Thursday, Mar. 11, 2010

Annual air show boasts aerobatics, vintage aircraft

The 13th annual Thunder in the Valley Air Show is coming to the Columbus Metropolitan Airport March 20-21.

The show will feature aerial performances, airplane and helicopter rides and a children’s carnival. Military and civilian aircraft, vintage WWII aircraft and Infantry vehicles and weapons will be on display.

Fort Benning’s command exhibition parachute demonstration team, Silver Wings, is on tap to open the show with a skydiving performance. Other featured acts include Team Chaos Extreme Air Shows, Flash Fire Jet Truck, Bearfeet Aerobatics, Gary Ward Air Shows, Paradise Aerobatics and the Tiger Flight Formation Flight Team.

Team Chaos will put on a high-powered performance in which two aerobatic planes will play an extreme game of chicken before racing a jet-powered truck that can reach speeds of up to 375 miles per hour.

Thunder in the Valley is a not-for-profit organization that began 13 years ago as a local event for aviation enthusiasts. Organizers said it has grown to become one of the largest outdoor family events in the Chattahoochee Valley area. The air show brings in top performers from across the United States, according to show officials.

Last year’s event boasted a record attendance of nearly 35,000, said Phaedra Childers, event coordinator.

Childers said the show’s appeal is because it’s a family-friendly event.

“It’s an alcohol-free, tobacco-free event that offers something for everyone,” Childers said.

All of the proceeds go to local youth organizations and charities such as the Chattahoochee Council Boy Scouts of America, Girls Inc., the Columbus Literacy Alliance and wounded warriors.

Gates open at 10 a.m. daily, rain or shine. The pre-show begins at noon and the show runs from 1 to 5 p.m.

For more information, visit here.