes Peak Regional Airshow happen.
And to everyone who attended:
📸 Let’s see those pictures!
What was your favorite aircraft or moment from the 2026 Pikes Peak Regional Airshow?
#PikesPeakRegionalAirshow #PikesPeakAirshow #ColoradoSprings #ColoradoSpringsAirport #Aviation #MilitaryAviation #Warbirds #F18 #SuperHornet #WingsOfBlue #USAirForce #USNavy #C130 #P51Mustang #Colorado #Airshow2026