Air and Space Show returns to WestoverDate: 5/4/2018 WESTOVER ARB – The Great New England Air and Space Show will return to Westover Air Reserve on July 14 and 15 with the Air Force’s precision flying team, the Thunderbirds returning as the headline act.
Base officials made the announcement at a press conference conducted appropriately enough on the base’s runway with a C-5 M as a backdrop and other C-5M practicing takeoffs and landings.
The free event has become a tradition at the almost 80 year-old air base. The acting commander of the 439th Airlift Wing, Col. Howard Clark III, explained the air show has several purposes and among those to inspire young people to consider military service and the other to stimulate the economy.
The 2015 air show pumped $15 million into the local economy and attracted 375,000 people. Chicopee Richard Kos said he is “extremely proud of what Westover means not only to the city, but to the region.”
At this point, the Army’s Golden Knights skydiving team will also perform and will open the show, according to SMSgt. Andrew Biscoe, the acting chief/superintendent of the wing’s public affairs office.
Biscoe said the weekend would kick off with a breakfast on July 13 featuring NASA Astronaut Catherine “Cady” Coleman. Coleman served in NASA for 24 years, flew two space shuttle missions and spend six months at the International Space Station.
The air show, besides featuring the aerial demonstrations, will also have static displays of military aircraft. Lt. Col. Chandler Taylor, who is in charge of making the arrangements for the appearance of the military aircraft, said it is too early to announce which planes would be featured, as their availability is determined by their mission status.
Biscoe said the air shows could not happen without the participation of the Galaxy CommunityCouncil and Connie Brown, the president of the non-profit, explained her organization supports the efforts of the air reserve base.
For the air show, the group supplies 150 volunteers, coordinates the corporate sponsorships and arranges for the appearance of the vintage aircraft that are also a hallmark of the show.
This year, she said, three planes, all World War II vintage aircraft, will make their first appearance at the show: a SBD Dauntless, a navel scout plane and dive bomber; SB2C Curtiss Helldiver, a carrier-based dive bomber that replaced the Dauntless; and a Spitfire, the British single-seater fighter.
Brown added the B-17 that will be at the airshow, the legendary “flying fortress” of WWII, will also conduct a flyover at Mount Tom to note the anniversary of the 1946 crash into the mountain by a B-17 that killed 25 people.
According to a frequently asked questions list on the base’s website, “Gates open at 8:30 a.m. on July 14. We strongly advise people to arrive early (but not before 8:30 a.m.). Historically, traffic increases dramatically after 11 a.m. The James Street Gate will be open for the air show.10 a.m. Static displays open at 9 a.m. Flying will begin at 10 a.m.”
When it comes to traffic, “it’s important to arrive early, since in previous air shows local roads and parking areas have gotten very crowded after 11 a.m. As a guideline, traffic and parking from the time exiting a highway to arriving on the flight line is at least an hour and progressively longer after noon. Parking lots are expected to be full by 2 p.m.”
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