The Greater Peoria Airport Authority and the Prairie Air Show, Inc. proudly present this year's Eagle Radio River City Blues July 24 and 25. This year's main attraction will be the Blue Angels. Once again, we'll be offering the premium air show in downstate Illinois.
This year's show will be packed with wonderful activities for the entire family. Gates open at 9 a.m. so you can come early to enjoy all the wonderful static displays such as the C-5A Galaxy, the largest airplane in the United States; T6-II Texan; F-18 Hornet; A-10 Thunderbolt II; F-16 Falcons; and more. Aerobatic performances begin around noon. The Sky Soldiers and their Heuy helicopter performance are a new addition to the show. You can even ride in the helicopters best known for their action in Vietnam. Just as exciting, we'll have the Shockwave triple engine jet truck, which is operated by the big brother of last year's smaller Shockwave jet truck. Again, it will be racing an airplane.
To help you navigate at the air show and due to the generosity of Tanner's Orchards, there will be two passenger trams, which will be running a continuous loop throughout the air show area. More good news is that you can purchase advance tickets at any local Kroger store or by visiting www.prairieair.com. The air show is still a great value for your entertainment dollar.
The air show continues to be a strong community event. We're working with local organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs to have hard-working young people attend the air show. Proceeds support the Challenger Center for Space Science Education. The mission of the Learning Center is: "Through scheduled team missions, the Challenger Learning Center promotes leadership, communications, problem-solving and critical thinking skills while supporting our country's goals of improving science, math and technology education."
We're also working hard to minimize the impact for those of you planning to travel on those dates. The airport won't be closed, as the airlines will be operating; however, there may be some schedule changes. Please check with your airline.
We hope to see you this year at the air show. And as always, thank you for supporting the Greater Peoria Regional Airport. IBI