The biggest airshow in the region this weekend is in the Quad Cities. Rhett Grotzinger has been the show’s announcer for every one of its 18 years. He says on this weekend around the country there will be no fewer than 25 or 30 airshows — but the very best entertainment will be in the Quad Cities. He says the show plans literally a year in advance, to make sure the finest performers are the ones who do the show here. This year the theme is “Dream Teams of Aviation,” and he says the audience will see groups of the best performers. The Iron Eagle aerobatic team from New England will do a group show in tiny biplanes, and there’s a team formerly known as the North American aerobatic team. The Aeroshell Aerobatic team is four World War 2 North American A-T-6 Texans flying in formation together. He contrasts that to the kind of airshow we often see, “one airplane at one time in the sky.” The Red Baron Pizza Squadron’s back again, four big World War 2 biplane trainers. There are also the Air Force Thunderbirds, the premier jet demonstration team in the world, he says. They put on an airshow in the F-16 Fighting falcons. In addition to local vendors there’ll be entertainment on the ground including the Hard Rock Cafe Tour. KidSpace has been a feature of the show for ten years, and the Red Baron Pizza Flight Club is a family display with information about the squadron and kids’ activities. The U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team will open the show, carrying in the the national flag to the center of the show. He says there’s so much planned, he recommends people get there early. Grounds open at 8 today (Saturday)
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