Poplar Bluff Regional Air Show to be held on Saturday

Daily American Republic

The 2006 Poplar Bluff Regional Air Show will take place at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Airport on Saturday.

Every year, air show coordinators draw in new performers as well as crowd favorites. From wing-walkers and parachute demonstrations to B-2 stealth bombers, the variety will keep spectators on their feet.

The day kicks off at 6 a.m., with the annual pancake breakfast served on the airport field. Breakfast will be served until 10 a.m., with the air show beginning at 11:40 a.m.

Children under 12 are admitted free.

Civilian acts include the Aerostars, a four-ship formation team; Jim Moroney and his Super Chipmunk, a small aerobatic airplane; the Firebirds, a two-ship formation team flying Extra 300s, high-performance single engine aircraft; Mike Keenum and his Hawker C Fury; David Burdine in a MiG-17, a Soviet fighter jet; and M&S Racing's Mark Smith with his jet-powered dragster, Airforce One. Among other crafts, there will also be a vintage World War II B-25 bomber plane.

The B-2 stealth bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base will be on hand. The massive aircraft has an unrefueled traveling range of some 6,000 miles, and the two-man crew often flies 50-hour missions without landing.

Other military aircraft scheduled to be at the show include an F-117 stealth fighter from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico; a UH-60 Blackhawk with the Green Beret parachuters; the A-10 Thunderbolt II from Davis Mothan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz.; and the A-10 West Coast Demonstration Team.

Other entertainment options will be available. The Double Jeopardy Obstacle Course offers a maze of obstacles and slides.

Children can experience the power of gravity on the air-filled 22-foot slide and moon bounce. Airplane rides will be offered.

In the event of bad weather, the air show will be held Sunday.