2016 Sioux Falls Air Show – ‘Power on the Prairie’ – performance is all overhead
Cross-Counties Connect crossed more than county lines on Sunday, July 24, extending its reach across state borders to the 2016 Sioux Falls Air Show, performed under this year’s theme of “Power on the Prairie.”
Performances on Saturday, July 24, and again on Sunday, were held at Joss Foss Field at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport.
The pair of shows were presented during Navy Week, seven days coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO), that are designed to give Americans the opportunity to learn about the United States Navy, its people and its importance to national security and prosperity.
The “cast of characters” in the three-hour show included:
+ United States Army Black Daggers parachute demonstration team.
+ Vanguard Squadron of 100% ethanol-powered airplanes headquartered in Tea, South Dakota.
+ Warbird demonstration featuring a B-17, a B-25 and a Grumman TBM Avenger.
+ Kent Pietsch, comedy in a small single-engine aircraft.
+ United States Marine Corps AV-8 Harrier demonstration. The Harrier is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that demonstrate dwhat VSTOL (Vertical Short Takeoff and Landing) is about. In addition, the subsonic jet hovered in front of the crowd.
+ Jack Link’s Screamin’ Sasquatch Jet Waco bi-plane.
+ Tribute to South Dakota’s Joe Foss (Joseph Jacob “Joe” Foss was a United States Marine Corps major the leading Marine fighter ace in World War II and a Medal of Honor recipient, recognizing his role in the air combat during the Guadalcanal Campaign) that featured a F4F Wildcat and a Japanese Zero.
+ South Dakota Air National Guard Tribute featuring a P-51 Mustang.
+ South Dakota Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcons – the Lobos.
+ United States Air Force F-16 Demonstration Team.
+ Heritage Flight saluting the F-16 Fighting Falcon (a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft of the United States Air Force) and the P-38 Lightning (a World War II American piston-engined fighter aircraft featuring twin booms and a central nacelle containing both the cockpit and armament.
+ United States Navy Blue Angels.
Aircraft on display on the ground included the F-15C Eagle, A-10 Warthog, F-5 Aggressor, CF-18 RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) Hornet, C-17, KC-135, B-1, C-130 Hercules, T-6 Texan II, T-38 Talon, E-2C Hawkeye, F-4 Phantom,AV-8 Harrier, F/A-18 Hornet USMC, B-17, B-25, P-51, TBM Avenger, F4F Wildcat, F4U Corsair, F-16 Viper,T-6 Texan, BT-13, PT-22, L-5 Sentinel, Sanford Fixed Wing and Helicopter and Avera Helicopter.
The air show was hosted by the South Dakota Air National Guard, with other major sponsors First Premier Bank, POET and the Sioux Falls Regional Airport.
Below are a few photos from the event:
