Plans are well under way for a Liberty County first: an air show. The event is set for June 13-15 at MidCoast Regional Airport at WAAF.
Airport Business Solutions, fixed base operator at MidCoast, has a unit which has conducted airshows worldwide and will put on the local event.
Bobbi Thompson, airshow impresario for ABS, said an initial estimated 15,000-person draw was probably too conservative; “We could easily see 20,000 people. An airshow has something for everyone.
“It’s a wonderful family event for kids of all ages, like a picnic, church social and carnival while you have breathtaking aerobatics overhead.”
Thompson said an airshow generally draws people within a two-and-a-half hour drive, but the June event here would probably do better because it is a new event for the area and is introducing a new airport.
Participants being lined up include Greg Koontz Airshows which does a comedy routine with Bama Boys. As part of the act, Koontz lands his 1949 Piper Cub on a pickup truck driving down the runway.
Another performer is Gary Ward who performs aerobatics in his famous green-and-blue MX2. This specialty aircraft is constructed entirely of carbon fiber. Its great strength and light weight allows it to perform dazzling aerial maneuvers.
The four pilots of the AeroShell Aerobatic Team fly T-6 aircraft of a design that was introduced in 1938 for the United States Army Air Corps. Though popular now in air shows, the T-6 is still used under various names in the combat air forces of 22 countries.
Organizers have already made an official request for military support of the air extravaganza and are hoping for participation by such groups as the Golden Knights parachute team and the Sky Soldiers precision helicopter unit.
Mark Davidson with ABS said MidCoast is quickly becoming better known among pilots.
In November, MidCoast reported 576 military flights and 237 general aviation flights.
Airport Business Solutions, fixed base operator at MidCoast, has a unit which has conducted airshows worldwide and will put on the local event.
Bobbi Thompson, airshow impresario for ABS, said an initial estimated 15,000-person draw was probably too conservative; “We could easily see 20,000 people. An airshow has something for everyone.
“It’s a wonderful family event for kids of all ages, like a picnic, church social and carnival while you have breathtaking aerobatics overhead.”
Thompson said an airshow generally draws people within a two-and-a-half hour drive, but the June event here would probably do better because it is a new event for the area and is introducing a new airport.
Participants being lined up include Greg Koontz Airshows which does a comedy routine with Bama Boys. As part of the act, Koontz lands his 1949 Piper Cub on a pickup truck driving down the runway.
Another performer is Gary Ward who performs aerobatics in his famous green-and-blue MX2. This specialty aircraft is constructed entirely of carbon fiber. Its great strength and light weight allows it to perform dazzling aerial maneuvers.
The four pilots of the AeroShell Aerobatic Team fly T-6 aircraft of a design that was introduced in 1938 for the United States Army Air Corps. Though popular now in air shows, the T-6 is still used under various names in the combat air forces of 22 countries.
Organizers have already made an official request for military support of the air extravaganza and are hoping for participation by such groups as the Golden Knights parachute team and the Sky Soldiers precision helicopter unit.
Mark Davidson with ABS said MidCoast is quickly becoming better known among pilots.
In November, MidCoast reported 576 military flights and 237 general aviation flights.