The 2025 weather present during the National , Cherry Festival , will never have the , U. S. Navy , Blue Angels or the , U. S.  , Air Force Thunderbirds, the event director disclosed nowadays.
This year’s 2024 heat show with the Blue Angels, yet, will go on as planned, she said.
” The , U. S.  , Air Force Thunderbirds and , U. S. Navy , Blue Angels chose their present sites every from some airshows around the county”, said , Kat Paye, senior director of the Cherry Festival, in an e- mail to the Record- Eagle. We were just not chosen in 2025, but it’s a great honor to have been chosen in the past, and we’re looking forward to more acting opportunities in the future.
” As for 2026, those airshow schedule may be announced in December of 2024 at the , International Council of Airshows.”
Paye and some emphasized that heat show choices for 2025 were made in , December 2023 , at the ICAS agreement in , Las Vegas , — long before the debate between the , Cherry Festival and Northwest Regional Airport Authority , heated up three months ago.
After intensive negotiations, that nearby disagreement was settled , April 15 , when both sides agreed to a new three- year agreement for the NCF air show that resolved outstanding issues, especially the thorny problems of when and how high- performance aircraft can use , TVC airport , during the festival.
An air show without high- performance military service jets is n’t particularly unusual,  , Cherry Capital Airport , Director , Kevin Klein , said.
” In previous years, such as 2003- 2005, the air show would rotate between the Blue Angels one year and a general aviation show the next, “he noted”. The Blue Angels or Thunderbirds application process is unrelated to the airport. That’s really up to the Cherry Festival.”
Canada ‘s , Snowbirds, an aerial performance team similar to the Blue Angels, are not available for the 2025 NCF, according to currently available scheduling information. However, other options abound.
County commissioner Darryl Nelson, who sits on the airport authority board, suggested that the Cherry Festival look into potential 2019 venues.
” If I were them, I’d take the opportunity to look at what else is out there in the aviation community,” Nelson said”. For example, we’ve had F- 22 jets and Harrier jets in the past that were awesome to watch.”
Other options for next year’s air show could include a synchronized drone performance, perhaps at night, and expert parachute demonstrations, he said.
” The Detroit Lions , did a drone show during the playoffs that was really cool to watch,” Klein said.
That illuminated drone show on , Jan. 27 , was produced by a , Michigan- based company called , Starlight Aerial Productions. Setting up the performance took four days and 400 drones to accomplish, according to pilot , Matt Quinn. A video of that drone performance is available on YouTube at , https: //www. youtube .com/watch? v=- O2dli3lMuY.
Additionally, a number of private aviation companies offer air show performances in rare or historic aircraft, including the Soviet MiG-21 fighter jet, the Czech Aero L-39 Albatross jet trainer, and a number of World War II-era vintage aircraft.
” As much as I admire our military pilots, sometimes the pilots of slower planes are even more talented,” Nelson said.
In the meantime, this year’s air show with the Blue Angels is on track: The aerobatic show is scheduled for , Friday, June 28, to , Sunday, June 30, at specific times. Circling and practice flights will be allowed on , Thursday, June 27.
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( c ) 2024 The Record- Eagle
Distributed by , Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
