Blown Away
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Superman? Better. It’s LOTS of planes. This Saturday and Sunday Barnes-Airport, the home of the 104th Fighter Wing in Westfield, is hosting its insanely popular international air show. There will be live I-can’t-believe-they-just-did-that! performances by the U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds out of Las Vegas, the Acemaker T-33 (the U.S.A.’s first operational jet fighter), the Black Daggers U.S. Army Special Ops Parachute Team, the 104th Fighter Wing’s own ripping F-15Cs (if you live in the area, you’ve definitely heard these jets roaring across the sky), Third Strike Wingwalking, the National Warplane Museum, the Alabama Boys’ comedy flight routine, and more. On the ground will be planes, planes, planes, and more planes from across the U.S.A.’s time and space. Pro-tip: Get there early. The last time Barnes held an air show was seven years ago and it was nuts. On the first day the show drew 150,000 people by midday and organizers had to close the gates. Traffic was beyond Big E-level crazy. To avoid a similar scenario this year, Barnes is opening up the parking lot four hours before the show starts. So, get your tailgate on.
Westfield International Air Show: Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 12-13. Parking opens at 6:30 a.m., gates at 8 a.m. Flying performances will happen between 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Show closes at 5:30 p.m. Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, 110 Airport Road, Westfield. General admission is free; parking is a $10 suggested donation; and $12-$139 for VIP upgrades. (413) 564-2778, info@westfieldairshow.org, westfieldairshow.org.
— Kristin Palpini
Check out this performance by the USAF Thunderbirds, one of the acts to be featured at the air show.
