The day got off to an early start, with pilots arriving and registering at the Pilot Registration area.
Before long, the aircraft parking area was filling with aircraft and the gate was opened for an eager public to see what this year's show had to offer.
The show began with the flag raising and the Star Spangled Banner. The ceremony was conducted by the Civil Air Patrol, who did a fine job and were appreciated by the crowd.
This year's show brought no shortage of planes to see. New ones, like this Cessna 182T, brought in by from Wichita, KS, by Textron Aviation, one of our sponsors.
There were military aircraft.
There were vintage aircraft with an unparalleled beauty.
Quite a variety of light sport aircraft were on hand.
There was even a very nicely restored Army staff car!
There were some special guests who came to the show: The Royal Netherlands Air Force 302nd Squadron, who was in the area conducting training, brought out a couple of their helicopters for show attendees to see;
The Drifters Car Club put a different twist on the show with their very popular classic cars;
and the always-popular Chile Flight aerial demonstration team wowed the crowd with their sporty aircraft and several overflights of the airfield.
Our volunteers did a great job for our guests: The Civil Air Patrol guided cars into the parking lot;
Our free shuttle was greatly-appreciated by our older guests and those with small children on a warm afternoon;
and the job done by our volunteers in preparing and serving the pancake breakfast in the morning, followed by burgers, hot dogs, and a side dish mid-day was incredible!
Throughout the day, our announcer kept the visitors well-informed with useful information and there was live music for our guests to enjoy!
There were low-cost helicopter rides available for purchase.
There were avionics and aircraft maintenance vendors, free Pilot safety seminars, and opportunities to talk with vendors and organizations offering a whole range of products, services, and educational opportunities.
And the kids were not left out. There were project tables and radio controlled toys that they had a blast with!
In the pilot parking area, there were many more planes to enjoy.
Some of the planes were entered for judging and won awards in their categories.
Before we knew it, the day was coming to a close and it was time to take the pilots' picture and taxi out for takeoff.
Thank you to all of our Sponsors, Members, & Volunteers
We could not do it without you!
Our Major Sponsors:
- Air One Systems
- Aero Mechanical Industries – Rio Rancho
- Aspen Avionics
- BendixKing by Honeywell
- Bode Aviation
- DeVore Aviation
- IRQ Aviation (Rotax specialist)
- New Mexico DOT – Aviation Division
- Sandia Aerospace
- State Farm Insurance – Greg Shamas, Agent
- Textron Aviation
- Transform Flight – drone pilot training
- Vertical Limit Aviation
Credits:
All photos were taken by and are the property of Phillip A. Thompson