How to go
WHAT: Radio controlled jet air show
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
WHERE: Hook Field, 1707 Run Way, Middletown
COST: $2 per person, maximum $5 per carload
Middletown won’t have a big air show this year, but Middletown airport organizers will stage several smaller events in the hopes of bringing it back next year, an airport official said.
Last year, the Wings of Freedom air show at Hook Field was popular, but the poor economy made the show infeasible this year, said Rich Bevis, a manager at the Middletown Regional Airport.
“With the economic climate, the sponsors asked us, ‘Can you wait till next year? We just don’t have the money,’” Bevis said.
So, Middletown’s air show will be smaller in scale, literally. The second annual “Thunder in the Sky” radio-controlled aircraft show will run today, July 24, through Sunday, July 26, at the airport.
The show will feature more than 150 jets that can fly at speeds of about 200 mph. There will be about 50 more planes than at the first show last year, Bevis said. Pilots will come in from Texas to Florida.
“It’s going to be a really exciting time ... there will be more jets, and we’re bringing in a couple of very large ones in the 50-foot range,” Bevis said.
Admission to the radio-controlled show will be $2 per person, or $5 per carload. The airport also will stage two other events this year in the hopes of raising money for a future air show.
The next will be a performance by the Riverside Jam Band at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1 in the beer garden at Big Shots bar, 1701 Germantown Road. That event will feature a five-set show by a band with members from eight states, including Ohio. Middletown resident Helena Bouchez is one of the bassists in the band.
The third event will be a model air show from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 8 featuring aircraft with a wingspan of 7 feet or larger. That event is sponsored by the Miami Valley Radio Control Club and the Middletown Airport. The cost will be $2 per person.
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