AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash — Large backups could be seen on US Highway 2 as people filed onto Fairchild Air Force Base for the first day of Skyfest.
The show consisted of more than 10 live performances, as well as static displays; nonmoving airplanes that could be visited and walked through.
The event runs Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and gives the public insight into many of the things that the Air Force can do.
“If you don’t know it here, or you don’t know what they do, it’s a good example,” said Sandee Wedemeyer, who was attending Skyfest.
A main attraction was the refueling demonstration done with two airplanes. A C-17 from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and a KC-135, an in-air refueling aircraft, and the most common plane at Fairchild.
The two planes did not truly connect to refuel, which normally happens around 20,000 feet in the air. Due to the low flight altitude, they flew in formation without the connection.
The pilot of the KC-135, Major Chad Smith, said that attending air shows like this one was a big reason for him joining the military.
“I grew up coming to air shows, so I love this environment, and it gets me excited. And to be able to do something I always wanted to do, I always get not nervous but an adrenaline rush being able to perform. It’s a great experience,” Major Smith said.
Major Smith said the airshow is a great way for the public to become more familiar with the work they do at the base.
“For them to be able to come out, see the performance, be able to go through the static displays, and be able to see the inside and what the jet does, it brings the community full circle,” Major Smith said.
Other acts included civilian stunt planes and the Wings of Blue, the Air Force’s demonstration parachute team. The headline event was the A-10 demonstration team, which is in their last year of performing, so this is one of the last chances to see them in action.
