Air Show History

Here's a bit of air show history, mostly for the benefit of supplementing my memory, but also to add some history to the deficient accounts of the dark pre-internet world.

Rochester, MN, June 26th, 1988

My first airshow, featuring  the USAF Thunderbirds. Static displays were an F-14, apparently from VF-74, and a C-130. In retrospect, this was my only encounter with the F-14 over twenty years, and I regret not seeing one in flight, such as at the 2003 Duluth airshow.

Eau Claire, WI, July 23rd, 1988 

This was a Blue Angels show and set a record for attendance.  I remember a massive amount of traffic. Static displays included an F-16 and F-18.  I've also seen references to an A-10, but I don't remember that one.


Cambridge, MN, August 16th, 1989

This was another USAF Thunderbirds show - a remote one. Strangely this show was on a Wednesday at 2 PM. Looking at the schedule for 1989, the Thunderbirds performed at a different location each weekend day, with apparently some weekdays shows. The show was originally sheduled for Stillwater, but I remember some controversy over it. Cambridge expected 25,000 people, but 60,000 showed up and gridlock got so bad that there was nearly a riot. I don't remember much of that though.

The show was promoted as including an F-14 demo and B-1 and B-52 flybys. The B-1 and B-52 never showed up [1] and I don't remember the F-14 either. But, looking at my photos there was an F-4 flyover, presumably from the Minnesota ANG in Hill II scheme. The advertised C-5 did flyover, from Travis AFB in Euro I camo, and there was a C-130, probably also from the MN AF Reserve.

Mankato, MN , June 6th, 2003

My return to airshows after 14 years was another Thunderbirds performance, a remote one, and probably the last of that type that I'll attend.  There's  just no point if there aren't jets for the static displays and not watching the takeoffs reduces the impact. I hope the Thunderbirds quit scheduling these kind of shows, as they refused a reappearance in 2009.  The weather started producing storms, which fortunately went around Mankato, but resulted in heavy clouds that forced a flat show (I believe there was a full high show on Sunday).  But, the weather forced changes in the flightplan and by the time the Thunderbirds returned to Minneapolis International they were very low on fuel, which is something they don't want to repeat.  The only other event of interest was an F-117 flyover.  Sadly this was my only time to see a Nighthawk before their entombment.  Like the F-14, I should have waited and gone to the Duluth Blue Angels show later in September, and viewed both of these aircraft in full glory before their extermination.


[1] Minneapolis Star & Tribune, 8/17/89 - Bill Sweetman