It's a bird, it's a plane ...
No, what you'll see in the skies this weekend won't be Superman, but a super display of aviation finesse.
Also a super showcase of Sheppard Air Force Base's connection to aviation's past, present and future, as well as its invaluable mission to the U.S. military.
Tens of thousands are expected to attended the show, to be held today and Sunday. An estimated 50,000 attended in 2009, the last time the biennium event was held. In the skies will be the Canadian Defense Forces' Snowbirds Demonstration Team, showing off the CT-114 Tudor aircraft.
Pilots are expected to perform their signature close-flying formations, such as the arrow formation to a mini concord, feather and wineglass.
Aviation enthusiasts will recognize the "maple split," a tribute to Canada's national symbol.
In addition to the Snowbirds, Shaw Air Force Base's Viper East Team will demonstrate the aircraft's maneuverability. The Tora 101, a Japanese A6M Zero replica originally used in the film "Tora! Tora! Tora!" as well as the JN-4 Jenny warbird and other barnstorming planes will be included in the two-day event
Extreme aerobatics maneuvers will fill the skies, as famed pilots perform jaw-dropping techniques, including John Mohr, who will perform aerobatics in an open-cockpit airplane.
The air show comes just weeks after a fatal crash at an air race in Reno, Nev., where 11 people were killed and 66 injured. Local officials calmed concerns by, first and foremost, reminding us of the difference between an air show and an air race.
"First, we'd like to say that our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of the pilot and of those who lost their lives in Reno," said Open House and Air Show deputy director Lt. Col. Tony Mulhare. "Reno was an air race, not an air show, and the safety regulations that are put in place by the FAA and the Air Force for air shows are very different from those that are in place for an air race."
Mulhare told the Times Record News the shows Saturday and Sunday will be performed in a defined "sanitized area," where the airplanes flying and the crowds gathered are separated significantly.
No comments:
Post a Comment