High-flying hijinks
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WHAT: Cleveland National Air Show
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 30, 31 and Sept. 1
WHERE: Burke Lakefront Airport, 1501 N. Marginal Rd., Cleveland
TICKETS: $19 adults, $12 children (ages 6 to 11). Children 5 and younger are free. On-site parking is $12 per vehicle.
INFO: clevelandairshow.com
Burke Lakefront Airport will be getting a little smaller this Labor Day Weekend when monolithic planes like the C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster and KC-135 Stratotanker come to town for the Cleveland National Air Show, which takes place Aug. 30, 31 and Sept. 1 in downtown Cleveland.
“We’ll have a very crowded tarmac this year,” said Cleveland National Air Show spokeswoman Ann M. Gynn. “For the first time, we’ll have the C-5 Galaxy, which is one of the world’s largest planes. It’s huge. It’s one of those things you can’t imagine can land here, but it does and it’ll be taking up a large portion of the space.”
At 247 feet long with a wingspan of 222 feet, the C-5 Galaxy can hold 270,000 pounds of cargo and can travel over 6,000 miles without refueling. For perspective, this colossal aircraft can carry six buses or 113 Volkswagon Beetles.
While the C-5 is expected to be the star attraction on the ground, in the air all eyes will invariably be on a popular jet team that returns to the shores of Lake Erie with four-plus hours of flying each day.
“This year, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels are back in town,” Gynn said. “We always enjoy the jet team performance. That’s the most popular question asked, ‘Which jet team?’ We’re not guaranteed a jet team, but Cleveland is one of their favorite spots, so usually we get priority."
The Cleveland National Air Show dates back to 1929 when the event – then called “The National Air Races” – was held at Cleveland Municipal Airport (later renamed Cleveland Hopkins Airport). While that incarnation lasted until the late ‘40s, the current annual summer-time event started in 1964 at Burke Lakefront Airport.
This year’s aerial lineup features the U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon, U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, World War II-era P-51 Mustang, F4U-5 Corsair, B-17 Yankee Lady plus the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team.
Also included are civilian pilots such as aerobatic champ Nikolay Timofeev in his Sukhoi SU-26M, John Mohr and his Stearman biplane, Bob Carlton and the world’s only twin-engine sailplane and more.
“One of the other popular attractions is NeXplore Shockwave Jet Truck that has a triple jet engine to power it,” Gynn said. “It creates a lot of smoke and a lot of fire when it goes off and speeds down the runway. That’s a fun one and kids of all ages enjoy it.”
While the three-day Cleveland National Air Show attracts an average of 80,000 fans through the gates, Gynn addresses the notion of enjoying the event – albeit it free – from various spots outside of Burke Lakefront Airport. Specifically, she feels the experience is lacking.
“The biggest misconception is that it’s just in the air,” Gynn said. “We’re really an air and ground show. People see it as an aviation amusement park, where they can come in and spend the whole day here.
“So whether it’s enjoying the flying in the sky, listening to the announcers, talking to a pilot or climbing into the cockpit of a real plane, it’s really just a great way to spend the day once you’re inside the gates.”