Loss Of AF Thunderbirds Cited As Reason For Cancellation

The sequester has claimed another air show victim. The Thunder over the Blue Ridge Air Show planned for May 11-12 at Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport has been cancelled following the announcement that the Air Force Thunderbirds would not be performing.

But the show was in jeopardy even before the Thunderbirds' schedule was scrapped. The Herald-Mail newspaper reports that the show's organizers had been told by the 167th Airlift Wing of the WV Air National Guard that it would not be able to host the show because of issues with the budget. The unit had hosted the show the past two years, holding an open house in conjunction with the event.

In a news release, the president of Thunder over the Blue Ridge Nic Diehl said that the show could still go on if Congress and the President can agree to a spending deal that would allow the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels to start flying at air shows again. But, he said, that would have to be "in relatively short order."

The board can draw a direct line between the participation of a military jet demonstration team and attendance at the show. In 2010, with the Thunderbirds as the headliners, some 80,000 people came through the turnstiles. Last year, Dhiel said, with no jet team on the bill, attendance was sharply down.

The Thunderbirds had more than 60 events in 38 locations on their schedule from April 1 through the end of the fiscal year.

FMI: www.martinsburgairshow.com