Pilots start engines for Air Fiesta
Weekend show will re-enact the bombing of Pearl Harbor
Gene McNeely's North American AT-6 glided off the runway at Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport on Thursday, moving seamlessly into formation with three other small planes. A member of the AeroShell Acrobatic team, McNeely knows these skies well.
During Air Fiesta, Brownsville's only flying air show, he will be one of the pilots diving, twisting and weaving above the heads of onlookers.
This year's Air Fiesta will take place March 14-15 at the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport, produced by the Rio Grande Valley wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF).
It's a celebration of 90 years of American military aircraft history, said Air Fiesta Chairman David Hughston. In the Brownsville CAF hangar , Hughston stands in front of Air Force planes from the 1940s, a German military aircraft emblazoned with a Nazi swastika and a number of smaller planes from various chapters of military history.
"Each plane," Hughston said, "has its own story."
The weekend's show will re-enact the bombing of Pearl Harbor, including pyrotechnics and a theatrical air battle. Viewers will see exploding bombs, flames and smoke as the drama unfolds. The show has special significance this year, commemorating the 80th anniversary of Brownsville's airport.
On the ground, attendees can inspect antique planes, browse World War II memorabilia and enjoy food and beverage.
Tickets to Air Fiesta are available at all Cameron County Stripes stores, the Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce and at the Brownsville Elks. For more information, call the RGV Wing Museum of the CAF at (956) 541-8585 or log on to www.airfiesta.org.
