ROME, Ga. — The southeast’s largest air show of autumn will host the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force A-10C Warthog next weekend during the Wings Over North Georgia air show.
Top civilian aerobatics and military aircraft are scheduled to perform October 30-31 from Russell Regional Airport. Tickets for this drive-in formatted air show remain available for each day.
Pre-show activities will begin about 10 a.m. each day. A Dobbins Air Reserve Base C-130H and the Georgia State Patrol SWAT helicopter unit will kick-off the excitement.
“Each year, we have incorporated improvements and enhancements to continue to offer one of the top air show experiences,” JLC AirShow Management President John Cowman said. “Our ninth annual air show promises to be our best yet.”
Blue Angels’ Super Hornets to Dominate Weekend Excitement
Celebrating their 75th anniversary season, the Blue Angels are scheduled to arrive next Thursday to prepare for the two-day show. The team’s new C-130J Super Hercules Fat Albert will also arrive loaded with equipment and personnel.
“This is a gigantic year with the brand new Super Hornets and the C-130J,” Blue Angels executive officer CDR Todd Royles told AvGeekery.com. “What a major milestone, 75 years of this historic and a national treasure of an organization.”
LCDR Cary Rickoff is the Blue Angels opposing solo, piloting the number six jet. Rickoff is a native of Atlanta and is excited to return to his hometown to showcase his flying.
“I do my best to oppose the lead solo pilot, he makes sure the timing looks good and I’ll make sure the sets and the crosses happen nicely,” LCDR Rickoff explained to AvGeekery.com. “At the vey end we’ll join up with delta (formation) and assemble the six plane formation.”
Brrrt! Warthog to Thunder Over Rome Airport
Capt. Haden “Gator” Fullam is both the commander and pilot of the A-10C Thunderbolt II Demo Team. A native of nearby Rising Fawn, Fullam is a career A-10C pilot who joined the Air Force to honor his two grandfathers.
Both had served as combat pilots during the Vietnam War. This year, the A-10C Demo aircraft was painted to honor Vietnam soldiers held as POWs or who never made it home.
“The opportunity to fly an aircraft with a Vietnam War-era paint scheme is one I never thought I would have,” Capt. Fullam said. “Every time I fly that aircraft it will have a special meaning to me.”
Championship aerobatic pilots will include Scott Farnsworth, Michael Goulian, Mike Wiskus, and Greg Koontz. Historic warbirds scheduled to appear include B-25 Mitchel bomber, P-51D Mustand, and more.
Voted USA Today’s No. 7 fan favorite airshow this year, Wings Over North Georgia is designed as a drive-in air show. The success of last year’s drive-in show allows guests to tailgate near the flight line.
“A general airfield parking ticket will receive a 10-by-20-foot spot for a vehicle with an adjacent 10-by-20-foot space for enjoying the air show in a tail-gate fashion,” Wings Over North Georgia spokesperson Brenda Little said. “The premium ticket covers the cost of admission for the carload of guests.”
Air show officials add that the number of people per carload is based on the number of manufacturer-installed seatbelts. Tickets for the Drive-In Air Show are advance purchase only and will not be sold at the gates.
(Charles A Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)
