Warhawk Air Museum

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OPEN NOW - Closes at 5:00pm

In Idaho’s third most populated city resides an impressive time capsule of Americana. Whereas, most Air Museums have a large amount of Aircraft displayed, Nampa Idaho’s “Warhawk Air Museum” (WAM), make’s do with a smaller number of Aircraft. Yet, the curators produced an interesting and informative historical representation. A first for me, is seeing cars displayed equally with the Aircraft. Mostly WWII is represented. However, The Korean War and our space exploration accomplishments are pictured as well. It’s interesting to see what the people were reading, the news of the time, and the propaganda that fed into the eras seen here. WAM, displays all without any politically correct filtering in a time where other institutions and organizations are editing materials for our growing “safe-spacer” population. To me, WAM is unapologetically brave and respectful to our heritage. The museum offers memberships to include a WWII plane ride. The staff are very courteous and available for Q&A. This is a plus to me but not a deal breaker at some places where they’re busy with other tasks. And of course, “please don’t touch” is the rule as it is with any museum. Natural finger oils usually can’t do too much damage individually. However, collectively, finger print oils can devastate any display and gradually erode any material. The displays are arranged and roped off in such a way that close-ups are easy to get. “Idea:” using a selfie stick to get the camera closer to the display? I’ll have to ask next time. In other words, for a museum, the atmosphere is cozier and less standoffish. WAM’s mission is to educate, not just show. If a patron is tired, a seating and viewing area are provided with reading material as well. Lastly, as a aviation nerd, I did my research and found their P40 was used in the 2001 film: “Pearl Harbor.” Personally, I think the plane was the best actor.

P.S. The P40 was also in "Valkyrie" (2008) with British markings.