Clouds delay air show

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Aviation buffs, undaunted by gray skies and hours of weather delays, waited patiently at the Poplar Bluff Air Show 2002 on Saturday.

They weren't disappointed.

The payoff came about 2:30 p.m., when clouds broke and stunt pilots painted the sky.

"It was worth the wait," said Mike Burk, a pilot from Qulin, Mo. "I got to come two years ago, and this is a better show."

Burk particularly enjoyed a performance by Mike Keenum, who flew an F-86 Sabre jet. "He put on a real good show, the way he could just come right up and disappear into the clouds."

Fog and a low ceiling of clouds initially grounded the stunt flights, but the show went on with performances by Otto the Helicopter, a Schweizer 300C that gave rides, and Wild Thing, a jet-powered dragster.

"Wow," said 5-year-old Rebekah Till of Poplar Bluff as flames shot out of the car. "It went really fast."

About that time, a B1 bomber based out of Abilene, Texas, blasted through, setting off a pyrotechnic show that left the crowd cheering, although the bomber itself remained concealed behind the clouds.

"Cool," said Clint Curtis, 9, of Trumann, Ark., who said he had come to the show with pyrotechnics in mind.

The helicopter performance targeted younger fans and featured a bubble-blowing contest and a stunt involving a yo-yo. At one point, Otto nabbed a man running across a field and lifted him off the ground.

Other performing aircraft included an F-86 Sabre and a P-51 Mustang, as well as barnstorming biplanes.

The Sabre and the P-51 came together for the finale fly-by.

"I was in Korea in 1952," said Leon Arbuckle. "This brings back old memories -- both of them planes."

The Southeast Missouri Skydivers closed the show.

"That was my favorite part," said 8-year-old Levi Freeman of Poplar Bluff, who got his shirt signed by one of the skydivers. "It was awesome."

Don Schrieber, who co-chaired the event, estimated that 10,000 people attended.

"I thought it went great," said Jim Plunkett, also an event co-chair. "I was a little disappointed with the weather, but the crowd was very cordial in staying."