Friday, April 5, 2013

The Return Of Chesterfield Airshow

TBM Avenger 2007 Airshow
The Chesterfield Air Show is coming back in 2014.  We haven't seen it since 2007, which I attended.  I love airshows.  The flight demonstrations are great but I like the static displays best.  That's where you get a close look at the craft, touch it, and talk to pilots and owners.  It's just a thrill to get next to a hunk of metal that can lift itself in the air.

According to the St Louis Post Dispatch reported in it's article Spirit of St Louis to hold anniversary show article that this will be a one time show.  Of course that could change and it could become an annual event.  At least that is the inference.

C-2 Greyhound 2007 Airshow
The previous air show had a county fair attached to it.  The one next year will not but will be on a STEM (Science Technology Engineering, and Mathematics) bent.  I really think this is a worthy cause.  We need young students interested in these fields to fuel our technology research machine.  Aviation is a wonderful field to demonstrate what you can do with research.  Old engineering techniques, 'war' stories (stories of experience),  new materials, and new gadgets are some of the things you can pick up from air shows.

Kudos to St Louis County for this airshow.  I encourage everyone who can to come out next year and check it out.  For those not in Missouri, keep the look out for your local airshow and support it.  Many airshows die out because of lack of participation and that's a sad thing.  I encourage the STEM effort and airshow partnership.  It seems a good need and solution effort.

(Pictures shown in this post were taken by E C Holm in the 2007 Chesterfield Airshow)