Gaylord’s Big Air Show, Coming in Hot!

B-17 Bombers, A-18 Combat demo team, Lamborghinis, and more

By Kristi Kates | June 2, 2018

Engines will roar, propellers will spin, and parachutes will careen down from the skies at the nonth annual Wings Over Northern Michigan Airshow. We talked with Gaylord Regional Airport Director Matt Barresi to see what kind of ambitious air attractions you’ll be able to enjoy this year.

DRESS UP & DANCE
The big weekend will actually kick off the evening of June 15 with a stunning Big Band preview: “We tow a WWII B-17 bomber plane in front of the big airport hangar and set up an 18-piece big band orchestra in front of the plane,” Barresi said. Over 600 people show up to participate in this vintage musical spectacle, so you’d better bring your best dancing shoes if you want to keep up. “All of the music is from the 1940s, the Glenn Miller era,” said Barresi, “you’ll see people in period uniforms jitterbugging and all that – and these people can really dance!”

FOR AIR-HEADS ONLY
Over 50 airplanes will be parked for people to view up close. You’ll also get the opportunity to chat with the pilots, so you can learn more about aircraft like the A-10, the C-130 cargo plane, international military cargo transport planes from Canada, Air Force planes from Florida, and even helicopters.

“Everything here usually has a military connection,” Barresi said. “A couple particularly interesting planes that will be here are that aforementioned B-17 [aka the Flying Fortress]. There are only eight left in the world, and we’ll have one here from the Yankee Air Museum. That’s the WWII bomber, and you’ll be able to pay [$450 per person] to take a short flight in it. We’ll also have a WWII B-25 bomber, one of the Pacific theater planes; you can pay to go up in that one, too.”

HIGH SPEEDS & HIJINKS
On Saturday, spectators will enjoy a spectacular opening ceremony featuring both the American and Canadian national anthems, plus 18 members of the Canadian Armed Forces Parachute Team, the Skyhawks, who will jump from aircraft trailing American and Canadian flags. Other demonstrations taking place over the weekend will include the Phillips 66 Aerobatics Team; aerobatic pilot Michael Vaknin in his German-built Extra 300 monoplane; and on the ground, Neal Darnell and his Flash Fire Jet Truck, a Dodge pickup with two aircraft jet engines mounted on it to speed it down the airport runway. Also on the ground, you can get behind the wheel of a Ferrari or Lamborghini, courtesy of the Precision Exotics team (for a fee). “With a team member in the passenger seat, you’ll get to drive the car down our runway as fast as you can — up to 200 mph,” said Barresi.

ENEMY TANK? BUH-BYE.
Still not enough speed for you? Check out the A-10 combat demonstration team, who will be on site to show guests how the plane works to disable enemy tanks.
“The A-10 will scream by in front of the audience, low to the ground, as it would if it were taking out a tank,” Barresi explained. “And we’ve hired a pyrotechnics company to simulate the explosion that would occur, so that illusion is pretty thrilling.”

Wings Over Northern Michigan is the largest traditional airshow in northern Michigan (the largest in the state is the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow in Ypsilanti), and between speed on the ground and precision in the skies, you won’t be short on entertainment. “There’s just so much to see,” Barresi said, “plus I’m retired military, so to see patriotism like this on full display is probably my favorite part of the whole weekend.”

Wheels Up
The Nonth Annual Wings Over Northern Michigan Airshow takes place June 16–17 (Big Band Night is June 15), with gates opening both days at 10am and the main show starting at 1pm. Attendees can find food, aviation souvenirs, and more at 40 on-site vendor booths. For tickets — $12+ for adults, $8+ for kids 13–17, free for kids 12 and under — and more information, visit wingsovernorthernmichigan.org