Dayton Air Show lost money each year since SSRq04

Having to cancel the shows because of bad weather is a major concern.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — The annual outdoor Dayton Air Show has lost money each year since 2004, forcing officials to dip into money left over from the large show that marked the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight, federal filings showed.

The 2003 centennial celebration in the hometown of flight pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright lasted four days, featured two military jet teams and left the air show with a surplus of $4.8 million.

But that had fallen to $2.8 million by last year, according to IRS filings for the year that ended Sept. 30, 2007. The chairman of the air show’s board, Michael Emoff, said he’s worried the typically two-day show could run out of money if bad weather forces more than a day or two of cancellations in the next few years.

“We can cover one time, and that’s it. Two in a row, and we’d be out of business,” Emoff said. “Our mission at the air show is to produce a world-class air show with a limited budget. We don’t have unlimited pockets.”

The 2007 show included the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Brazilian air force aerial performing teams, but this year’s show at Dayton International Airport in July didn’t feature a military performing team. About 70,000 turned out for the 2007 show, while 57,000 attended this year’s show.

Booking military jet teams are ideal for the air show’s budget because they bring in more spectators but cost little, since militaries subsidize the teams, Emoff said.

The nonprofit that runs the air show also relies on corporate sponsorships and sales of preferred-seating areas, Emoff said. Natural gas provider Vectren Corp. and Cincinnati-based grocery store chain Kroger Co. are committed as chief sponsors for 2009. Both companies said they haven’t begun talks with the show’s management about whether to continue beyond next year.

“Our focus is on sponsors,” Emoff said. “We don’t want to raise ticket prices. We don’t want to do things that make the attendance go down.”

Air show officials have said corporate sponsors have provided 25 percent to 30 percent of the show’s approximately $1.3 million annual budget.

This year, the show sold out its preferred-seating chalets. Emoff said it’s possible it will break even for the year or post a small profit, a rarity for a show that didn’t have a military jet team to draw in fans.