PEARL HARBOER RE-ENACTMENT PLANNED

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor will be re-enacted at this year's Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival.

The battle will include authentic Japanese fighter and torpedo planes and plenty of explosions. As for water and ships, spectators will have to use their imaginations.

Bruce Loy, manager of Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, has seen the Pearl Harbor re-enactment and said it is impressive.

Members of the Confederate Air Force, a group of World War II aviation enthusiasts, will conduct the show.

"It's an aviation re-enactment," Loy said. "You'll have to pretend you can see ships out there. I've seen them do it before, and it is a really neat show."

The air show will be held July 14 and 15 at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. Daily admission will be $7 for adults and $4 for children ages 7 to 12. Children 6 and under will be admitted free.

Organizers expect attendance to exceed 10,000 people over the course of both days.

60th anniversary of attack

Loy said air show organizers decided to feature a re-enactment of the attack long before they knew the film "Pearl Harbor" was going to be in theaters this summer.

This Dec. 7 will mark the 60th anniversary of the attack that drew the United States into World War II, making this year an appropriate time to put the focus on veterans of that conflict.

"The re-enactments will bring a sense of realism to the show while also honoring our beloved veterans," Loy said.

World War II veteran Floyd Smith of Egypt Mills, Mo., said the battle re-enactment is "an excellent idea" for the air show, as is anything that provides recognition for veterans.

"After all, the air corps did play a major role in World War II," Smith said. "I think it will probably draw more veterans this year than it has before, and it always drew a lot before."

In addition to the Japanese aircraft, some P-40 Tigershark fighters and a B-17 bomber will also participate. A handful of P-40s were the only American planes to get off the ground during the attack. A flight of unarmed B-17s arrived at Hawaii from California just as American airfields were being bombed.

The "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" raid in which Army B-25 bombers struck Japan after launching from the USS Hornet will also be re-enacted, as will a Pacific theater air battle featuring an F4U Corsair fighter.

Loy said this year will mark the first the air show has included major battle re-enactments.

"I think it will be an excellent show," Loy said. "People will see something they haven't seen before."

Other attractions will include dogfights between World War I replica planes, daily flybys by an Air Force F-117 Stealth bomber and a NASA traveling museum. A Navy F-18 fighter and a jet-powered pickup truck will also be on hand.

A schedule of events for each day of the show has not yet been released.

Festivities will kick off Friday, July 13 with a hangar dance at the airport from 7 to 11 p.m. Admission is $5 a person.

Loy said the air show will cost approximately $90,000 to produce. With revenue from admission and sponsorships, Loy said the show should break even.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival

WHEN: July 14 and 15

WHERE: Cape Girardeau Regional Airport

COST: $7 adults, $4 children 7-12, children 6 and under free