Air show deemed 'great success'

WARREN

The Thunder Over The Valley air show last month was "a great success," despite the rain that canceled the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performance on the final day, the director of the air show told the Western Reserve Port Authority today.

"People had a chance to feel metal, smell smoke, jet fuel, get hot and sweaty and a little but of rain on Sunday," said Air Force Lt. Col.Jeff Shaffer of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station. The port authority runs the Youngstown Warren Regional Airport, which hosted the June 17 and 18 air show.

Shaffer said 16,000 people attended the show on Saturday. Another 5,000 to 6,000 attended on Sunday, before the rains came.

Shaffer said parking is always a challenge at the air show, but transportation to the Delphi and Phantom Fireworks parking lots in Howland and Bazetta went much faster than at the previous show with everyone leaving the air base being picked up by a bus within one hour. People complained that it took as much as three hours to get into a bus at the earlier show, he said.