Air Show well-attended despite no major jet team performance

September 17, 2019 | 3:15 am

Updated September 16, 2019 | 10:40 pm

Photo by AP Imagery

Officials say that 30,000 people attended the three-day Owensboro Air Show, and while that number is less than half of what attended in 2018, it is on-target for air shows that do not have a major jet team performing.

City of Owensboro Public Events Director Tim Ross said he was pleased with the turnout and despite the hot temperatures, the clear skies made for an enjoyable air show.

“Any time you don’t have one of the bigger jet teams, we know the numbers are going to be down as they are everywhere around the country,” Ross said. “We try to build a brand of a great air show weekend in Owensboro each fall. It seems like we’ve done that because regardless of whether we’ve got one of the big teams, we always have a big crowd and we bring people from all over the place, which is our goal.”

Although Ross said there is no way to tell just how many people come from out of state to attend Owensboro’s air show, he did speak with attendees that traveled from Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

Ross and his team are already talking with performers and teams for the next two years.

“The military looks at almost a 24-month calendar,” he said. “We have put out requests for groups as far out at 2021 already.”

According to Ross, air show fans can expect an announcement for next year’s event some time in December. At that time, Ross said, he will know more of what the lineup will be and if a large jet team will be a part of the show.

Some crowd favorites of the 2019 air show this year, Ross said, were Kevin Coleman’s yellow aerobatic plane and the F-16.

“The crowds swelled each day near the end of our show time,” Ross said of the F-16 demonstration. “Everybody loves hearing those military jets scream through the sky.”

Owensboro marked the first time the entire season that the Viper Demo Team was able to do a show at twilight.

“The team was like kids in a candy store,” Ross said. “This was the first one they’ve ever done at night that you could see the effects of the after burn of that F-16, which was really unique.”

Fans can watch for Owensboro Air Show announcements at the event’s website.

September 17, 2019 | 3:15 am

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