SAFFORD — Excitement in the sky returns to the Gila Valley this weekend.
The third annual Safford Airshow will take place Saturday at Safford Regional Airport-1Lt Duane Spalsbury Field.
Gates open at 9 a.m. with static displays of aircraft on the ground throughout the airport. At noon the show in the sky will begin.
“You can see all our airplanes (which are all) volunteers who fly in on their own time to show off; they’re really cool airplanes,” said Cole Allen, Safford Airport manager. “We’ve got a ton of vendors who are going to be out there, too, so we’ll have food, we’ll have cool planes and then we’ll have aerobatics.”
Following the opening with the national anthem and a parachute drop to bring the American flag to airport, there will be performances by:
- T-17 Stearman Flight
- T-6 Formation Flight
- Anthony Oshingua Pitts Aerobatics
- Karl Gashler T-6 Aerobatics
- Air Racers
- Dan Kirkland T-28 Trojan Aerobatics Demonstration
- CAF Warbird Formation Flight (FM2 Wildcat & P-51D Mustang)
- T-34 Mentor Formation Flight
- Jerry Conley DH-115 Vampire Aerobatics
- Kirby Chambliss REDBULL Edge 540 Aerobatics
Nearly 5,000 attended last year’s event, and more are expected this year. Allen said the show has added more food vendors this year, to ensure everyone has plenty to eat throughout the day.
Adult tickets are $15 each, children 2-17 and seniors 65 and older are $10. Veterans with ID and children under 2 are free.
