‘Race cars in the sky’ delight crowds despite steady rain

Photo

Air Show Saturday

Video

Thunder Over the Valley Air Show at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station Saturday, August 8, 2009.

‘Race cars in the sky’ delight crowds despite steady rain

By DAVID SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

1The pilots of the six F-16 fighter jets flew Saturday in perfect formation as well as passing each other with only a few feet separating them, flying upside down and spinning repeatedly in the air.

And they did all of this and more with a slow but steady rain falling.

“It was spectacular,” said Bill McGarry of Canfield, an air show fan. “It was a great show.”

The Thunderbirds’ 30-minute performance was the highlight of the first air show at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna in nearly a quarter of a century.

“It was fantastic,” said Mary Brown of Warren. “I can’t believe this was free. It was absolutely amazing.”

The rain did keep some people away.

Even with the overcast sky, the event attracted about 30,000 people to Saturday at the air base, said Master Sgt. Bob Barko Jr.

“It’s a little soggy, but we still had a great crowd,” he said.

The air base expected about 35,000 visitors a day Saturday and today, he said.

The rain kept some people away Saturday, though several people didn’t mind the rain.

“It was wet,” Brown said. “What do we expect? It’s Ohio. It’s not California.”

Besides, Brown and her family and friends were under a tent and quite dry during the show.

About 35,000 to 40,000 people are expected at today’s show, Barko said.

That could easily grow after air show officials decided to allow those who had tickets to Saturday’s show but didn’t attend that event to use them today.

Those with unused Saturday tickets are asked to go to the Trumbull County Fairgrounds vehicle parking location. You will be bused to the air base for the show.

Also, those without tickets may be able to attend. Those interested should also go to the fairgrounds parking lot and if there is space in the lot, you can park there and will also be bused to the air base, Barko said.

Directions to the fairgrounds lot are available at http://www.youngstownairshow.com — the show’s Web site.

People with tickets for today’s show still need to go to their assigned parking lots, he said.

The logistics of the event, including parking and vehicular traffic as well as crowd behavior, were perfect, Barko said.

But, wow, those planes are loud.

Kids and even adults watched the show with their hands over their ears.

The noise of the F-16s was so intense at times that spectators could feel their chests vibrate as the planes flew overhead.

“They were loud, but it was pretty cool,” said 8-year-old Keighan Griffith of Liberty.

George Nowicki of Medina said: “It was very entertaining. They did a nice job. We wanted it louder.”

The pilots flew the planes so close to each other that one spectator said to no one in particular, “If one of those guys sneezes, it’s all over.”

By the time the Thunderbirds show started, the event’s main attraction, the rain was steady and the crowd had thinned out.

To stay dry, some people stood in airplane hangars or under tents, others were under the wings of planes on display while some wore ponchos or had umbrellas. There were a few hardcore fans who stood in the rain in their soaking-wet clothes to watch the show.

“It was fantastic,” said Jocelyn Schimek of Canfield, who stood outside with an umbrella. “Even with the rain, people were enjoying themselves.”

The gates to today’s show open at 9 a.m.

There will be displays and ground exhibits, and pre-show entertainment. The air show demonstrations start at 1 p.m., with the Thunderbirds taking to the sky around 4 p.m. Post-show entertainment starts around 5 p.m. and goes through 7 p.m.

skolnick@vindy.com

AIR SHOW

A second chance

kThose who have unused tickets to Saturday’s show can use them today. They can go to the Trumbull County Fairgrounds vehicle parking location. They will be bused to the air base.

kThose without tickets have a good shot at attending today’s show. If there is space in the fairgrounds lot, they can park there and will also be bused to the air base.

kThe location of the fairgrounds lot can be found at youngstownairshow.com — the show’s Web site.

Source: Youngstown Air Reserve Station