Oh my gosh! I SO love Wilbur's....THAT's where I think I need to go for my birthday dinner...If I'm lucky, there should be some fighter jets in the area (Isn't the air show at the end of the month??? They have the best one over at S-J Air Force Base...)
Best airshow I've ever seen was at MacDill, near Tampa. Centcom, and all armed services put on their best...jets, helo's, planes galore...static displays of gear, equip from the Special Operators community as well.
They had the air show early this year to accomodate the Blue Angels. It was in May. Typically SJAFB holds their Wings Over Wayne show in October, but it'll either be next spring or they'll hold off way until next October more than likely. It was a good turn out this year. Over 100,000 visitors. They had the F-22 demo, F-117, F-15E, F/A-18, Golden Knights, etc. Plus, they had the newest jet, the F-35 Lightning II out there on static display, as well this year. Of course, with the importance of SJAFB, you can always get a good airshow sitting out in the parking lot at Wilburs...or McCall's for that matter. Just go inside, get you a barbecue sandwich, bag of hushpuppies and a sweet tea. Then drop the tailgate and watch the Strike Eagles fly.
We went for the first time this year and were quite impressed. Better even than the ones we went to when DH was in the AF.
I'll have to say that the air show this year was really special. I had never seen the Blue Angels prior to their Goldsboro show. I was down in Goldsboro two days before the actual airshow on business and saw them doing their first on-site practice since the Beaufort, SC crash. I don't know why, but seeing those Hornets rocketing over Goldsboro and seeing that number 6 plane that had been in doubt was awe-inspiring. Actually, I made it out to Wilburs while they were doing the practice and a small crowd had actually pulled over to stop and watch. Its was a very moving and humbling experience to watch that practice. Actually, it was more enjoyable to watch then the show itself because I realized the significance of it. Of course, with all the jet thrust from the various fighters out there, they did manage to apparently cause some structural damage to the downtown courthouse...whoops!! However, you'll never hear Goldsboro complain about the base. They understand the importance of Seymour Johnson and likewise, base officials appreciate the immense community support the base receives. Its been said that the relationship between the area and the base is one of the best in the Air Force and that this was a big factor in the BRAC decision this time around.
It's a tie probably, but both different....I live 2 miles from Stephenson's, so of course I can get there more frequently. :mrgreen:
