Many attendees of the Sound of Speed Airshow in St. Joseph knew the occasion was successful as quickly as it began, however the USAF Thunderbirds have affirmed this by recognizing Rosecrans Memorial Airport for internet hosting the “Military Show Site of the Year.”
Sound of Speed Deputy Director Capt. Julius Rice stated it is a big honor and added that final summer time’s present was made profitable with good planning and one different essential issue.
“They look at that community contribution and does the community want the airshow, and in their minds, St. Joe was fully behind the airshow,” Rice stated. “It was one of the first events that kind of let people back out of their houses and kind of get a taste of the normal again.”
The Sound of Speed Airshow featured the Thunderbirds, a gaggle geared toward displaying the superiority of the United States Air Force. Other acts included Aftershow, a 1940 Ford truck with jet engines and the Shetterly Squadron.
“One of my favorite performers was Kent Pietsch in the Jelly Belly, that little yellow airplane that could,” Rice stated.
The recognition comes as the 139th Airlift Wing introduced there might be a smaller airshow happening in mid-July at Rosecrans.
“We’re going to have a bunch of World War II Bombers and warbirds flying in,” Rice stated. “We’ll have Doc, the big B-29 from Wichita, we’ll have the Texas Raiders B-17.”
Paid rides might be accessible and extra info might be introduced in coming months.
The subsequent massive airshow in St. Joseph probably will occur in the summer time of 2024. Normally the 139th likes to have a army open home airshow each three years.
“It’s kind of hard to have an airshow without a runway, so we’re going to have to postpone that one extra year,” Rice stated.
A runway development challenge is scheduled for 2023, and it coincides with the base’s continuous motion towards the north finish of Rosecrans.
During the 2021 airshow, the United Way of Greater St. Joseph raised about $6,000 in donations. The present itself was free to attend and donating to the United Way was optionally available.
The wing is a significant financial contributor to St. Joseph. In the 2021 fiscal yr, the base’s affect was $224 million to space communities. This consists of development, capital funding tasks, operation, upkeep, the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center and salaries, amongst different issues.
