By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The Sound of Speed Airshow is back at Rosecrans Memorial Airport this weekend.
The popular airshow that draws crowds of residents and vendors to Rosecrans will feature a wide variety of entertainment, plane rides, and more this weekend.
Michael Crane, Public Affairs Superintendent for the 139th Airlift Group, says the big attraction in this year’s air show will be the US Air Force Thunderbirds
"They're the premiere team of the Air Force, they fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and let me tell you something, when those things fly overhead, not only are you going to hear it but you're going to feel it in your chest," Crane tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "They're really loud so definitely bring hearing protection."
Another act will be Tora! Tora! Tora, a group that will perform a pearl harbor attack reenactment, a living history of what happened on that day.
Major Jeffry Downie, callsign Simmer and pilot of Thunderbird six, says the performance the Thunderbirds put on is more than just a show
"You're feeling the performance, the sound of the jets you can like feel it, there's a sense of moral danger during some of the sneak passes if you're not prepared for that," Downie explains. "But it really is a whole-body experience coming out to the shows themselves."
The show will consist of six jets, four will show off the grace of flying and the precision of the F-16 jet. The other two, one of those pilots being Downie himself, will then display the capabilities of the jet.
"And then at the very end we bring all that together with all six jets and we do a bunch of formation flying in the delta, and you get to see with the smoke on, it's graceful, it's patriotic, and it's pretty emotional," Downie says.
Crane says there will also be some other new fun activities, including a STEM display.
"So, the Kansas City STEM alliance is going to be there with a robotics display, it's going to be very interactive, so definitely check that out," Crane says. "The Air Force will also have a virtual reality headset there so guests will be able to see what it's like to do some air force missions from a plane."
Residents will also get a look at some of the improvements made at Rosecrans, including the new tarmac and work being done on the air control tower.
People who come to the airshow will be allowed to bring in protection from the sun, and also a sealed clear water bottle or empty water container with refill stations at the event.
The airshow will run Saturday and Sunday, with gates opening at 8am on both days.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.