Base experts busy planning exciting, safe air show, Nov. 7-8

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Katie Spencer
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --  During an air show, the sky is filled with a smorgasbord of aerial performers and demonstrations. Undoubtedly, hearing the "oohs" and "ahhs" will be very rewarding for a dedicated team of men and women who spent months planning and ironing out all the details for the safest and most entertaining air show possible. 

The Wings Over Homestead Air Show, Nov. 7-8, will be the culmination of months of planning by a cross section of experts from around the Homestead ARB, Miami-Dade County and the community. 

Everyone from emergency management specialists, logisticians, pilots, maintainers, civil engineers, contracting officials are some of the many professionals involved in the planning process. 

The details are numerous, but it all starts with one main question. 

Who will be the featured performer?

An obvious question, yes, an easy answer, not so much.

The finale is the first portion to consider when deciding what acts to bring to an air show, said Maj. Sean Carpenter, director of air operations for the air show. Usually, the major air shows end with an aerial demonstration team such as the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds or the Navy's Blue Angels.

Once the Thunderbirds were chosen as a desired act, a request is submitted to the Air Combat Command and the Thunderbirds organization and then it is decided where the team will perform. A request is submitted at least a year in advance, and for some performers, such as the Blue Angels, a request is submitted up to two years before the show, Carpenter said.

After the main act is determined, the next step is scheduling a variety of acts performing throughout the day.

"We want an act that is going to give us the most bang for our buck because that is what the audience came to see," Carpenter said.

Along with the performers in the air, aircraft displays are also considered when planning air show entertainment.

Homestead Air Reserve Base has a big enough runway to hold a varied amount of aircraft. For the Wings Over Homestead Air Show there are approximately 34 static displays scheduled to appear including an F-15 Eagle, B-52 Stratofortress, H-60 Blackhawk and many more. 

Between the 58 aircraft scheduled to perform, and 34 aircraft displays, the arrangement of all aircraft on the runway is another demanding task.

The runway is divided into two sections: aircraft displays and performers. The reason is for both accessibility to the runway and safety. The displays are set away from the performers for the safety of air show guests touring the aircraft, said Eric Young, the air field manager for the Wings Over Homestead Air Show.

Next, a parking plan for the aircraft is implemented. The order in which the planes are parked goes from biggest to smallest in order to provide ample room for the largest aircraft so the smallest aircraft can fit, Young said.

When you mix a large audience with large planes, safety is key to maintaining an incident-free air show. 

Illustrating and implementing a plan is vital to the safety of the audience and the aircraft for the air show. Each week the air show staff conducts two meetings to discuss air show details along with potential safety concerns and solutions to ensure a safe and enjoyable air show for all involved, Carpenter said. 

Whether the planes are in the air or on the ground, there's an immense amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to give air show visitors a fun and safe time. For more information and a complete list of performers and static displays, please visit www.wingsoverhomestead.com.