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2010 Air Shows |
Westfield International Air
Show -- August 21-22
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Location: Barnes
Municipal Airport shared with ANG Base,
Westfield, MA |
Admission: FREE |
Parking: $10
donation requested |
| Value: Excellent |
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It
was an interesting show, but somewhat disappointing too at the
same time. The weather was not cooperating too well either, it seems
like the weather is fouling up a lot of the air shows in 2010,
with lots of rain, and dark skies. The nearby accommodations were
plenty within a ten mile radius.
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The staff were extremely courteous and helpful,
but logistics were worse than most shows the reviewer has attended.
While media parking was good at the site, the majority of public
parking was offsite and up to a mile away. Shuttle buses were only
provided from the airport parking lots. No shuttle service was provided
from other parking lots. In addition, a single two lane highway was
the only way in and out.
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The Gates opened for the general public at 8:00 a.m.,
and due to rain forecast for Sunday, the Saturday show was jammed
and the gates had to be closed at 2:30!
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Food service
was plentiful but extremely expensive ($6.00 for a burger and
$4.00 for water) best to bring one's own. Sanitation facilities were
inadequate to meet the unexpected crowd conditions.
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Most of
the advertised flight performers appeared and put on an excellent
show.
The highlight
of the show was a formation flight of a C47, B25, P51 and P47 and
the flight of the Sikorsky UH-34D recently restored. The best flight
demo actually took place on the Friday when Dale Snodgrass took the
P51, Glamorous Gal up for a spin and gave the audience a haircut he
flew so low. The static displays, advertised as 60, but far less showed
than that.
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For photography it was a challenge: the layout of
the field (north to south) caused the subjects to be backlit for
most of the day.
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Major Aircraft/Performers Presented:
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- U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
- U.S. Army Parachute Team the "Golden Knights"
- John Klatt ANG
- Mike Goulian
- Rob Holland
- Red Eagles
- Viper West F-16
- F-100 Super Sabre
- and too many others to list.
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Rating:
7 out of 10 |
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Review by A. J. Warren for AIRSHOWSREVIEW
LLC. Photography as noted. |
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Rights Reserved. |
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