Mountain Home’s air show is back. Here’s what ‘great Americans’ can expect
It’s been eight years since a Mountain Home Air Force Base Gunfighter Skies Air Show took place.
The military base is reviving the popular show this weekend, and hoping to throw one of its biggest celebrations ever in honor of the United States’ 250th birthday.
The 2026 air show’s theme will be America 250: Freedom Takes Flight, and spectators will be able to see it all Saturday and Sunday at the large base about 45 miles southeast of Boise.
This will mark the base’s first air show since the tragic death of a hang glider pilot in 2018.
“We can show the great Americans who live in the state of Idaho what the U.S. military capabilities are, and all of the equipment that their taxpaying dollars go towards,” Capt. Anthony Mountain, the air show director, told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview.
What to know before you go
Here is information on the show from the Air Force.
Admission and general parking are free, and no ticket is required. A general parking lot will be available near the Idaho Highway 51 and Mint Farm Road intersection, about one mile from the base. A shuttle will be available to bring attendees to the event grounds. VIP parking passes may be purchased online for those wanting to park closer to the event.
Gates will open at 9 a.m. and close to arriving attendees at 3 p.m. both days, and an opening ceremony will take place at 11 a.m., with the air show continuing until 5 p.m.
Guests with disabilities or accommodation needs, as well as those arriving by motorcycle, should use a separate gate at 366 Gunfighter Ave. Limited handicapped parking will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Because of the volume of the jets, the base advises people to bring ear protection.
In addition to the main attractions, attendees can expect vendors, food, drinks, concessions and souvenirs.
Attendees older than 18 will be required to bring government-issued identification such as a driver's license or passport and go through security screening. All items will be searched.
Additional information, including a list of banned items, can be found on the Gunfighter Skies website.
Flying acts
The Mountain Home Air Force Base has planned 20 flying acts. The wide-ranging show will feature both military and civilian pilots in both historic and modern aircraft.
The opening act will include a Douglas C-47 Skytrain — the aircraft that dropped paratroopers over Normandy on D-Day — and the Air Force’s Wings of Blue parachute team.
“They’re jumping down, first with all of the service flags, and then a massive 20-by-30 American flag, which is going to be a really cool sight to see,” Mountain said. “And at the same time, we have the national anthem being sung by one of our aviators here at Mountain Home.”
Mountain said he was especially excited for an arms demonstration that will “showcase how the joint force comes together to rescue an airman down behind enemy lines.”
“And we’ve got this all set to pyrotechnics from a local, but world-renowned, pyrotechnic expert,” Mountain said.
The aerial acts will be capped off with the base’s own Thunderbirds.
STEM Expo
A new addition to the air show as it returns from hiatus will be a large-scale, standalone STEM expo in a 20,000-square-foot hangar intended to showcase American innovation. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., more than 25 Idaho businesses will offer exhibits on science, engineering, technology and mathematics.
Exhibit features include semiconductor stations, chemical experiments, virtual reality, flying simulators, telescopes, an archeology presentation and more, the website says.
More than 1,000 Idaho students will get a first look at the expo for a field trip event on Friday.
“We thought this would be such a phenomenal way to use kind of the power of the base and like connections that we have to be able to bring this together and create a really fun field trip for all those students,” Mountain said.
Display airplanes
Three will be more than 30 “static displays” of aircraft. The showcased planes on the ground will date to before World War II and also include modern-day jets.
Block party
As part of the lead-up to the weekend’s events, the city of Mountain Home is throwing a downtown block party from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday. It will include music, exotic cars, food trucks, Thunderbird planes and more.
