Cape air festival switches from three days to two

The Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival is two days instead of three this year, the result of lagging attendance on Sunday. But organizers say there is still a full lineup, an extra Saturday evening show and plenty of mile-high excitement to keep the crowds awestruck.

"It's a little bit of an experiment, I guess you could say," said airport manager Bruce Loy. "But I think we've got a great lineup and it's going to be a great show."

The gates open July 7 with the first 3 1/2-hour show starting at 7 p.m. Instead of opening at 9 a.m. Saturday as they have in years past, the gates on July 8 will open at 11 a.m., with the first fly-by starting at 3:30 p.m. and a night show that starts at 8:30 p.m. Both evening shows will culminate with a fireworks display, Loy said.

The decision to eliminate the Sunday show was made as organizers began to realize that most of the 10,000 spectators who typically show up were coming on Friday night and Saturday. Sundays have been the least-attended day, Loy said. Loy still hopes that the attendance figures hit or exceeds 10,000.

The airshows will kick off with a B-2 stealth bomber fly-over. This will be the first year the bomber will make an appearance at the air festival, Loy said.

The Aeroshell Aerobatic Team will also perform, Loy said, who noted that the team has been performing at air shows since 1985. The team consists of four pilots flying formation aerobatics in the 600 horsepower World War II-era North American AT-6G "Texan" Trainer.

Flier Bill Leff will make a return visit by popular demand, Loy said. The crowds loved the pyrotechnic devices that spew sparks from the plane's wing mounts.

The airshow will also include a motorcycle to airplane transfer, the Dodge Ram Jet, the 82nd Airborne Division's parachute team and other events.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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