Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Billy Ho | 160416-N-QL471-683 MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE (April 16, 2016) Spectators watch the...... read more read more
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (NNS) – You could feel the “thunder” Saturday and Sunday, April 16-17, as March Air Reserve Base held its first airshow in four years. Smoke bellowed from jet engines and aircraft roared overhead for the start of the 2016 March Field Airfest: Thunder Over the Empire.
The Reserve’s 452nd Air Mobility Wing hosted the event to highlight the commitment of its military men and women serving the nation, to continue its strong commitment to community engagement, and to encourage young men and women to consider a military career.
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds were the headliners. As the U.S. Air Force’s Aerial Demonstration Team based at Nellis AFB, Nevada, each show brings them another opportunity for the team to represent those who deserve the most credit: the everyday, hard-working Airmen voluntarily serving America and defending freedom.
“The purpose of the air show is to demonstrate the precision, the professionalism and pride of the airmen of the U.S. Air Force," said Maj. Alexander Turner, opposing solo pilot of the Thunderbirds.
Additionally, the Patriots Jet Team, the largest civilian-owned aerobatic jet team in the western hemisphere, performed, as well as Robosaurus, the Camarillo Ward Birds, and several other demonstration teams.
“In my heart, the reason that the air show exists is for people that love aviation to come together and share that love and pride. Another reason is to inspire others to maybe pursue aviation as a career,” said Turner.
Airfest also showcased modern military aircraft, such as the C-17 Globemaster III and the B-1 Lancer as well as WWII-era aircraft available for the public to view as static displays.
“My family had such an awesome time,” said Jody Judkins, a local resident. “Thank you to everyone who put on the event for a wonderful day. From three generations, the Judkins will see you again next (time)!”
Approximately 400,000 civilians, active and Reserve service members, as well as retirees, visited the air show from the Inland Empire, other parts of the state, other states and other countries.
“It was a great show and very interesting to see,” said Christian Schafer, a spectator from Germany. “All the planes in the static show were touchable. There is no chance in Europe we would ever be able to get that close!”
“The Air Force men and women stationed at March were fabulous hosts, very helpful, polite and gracious,” said Rerre Italiana, an Italian citizen. “Thanks March for hosting an excellent show!”
Airfest proved to be a great event for the community and for March ARB and will likely be beneficial to recruitment efforts of the Air Force, as well as all other branches of the service.
“It is very important to the Air Force for us to be able to come out and connect with the public,” said Tuner. “It is one of the major things that we strive to do because it opens up the channel for us to speak about what our country’s Airmen are doing,” Turner said. “We are doing aerial demonstrations with smoke and loops, with non-tactical aircraft. The amount of hard work, precision and pride that we take in this demonstration represents what they are doing out there in the combat and training Air Force.”
| Date Taken: | 04.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2016 16:50 |
| Story ID: | 196125 |
| Location: | MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 151 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 2016 March AirFest Brings ‘Thunder’, by PO1 Billy Ho, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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