Vintage warplanes to be shown off at Airpower Museum, Jones Beach Air Show

If you like old military airplanes — or, are just looking for something to do Memorial Day weekend — then the American Airpower Museum has an event for you, with its four-day "Arsenal of Democracy" warbird experience hosted at the Republic Airport-based attraction in East Farmingdale May 27-30.

A number of planes in the museum's historic collection will participate in the annual Jones Beach Air Show, among them a World War II era Curtiss P-40 Flying Tiger, a North American P-51D Mustang, a North American B-25 Mitchell twin-engine medium bomber, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport and a Grumman TBM Avenger — the kind of carrier-based torpedo bomber the 41st president, George H.W. Bush, flew off a carrier in the Philippines in 1944.

Other participating museum aircraft include a World War II-era North American AT-6 Texan trainer and a Vietnam-era North American AT-28DS Nomad.

A museum ticket also lets you walk around these historic aircraft and, on air show days, watch their takeoffs and landings at Republic. Flight experiences are available, where you can buy a ticket for a short "hop" on an AT-6 Texan or an old Waco biplane.

A trio of U.S. Navy Boeing EF/A-18 Super Hornet fighter-attack aircraft — planes not participating in the air show — will also spend the week based at the Museum, where a ticket t allows guests an up-close look at them, too, as well as the museum's own Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, a ground support jet known among the pilots who flew it as "The Warthog."

The Warthog is the same type of plane that will participate in the Jones Beach Air Show, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 29-30.

The goal of the four-day salute, Airpower Museum founder Jeff Clyman said in a statement, is "to honor the men and women of the 'Greatest Generation,' who built, maintained and piloted the iconic warbirds of yesteryear in a bold defense of freedom during World War II, as well as active duty military, national guard and reservists who continue this mission and command the skies in advanced supersonic jet aircraft to our present day."

Admission to the museum is $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, veterans and children aged 5-12. Admission will be first-come-first-serve. Changes to prior COVID-19 restrictions mean that, after May 19, the museum can operate at 100% capacity, though officials said social distancing and mask protocols will be enforced.

Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The entrance is located along New Highway south of Conklin Street. For more information see info@americanairpowermuseum.com or call 631-293-6398.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”