By Curtis D. Tucker, Enid Buzz | UPDATED: Sunday, July 24, 2016
-
ENID, Okla. - The Vance 75th Anniversary Open House and Air Show was a hit despite the heat! If you love airplanes you loved this show. As soon as I arrived home after watching the thrilling acrobatics in the sky I popped my camera memory disk into my computer and discovered I had taken 600 photos! I'll mull through them and post them here.
-
Vance Air Force Base celebrated its 75th year of pilot training with an electrifying aerial show featuring the Thunderbirds, the Air Force's premier demonstration team. Vance last hosted an air show in 2008.
-
The Open House Air Show showcased the strength and history of Vance and the Air Force with civilian aerial acts, vintage airplane displays and entertainment for the entire family. The Thunderbirds’ performance highlighted the skills and training indicative of all combat aviators in the U.S. Air Force.
-
The hour-long Thunderbirds demonstration was thrilling, breathtaking and exemplified what the Air Force is all about. They performed all of their signature maneuvers that had the crowd glued to the sky. Some of the demonstration maneuvers included The Diamond, The Delta, the Opposing Knife Edge Pass and the Reflection Pass.
-
A highlight of the Thunderbirds' show is the High Bomb Burst and this year they flew passes honoring some of those that have given their lives or lost their lives while flying. The other aerial acts were amazing as well and getting to see all of the vintage aircraft that have flown at Vance was a thrill.
-
It was hot! But that didn't keep tens of thousands of Vance supports from making their way to the base. Other than a few people dealing with heat exhaustion it was a well planned and executed open house. There were plenty of activities for the entire family and enough shaded areas that you didn't have to sit in the heat.
-
The food selection was great and getting access to the many static aircraft displays was an airplane buffs dream. Meeting the Thunderbirds' pilots after the show was a nice experience as well. They signed autographs, posed for pictures and answered every question they could. They left Enid heading on to Cheyenne, Wyoming where they will be performing next.
-
The kids got an unexpected thrill at the end of the show when the Vance fire department opened up the water hoses and made the place a water park. It was a cool relief for many as they stood in line to get shuttled back to their cars. For the number of cars and people in one small area I thought the organizers did a great jobs of getting civilians on and off the base as quickly as possible.
-
Congratulations to Vance AFB on their 75th Anniversary and kudos on having a successful open house and air show. Thanks to the sponsors and especially to the Thunderbirds for being so cordial and giving this community journalist the ride of his life.
-
I'm working on the photos and will post them soon!
-
-
-
-
-
-
