Celebration in the Skies

June 26, 2015

A History of Air Shows and the National Cherry Festival

The roaring twenties may have gotten their name from the raucous prohibition-defying culture, but the era had another adrenaline-fueled pastime: air shows, air races and air competitions. Airplanes were everywhere during that golden age.

The Cherry Blossom Festival emerged in 1925, later to become the National Cherry Festival. Almost ninety years later, this celebration recorded more than half a million visitors, many of whom arrived early for a thrilling display of aerobatic prowess by the renowned U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

Before WWII, air shows on their own drew hundreds of thousands of spectators to multi-day events. These competitions would attract food tents, vendors and carnival performers who would entertain crowds between flights of loops and stunts. When the U.S. entered WWII, air shows abruptly vanished and festivals like the National Cherry Festival were suspended, but with the public passion for these aerial feats, it didn’t take long for them to revive when peace returned.

The Blue Angels navy demonstration team formed in 1946 and began touring the post-war country, signaling a shift from shows predominantly piloted by commercial and recreational flyers to shows featuring military personnel and fighter planes.

In 1948, following the Traverse City centennial, the National Cherry Festival returned. By the 1970s, Traverse City had a new Cherry County Airport and the National Cherry Festival was growing in attendance and visibility, aided by President Gerald Ford’s presence at the 1975 Cherry Festival parade.

Featuring five T-38 Talon fighters, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds made their first appearance at the Cherry Festival Air Show in 1978. The pilots wowed crowds gathered on Grand Traverse Bay beaches with the T-38’s agile maneuverability in close turns and the infamous four-plane diamond loop. Ever since, the annual Cherry Festival Air Show has hosted an eclectic array of private and commercial aerobatics teams, as well as military demonstration squads.

However, one very famous squad has become a Cherry Festival tradition. The Blue Angels return to the festival biennially. According to National Cherry Festival Media Relations Manager Susan Wilcox Olson it is the festival’s "awesome track record with them, which enables us to be granted [shows] more often than anyone else in the country."

Years without the Blue Angels have showcased regional powerhouses, such as the Trojan Horsemen, Team RV, Heavy Metal Jet Team, Northeast Raiders and this year’s John Klatt Air Shows and KC Aerosports LLC. The non-military teams have exhibited a variety of aircrafts for returning onlookers, such as the A-10 Thunderbolt, P-51 Mustang and 300L biplane.

2008 saw the first ever twilight air show and featured the U.S. Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights, working in tandem with the Blue Angels. Recurring Cherry Festival performers Team Aerodynamix claim "the world’s largest air show team." Their pilot-constructed monoplanes paid homage to early air shows while executing precision formation flying. Local pilot and Vietnam War veteran George Shetterly flew a monoplane of his own design at the 86th Cherry Festival Air Show.

While it may be the daring performances that draw crowds, the enduring success of the festival air show is due in large part to the Traverse City Coast Guard and their efforts behind the scenes.

Traverse City’s Coast Guard unit is an all air support unit with five HH-65 Dolphin helicopters. With 150 personnel covering all of Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and the northern half of Lake Huron, the TC Guard unit is one of the largest in the country. As such, they’ve played in integral role in the logistics of the air show by coordinating multiple teams, mobilizing support staff and presiding as the back bone of the festival show – a role they will continue this year The 89th National Cherry Festival will see the return of the Air Force Thunderbirds 25 years since their last flight in the region and 37 years since they first showcased their incredible talents here. They will return with the F-16 Fighting Falcons that will perform 40 maneuvers in both solo aircraft and formation flying, including the four jet diamond formation.

Minnesota-based John Klatt Air Shows will take to the skies with Lt. Col. Klatt’s skills as one of the top aerobatic performance pilots in the U.S., showcasing precision and power. Locally-based KC Aerosports LLC will perform maneuvers highlighting pilot Kevin Copeland’s skills at recovery, spinning and precision aerobatics over the bay.

In the tradition of pushing the limits of airplane possibilities, the Vanguard Squadron and their four-plane formation airshow will demonstrate the power and performance of ethanol. Powered completely by ethanol for more than 20 years, the Vanguard Squad has logged thousands of flight hours spreading ethanol awareness across the country.

Once only a single-day event, the 2015 air show will span three days: July 3-5 at 1:55pm each day. The air shows, as always, are free. However, for those looking for a little more glamour in their sky-gazing, attendees can visit the historic Park Place Hotel for the 8th Annual Air Show Gala at Top of the Park or the Air Show Flight Deck.

Tickets and information are available at: cherryfestival.org/our-events/air-show.