NAHI News
1/16/2021 National Aviation Heritage Invitational - CALL FOR Entries - 2021

National Aviation Heritage Invitational will begin accepting applications on January 25th, for our 2021 competition to be held during the STIHL National Championship Air Races.
1/10/2020 Now acceptiong 2020 applications

Happy New Year! The National Aviation Heritage Invitational now accepting applications for the 2020 event to the Stihl National Championship Air Races, September 16-20, 2020. We are ringing in the new decade inviting owners and restorers to submit applications for this prestigious event.
Each competing aircraft is judged against restoration standards established by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum which includes authenticity, quality of workmanship, attention to detail and...
11/1/2019 LIveAirShowTV videos
Check out this wonderful set of videos by LiveAirShowTV..Such a great group of beautiful aircraft in 2019!
Dedicated to the Preservation of our Nation's Aviation Heritage
The concept for the National Aviation Heritage Invitational arose in the 1990's at the
Reno Air Races when representatives from Rolls-Royce, The Smithsonian National Air and
Space Museum, The National Aviation Hall of Fame and the Reno Air Racing Foundation got
together to discuss the future of aviation in our country. We all agreed that one of the
key factors in encouraging future generations to appreciate and select aviation as a
career path was to educate and enlighten them about our rich aviation history.
We knew not everyone can travel to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in
Washington DC to see their outstanding collection of preserved vintage aircraft, and we
were looking for an alternative solution. We collectively decided to create a "Traveling Aviation Museum"
which would bring World Class restorations to tens of thousands of individuals in the USA.
This Traveling Aviation Museum ultimately became the National Aviation Heritage Invitational (NAHI).
Right from the beginning, the NAHI team set the bar extremely high. We all believed that
"beauty is more than skin deep", so we decided each aircraft would be judged by the strict
standards established by representatives of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. We
also agreed that this competition would be held to such a high standard that the winners deserved
to be honored in a very special way. The National Aviation Hall of Fame agreed to bring Hall of
Fame Enshrinees each year to help present trophies to the category winners and the Grand Champion.
Enshrinees such as Neil Armstrong, Bob Hoover, Jim Lovell, Gene Cernan, Dick Rutan, Bud Anderson,
Herb Kelleher, and many others have shown their appreciation and respect for the restorers of these
fine aircraft by personally participating in the trophy presentations.
To date, NAHI has hosted over 20 vintage aircraft competitions at both the Dayton Airshow and
the Reno Air Races. Over this period, several hundred thousand fans and guests have viewed these
great aviation treasures first hand.
The National Aviation Heritage Invitational is more than a vintage aircraft restoration competition;
it is about Honoring Our Past and Inspiring Our Future.