“We’re in great financial health,” said Scott Buchanan, chairman of the board of trustees of the U.S. Air and Trade Show, which produces the show every year. “We are a not-for-profit. The goal is to make sure we are sustainable for a very long time.”
The objective is to have enough financial wherewithal to weather the down years, the years when rain, for example, might keep people away.
“From the board’s perspective, it’s our job to work with these guys to put on a high-quality, very safe show on and make sure all of our patrons are taken care of,” Buchanan said.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“We’re actually very happy with the number that we had this year, especially with the heat,” said Kevin Franklin, the show’s executive director and president of aviation services company Wright Brothers Aero Inc. at Dayton International Airport. “Our fans are loyal, who come out to the show. They came out, and they were ready to go.”
“We’re very fortunate to have the sponsors that we have to allow us to put the quality of the show that we have on,” Buchanan said. “The city of Dayton, the airport, lets us take half of their airport over.”
A spokesman for the utility told the Dayton Daily News last week that there is no impact to the air show “at this time.”
“That’s a business decision,” Buchanan said. “We’ve been down that road with them before.”
Dayton is one of the few shows in the nation with permanent infrastructure in place, such as air-conditioned chalets.
Also Monday, show organizers said they may apply for a flyover of an Air Force B-2 bomber. The U.S. military’s weekend bombing of nuclear facilities in Iran involved seven B-2s, and it is said to be the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history.
With refueling tankers and fighter jets — some of which launched their own weapons — U.S. pilots dropped 14 30,000-pound bombs early Sunday Iran time on underground uranium enrichment plants in Iran, the Associated Press reported.
Air Force policy does not allow B-2s to land at air shows, but organizers may apply for a flyover in what might be considered a long-shot bid.
“We apply for everything,” Franklin said.
“The assets you can get to versus the number of shows there are is the challenge,” Buchanan said.
B-2s can be spotted at national events sometimes. A Northrop Grumman B-2 “Spirit” Stealth bomber flew over the 136th Tournament of Roses Parade in January.
A B-2 can also be found at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
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