The area is under a heat advisory this weekend, with Sunday’s temperature 10 degrees above the average daily high.
Sunday’s feature flying show kicked off with a streamer drop by the GK DHC-8 turboprop-powered airliner, and will culminate with a performance by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds at 3 p.m.
Mansfield residents Greg Owens and Bert Claypool were happy to brave the heat to attend the Air Show, a tradition they enjoy every few years.
Owens, whose father was a flight instructor, said he’s been a fan of aviation since he was a child.
“I got my first plane right when I was about four, so I’ve been hooked for a lot of years,” Owens said. “My dad used to bring me to the Air Force Museum every two or three years.”
When asked how they’ve prepared for the day’s scorching heat and humidity, Owens gestured to the Budweiser in his hand and foldable seat hung on his shoulder.
“We’ve got a beer and a chair!” he said.
On site at the Air Show are multiple cooling stations, with industrial size misting fans offering a cool breeze for passersby and air conditioned RTA buses parked for patrons to enter and cool off.
The airport has no trees and the only shade offered on-site is under the wings of airplanes.
The site has a medical tent and ambulance parked nearby, along with free water refill stations. Food and drink vendors are also plentiful.
Officials are urging attendees to remain vigilant about the potential for heat-related illness.
Dr. Brandon Amburgey, the show’s chief medical officer, said event medical personnel treated about 60 people total for heat- and dehydration-related ailments on Saturday as that day’s high temperature reached the lower 90s on the unforgiving tarmac of Dayton International Airport. And about seven people needed to be transported to area hospitals.
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