The Blue Angels, ‘Doc’ and more at this year’s air show at McConnell. Here’s what to know.
With draws like “Doc” on the ground and Angels in the sky, organizers at McConnell Air Force Base are planning for big crowds for this year’s air show, which takes place Aug. 24-25.
Another crowd favorite, the aerial demonstration show Tora Tora Tora! that recreates the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, will also be back.
Called Frontiers in Flight, the McConnell open house and air show will feature nearly a dozen aerial acts — including the headlining U.S. Navy Blue Angels, which were the subject of a new documentary released in May — and more than two dozen static displays that range from historic World War II-era planes to the latest generation of the U.S. Air Force’s fighter jet and refueling tanker.
Gates open both days at 9 a.m. and the aerial acts take to the skies at noon. It’s free to attend. Tickets for premium box seats for the air show are available to purchase online; the cost is $60 with an option to include additional amenities. Comprehensive event information is available at frontiersinflight.com.
Planes participating in the air show will start arriving Wednesday, with the Blue Angels’ support cargo plane known as Fat Albert scheduled to arrive at 9 a.m. Thursday, followed by the six demonstration fighters at 10 a.m.
“It’s going to get a little noisier in the Air Capital,” base spokesperson John Van Winkle said.
Particularly in the afternoon of Aug. 22, when aircraft “will be centering their flying activity over the Dole VA center and the Children’s Hospital in a 10-mile radius” and at 2,000 feet above ground level, Van Winkle said.
A practice show of the aerial acts will also occur from noon to 3 p.m. on Friday.
Doc is a draw
Doc’s participation at McConnell air shows has become the No. 1 question asked of organizers ever since the B-29 bomber started touring air shows in 2017.
Wichitans tend to have a particular affinity for Doc since the iconic plane was built at Boeing’s Wichita plant in 1945. Decades later, it was brought back to the Air Capital, where volunteers and others spent years restoring the plane.
Doc was part of the base’s 2018 air show and participated in a special flyover in 2020 along with tankers from McConnell to salute those combating the COVID-19 virus, but another tour commitment kept it from being at McConnell’s 2022 show.
While Doc is one of only two airworthy B-29s, it won’t be taking to the air during Frontiers in Flight. However, it will be among the static displays found on the McConnell flight line.
“He’s going to be our center display,” said Capt. Matt Robbins, a KC-135 instructor who is serving as this year’s air operations supervisor for Frontiers in Flight. That means he’s in charge of all the aircraft participating in the air show.
The static displays represent a variety of airplanes, ranging from wartime to experimental planes. They even include planes used by foreign military forces, such as the Yak aircraft built by Soviet/Russian manufacturer Yakovlev and the de Havilland Vampire jet fighter used by Britain’s Royal Air Force.
“It’s super cool just to kind of show people the lineage of aircraft and how it’s been progressed through the time. … The progression that we’ve made throughout the years has been huge,” Robbins said.
But not all displays will be related to aviation.
The Budweiser Clydesdales, along with their handlers and Dalmatians will be in Hangar 1111 on the southern end of the air show area.
Angels in the sky
The last time the Blue Angels, known formally as the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, headlined a McConnell air show was in 2007, according to Van Winkle.
Along with the long gap since the demonstration team’s last appearance, organizers are hoping a Blue Angels documentary, released in theaters and on Prime streaming in May, will have people wanting to see their performance.
“Yeah, we’re hoping that people saw it and it gets them excited to actually come and see them in real life,” Robbins said.
It was just a matter of good timing that the Blue Angels are appearing within months of the documentary’s debut, Robbins said.
Because of their popularity, military demonstration team requests are made a couple of years in advance with final details being nailed down during an international air show convention held annually in Las Vegas.
Three of the six current pilots were part of the documentary, which covered the Blue Angels’ 2022 season. The film shows the selection and early training process of current pilots Cmdr. Alexander Armatas, who leads the squadron; Cmdr. Thomas Zimmerman; and Lt. Cmdr. Amanda Lee, who joined the team in September 2022. Lee is the first female pilot to join the Blue Angels, which is America’s longest-running military demonstration team. It was formed in 1946.
The Blue Angels will be the finale act of each day’s air show, with 3 p.m. takeoffs.
Details for attendees
Here are some good-to-know details if you plan to attend the air show.
Park and ride. Air show parking will be off base, in the fields owned by Cessna north of McConnell, west of Rock Road and south of Pawnee. Handicapped and disabled parking is available and must be requested at frontiersinflight.com/guestinfo#accessibility.
Commercial ride-share services are discouraged. Shuttle buses will be available to transport people from the parking area to the security entrance for the show. If you opt to walk, be aware that that it’s a half mile or longer hike from the Cessna fields to the security checkpoint, according to Maj. Randi Brown, a civil engineer at McConnell who is this year’s ground boss and in charge of support logistics for the air show.
Anyone 18 and older must have a state or federal government-issued ID to enter the air show.
Guests are allowed and highly encouraged to bring their own drinking water in a non-glass container; free refill stations are available. New this year are beverage-only concession stands, Brown said.
“Since many airmen have conducted operations in high-heat environments for prolonged periods, here’s one proven military tactic that we use which can help with the heat — bring powdered mini-hydration packages to add to your drinking water containers, after entry to the airshow,” Van Winkle, the base spokesperson, said.
Wristbands will be available at the entry points for adults to write a phone number on the bands that can be put on the child’s wrist. The lost child kiosk and RV will be located by the Boeing Dreamlifter.
Download and print maps before coming to the air show since cell service can be spotty on base.
No ATMs will be available, so bring cash or cards to purchase food and drink concessions (including alcoholic drinks) and souvenirs.
Cameras, video recorders and binoculars are permitted but individuals may be asked to demonstrate items are working gear. No drones permitted.
Collapsible seating or blankets are allowed for watching the air show.
Wear comfortable shoes and sunscreen. You’ll cover a lot of ground at the show since the ramp is about three-quarters of a mile long. Bring hearing protection too.
No weapons of any kind, including pocketknives, tools or scissors, are allowed.
The Kansas Aviation Museum is hosting a separate air show watch party during the open house weekend, with a $30 ticket per carload that includes museum parking, admission to the first floor and flight ramp exhibits at the museum and viewing of the air show (bring collapsible seating or blankets). For more information, visit kansasaviationmuseum.org
Frontiers in Flight at McConnell
What: open house and air show featuring more than two dozen static displays and a dozen aerial acts
When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 24 & 25
Where: McConnell Air Force Base in south Wichita
Admission: free
More information: frontiersinflight.com or facebook.com/McConnellAirshow