The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, Diamond pilots perform the Low Break Cross while practicing prior to the 2018 Terre Haute Air Show, Aug.; 16, 2018. The Blue Angels will return to the Terre Haute Air Show, June 1-2, 2024. (Timothy Schumaker/U.S. Navy)
(Tribune News Service) — Terre Haute’s 2024 Air Show will feature more than 10 acts spiraling in the skies above the airport June 1-2, with more acts still being sought.
The highlight is once again expected to be the tight formations of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels, who also appeared at the 2018 air show in Terre Haute.
“They are your anchor because what we’re finding here this time is when you get them, performers call us and say, ‘Hey, Blue Angels told us we need to come to Terre Haute,’ ” said Rick Burger, president of the airport board and one of a dozen people on a committee who has spent the past year organizing the event.
Burger said that David Patterson of the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau told him that the estimated economic impact for the area will be $18 million in tickets, hotels, food and gas.
“It’s a big event for the area,” Burger said. “This has grown to a Midwest air show. It’s not just Terre Haute.”
Tracking ticket sales shows that people from as far away as Chicago and Cincinnati attend the event, which drew 65,000 people in 2018.
In addition to the Blue Angels, acts include a U.S. Air Force A-10 Demo, a P-51 Mustang Gunfighter, Younkin Airshows’ Matt Younkin, Franklin’s Flying Circus, Team Titan (formerly Aeroshell), Mister Mulligan (AKA Doug Rozendaal), and the Patriot Parachute Team. Acts new to the Terre Haute Air Show include Franklin’s Flying Circus, the A-10 Demo Team and Team Titan.
Dennis Dunbar, lead organizer for the air show put on his first air show while teaching aviation at Indiana State University in Terre Haute in 2002 before leaving to program air shows everywhere from California to New York. He spoke about the new acts recently.
Kyle Franklin, the star of Franklin’s Flying Circus, also will be enjoying a homecoming to Terre Haute — he performed as a wing walker on his dad Jimmy’s plane back in the early 2000s. He offers a “comedy surprise act,” Dunbar said.
“What he does looks funny, but it’s some of the most skilled air show flying in the world today,” Dunbar said.
Capt. Lindsay “Mad” Johnson is in her second year of flying the A-10 Thunderbolt, affectionately called “Warthog” by U.S. military personnel and air power enthusiasts. While she flies, she’ll be interacting with a ground-based pyrotechnics display.
Team Titan has participated in air shows for decades, Dunbar said. It’s a four-plane array of Texans performing aerobatics.
“It’s loud, powerful barnstorming at its finest,” he added.
Another new feature will be rides on the B-29 DOC Superfortress, available at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. from May 31-June 2. Seats forward in the plane for the cockpit/navigator and radio operator seats are available on May 31 and June 1 for $1,200; all other Gunner and Master Gunner seats are $600.
“They’re not cheap, but to get the planes in the air for just a few people, that’s why it is,” Burger explained, adding that the air show will not make any money from the rides.
Burger also promised more static plane displays than in the past.
Improvements and timely details
Weather will not affect the air show the way it did in 2018, when flooding rendered many of the parking areas inaccessible.
“We have hired a traffic/logistics consultant,” Burger said. “He does air shows and showed us a pattern for getting people in and out easier.” All parking will be on airport property.
The air show now has 42 sponsors, up 10 from 2018. It will require 800 volunteers — those interested in helping out can visit terrehauteairshow.com, where people can also sign up for updates on the acts.
Gates for the Air Show at Terre Haute Regional Airport open at 9 a.m. each day, and the program continues until 4:30 p.m. same show both days. Ticket presales are heavy for Saturday, so those seeking a less crowded experience should go on Sunday. Tickets are $30 in advance, and $40 day of show; parking is included. Those 12 and under get in free except for higher-scale amenities.
Tickets in a seating area with shaded tent range from $63-$75 and include complimentary water and more private restrooms. Admission to the pilot’s lounge is $157.50-$200 and features a catered buffet and a cash bar offering beer and wine. Tickets are available at terrehauteairshow.com.
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