The Commemorative Air Force Rio Grande Valley Wing AIRSHOW! takes off this weekend, and this year it’s at a new location.
The CAF AIRSHOW! will happen at the Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport, at 27517 Buena Vista Blvd. in Los Fresnos.
David Hughston, commander for the CAF RGV, said an advantage of having the air show at its new location “is that we don’t have to deal with the tower,” as they did at the old location at the Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport.
Hughston, a veteran pilot, will fly his Stearman, a 1947 PT (Personal Trainer) biplane used for military training, during the show.
Among the reenactments that the pilots will be performing at the AIRSHOW! is the pyrotechnic display featured in the “Tora! Tora! Tora!” segment where four replicas of Japanese fighters and torpedo planes have a starring role.
Two Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt “Warthogs,” based in Florida, are modern military aircraft and will take to the skies for simulated bombing runs.
“During AIRSHOW! there will be as many as 10 planes in the sky at once,” Hughston said. “These new ‘birds’ are always a hit with the crowd.”
The hangar also stores flyable WWII aircraft, such as the rare German Focke-Wulf 44 Stieglitz biplane and the American Stearman (Boeing) PT-13 biplane.
Advance tickets are available online at www.rgvcaf.org for $12. There is no admission cost for children under 12.
On the days of the event, tickets are $15 per person and each ticket is good for one adult, one day only.
Parking is available for $5 and begins at 9 a.m. with plenty of time to visit the on-site trade show and admire the vintage airplanes.
Flying begins at noon and will last approximately three hours.
Advance general admission “Flightline” tickets, an upgrade that includes a tent with chairs, refreshments available for purchase, and a porta-potty area under the tent, are available for $22. These tickets are available for purchase until noon on the day of the show. Each ticket is good for one adult, one day only. Children under 12 are free with adult; $5 per child entry to the Flightline Club.
VIP tickets are $150. Entry into Airshow 2019 VIP tent includes: private, covered, front-row seating, a catered lunch and snacks, as well as bottled water, sodas, juice and beer. Private parking is located directly behind VIP tent. Group rates are available.
Hughston said a special B-25 bomber flight is available for $300 per person for a group of five.
The CAF RGV Wing’s dream is to build a 5,000 to 6,000-square-foot museum adjacent to the airport, as well as additional buildings for offices and meeting rooms.
Advance tickets are also available at the following locations:
>> SPI Chamber of Commerce (inside the SPI Convention Centre);
>> Water’s Edge Gallery on SPI;
>> Hughston Insurance Agency, Brownsville;
>> Brownsville Convention & Visitor’s Bureau;
>> Mail-Pak-Your-Box Store, McAllen;
For more information, call (956) 454-4439.
sgroves@brownsvilleherald.com
