Greater Fort Smith Region Air Show 2008

The 188th Fighter Wing is in possession of several lost items that were found at the air show.

Please contact Lt. Col. Pete Gauger at 479.573.5221 or peter.gauger@arftsm.ang.af.mil with a more specific description of your item so that it can be returned to you.

Thanks to all who attended the 2008 Fort Smith Regional Air Show, and to all those who helped make the event possible — from sponsors to concession volunteers and from bus drivers to pilots and their crews.

The 188th Fighter Wing, the Fort Smith Regional Airport, and the 188th / Fort Chaffee Community Council are already working on bringing an even better air show to Fort Smith next time around.

Here are a few clips from the weekend coverage:

Times Record

Local residents and visitors from afar flocked to Fort Smith air fields in record numbers Sunday to gaze upon soaring fighter jets.

The 2008 Fort Smith Regional Air Show concluded Sunday, attracting a massive turnout of attendees, according to Capt. Heath Allen, a public affairs officer from the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Fighter Wing.

“This is a record turnout for the second year in a row,” Allen said. “We’re estimating 225,000 (attendees) for the weekend.”

Attendance increased considerably from last year’s then-record high of about 200,000, Allen said.

Democrat Gazette

FORT SMITH — Staff Sgt. Jonathan Pennington, a crew member of the Air Force Thunderbirds, was surprised to see an Arkansas Razorback etched on an inside panel in the cockpit of Thunderbird No. 5.

Pennington, a Fort Smith native assigned to maintain the jet at the 2008 Fort Smith Regional Air Show, never expected to see a Razorback on an F-16 C that sports the Thunderbird red, white and blue.

Also, lots of images from several different photographers have been posted on Flickr. Check it out. Maybe you’ll see yourself, your favorite act, or maybe even someone you know!

The civilian component of the air show committee has done a great job of posting signs at the PAID parking entrance.

See?

This is Phoenix Ave. and South 66th, right across from the Shell convenience store.

Come on out and have a GREAT time…

Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Event planning committee member Chuck Fawcett said when people are stopped along the highway or perched on hillsides surrounding the airport, “you know you have a great event.”

Col. Kevin Wear, commander of the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188 th Fighter Wing, called the show the biggest weekend event each year in Fort Smith, claiming an economic impact of $ 5. 5 million. “People will have the opportunity to look up-close at what we do,” Wear said. “With the history of the air show, we certainly will not disappoint anyone.”

The show has been held in Fort Smith every two years since 1987, except for an interruption for the 1991 Persian Gulf War. As well as hosting the show with the 188 th Fighter Wing / Fort Chaffee Community Council, the 188 th has its own act, “Fire and Fury.” The 188 th has performed at each show. This year it will fly the newly acquired jet, the A-10 Thunderbolt II. The unit traded in its F-16 Fighting Falcons for the “Warthogs” last year.

This piece by Dave Hughes runs down most of the major acts participating this weekend. Check it out.

Windows started rattling around 2pm CDT this afternoon. Pretty quick after that, phones started ringing all over Fort Smith. “Did you SEE EM???”

No rain, no storm clouds, no hail. The THUNDERBIRDS made their grand entrance into Fort Smith this afternoon!

Since that time, I’ve heard a few other loud jets overhead. Looks like the weather will be fabulous this weekend.

The Times Record put together a great feature story today — highlighting the high-flying entertainment in Fort Smith this weekend. Looks like a schedule or order of events will be forth coming. We’ll post the information here as soon as it’s made available to us.

As the 188th Fighter Wing, the Arkansas National Guard, and the 188th / Fort Chaffee Community Council Air Show Committee puts the finishing touches on preparations, every one of us planning to attend the air show should be making our own lists and checking them twice. Sort of like this:

1. Camera batteries charged and long lenses cleaned
2. Sharpies for autographs (great souvenir programs will be available for less than $5 each)
3. Sun screen (it’s gonna be a GORGEOUS weekend!)
4. A hat and sunglasses so you don’t miss a thing, even when the sun is straight up in the sky
5. Collapsible lawn chairs ready to load into the car
6. Map to FREE parking
7. Grounds map
8. Cash for concessions, souvenirs, flight simulators
9. Ear plugs are a maybe — depending on how CLOSE you want to get to the flight line
10. Lots and lots of hearty “thank you’s” and pats on the back for our men and women in uniform

Consider all this, too — the smaller your bag, the easier it will be to maneuver the bus, or walk to your vehicle, and to clear security.

Remember, we’re on a military installation and on airport grounds that are TSA-controlled. Homeland security rules are still in effect, even during air show weekend. Please respect the men and women who will be ensuring our safety.

Here’s a link to the U.S. Air Force’s “special events” section — highlighting the Fort Smith Air Show this weekend. It’s a synopsis of USAF participation. A pilot from the F-15 demonstration team did a live radio interview yesterday. They’re looking forward to storming into Fort Smith!

Weather forecasts are calling for storms tonight and tomorrow. Currently, the system is expected to be gone by Friday.

Weatherunderground.com 5-day forecast for Fort Smith

Air show enthusiasts in Fort Smith are already watching the skies. In an effort to help everyone cool their jets until the weekend, here’s a great video montage of the 2006 Fort Smith Air Show.