How to Plan an Air Show

From booking performers to navigating bad weather, here’s what it takes to land the NCF’s aerial spectacle

By Kierstin Gunsberg | June 29, 2024

Devouring every inch of a sugar-dusted elephant ear, spitting cherry pits into solo cups, and hopping on the tilt-a-whirl one too many times: It’s Traverse City’s biggest week, when over half a million people celebrate summertime at the National Cherry Festival. And nothing kicks off the party like that whole-body rumble of the air show, a mainstay of the festival since the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds first performed in 1978.

Aviation, as NCF Air Show Director Christian Smith points out, has been integral to the weeklong festival since 1935, when a skywriter wrote a sponsor’s name in looping aerobatics. Nearly 90 years later, Nathan K. Hammond of GhostWriter Airshows will make his Cherry Fest debut this year, skywriting displays over Traverse City’s skyline. He’ll be joined on the flight roster by an anticipated seven helicopters, a military cargo aircraft, six civilian performers, and nine Blue Angels on the afternoons of June 29 and 30.

But it’s not all barrel rolls and figure eights. From scheduling red tape to making bad weather calls, Smith shares the ins and outs (and ups and downs!) of what goes into pulling off an event of such great heights.

Taking Flight

“This air show is what got me into flying,” says Smith, recalling attending the air show with his family as a kid. “I went to flight school, became a commercial pilot, a flight instructor. It was almost my career.”

Almost. After years in aviation, Smith who’s from Midland, took a job at a startup in Traverse City in 2016, at which point he says he started “bugging” Steve Plamondon, NCF’s then air show director, for a spot on the committee. “Finally he called me back and was like ‘alright, kid, come join the committee.’”

In the fall of last year, Smith was named the show’s director. “I’m learning so much in my first year,” he says as he gears up for his first NCF air show in the new role.

Headlines about terms and agreements conflicts between the air show and the Northwest Regional Airport Authority, which were settled in April, have accelerated that learning curve. Per Northern Express sister publication The Ticker, “The two-day air show and associated practices restrict the normal flow of traffic at an airport that now has a dozen or more flights an hour in the busy summer months, up substantially from a decade ago. TVC sought to limit the duration of the air show and practices to reduce disruption of commercial flights, but festival officials said conditions requested by the airport could harm or even kill the show.”

After months of back and forth, the two parties came to an agreement for the next three years, limiting the time the faster aircraft can be in the air, while slower aircraft, which do not interrupt commercial traffic, have longer windows to perform.

Then there was the revelation that the 2025 air show will have to go on without the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels, the show’s usual headliners. The Thunderbirds, Smith explains, are the U.S. Air Force’s own aviation team and are currently committed to an Air Force base show that’s scheduled for the same dates as 2025’s NCF show. As for the Blue Angels, they typically perform in TC only every other year, making 2026 their next eligible performance.

The Draft Pick

The absence of both teams for next year’s show is something Smith and the rest of the NCF air show crew have known for a while now. That’s because the pre-coordination for each show starts a full year in advance and involves hundreds of volunteers, aviation leaders, and safety professionals to pull off.

While northern Michigan is busy stringing lights and bundling up for the winter holiday season, members of the NCF air show crew already have summer on the brain as they travel westward to arid Las Vegas for the annual ICAS (International Council of Air Shows) Convention. “That’s where we plan an entire year’s worth of air shows,” says Smith. Over the four-day event, civilian performers, vendors, and organizers like Smith get to know each other’s offerings before signing contracts for the next year. “It’s like a draft pick,” he says. “It’s really a good time.”

Meanwhile, military demo teams like the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds are assigned to air show locations and dates by the Department of Defense, who announce their assignments a full two years ahead of time. “I don’t actually pick the military support,” Smith says. “I wish I did, but I do not get that chance. So we pick civilians, and the military picks us.”

Regardless, Cherry Festival isn’t a hard sell for any teams or performers shopping around the ICAS convention, according to Smith. “Ours is one of the most respected air shows in the industry. So, my job in Vegas is actually pretty easy, all things considered, because everyone wants to fly the National Cherry Festival.”

Safety First

This is in part because Traverse City offers performers as good a time on the ground as up in the sky. But mostly: “We don’t rest on our heels; we’re very vigilant about safety,” says Smith, who convened with the Federal Aviation Administration, emergency responders, and marine support staff in preparation for the 2024 show.

The two days leading up to Saturday and Sunday’s shows are dedicated to safety flights where pilots and crews familiarize themselves with visual and GPS checkpoints, entry and exit procedures, and safety protocols. The Friday practice is a bonus for onlookers because “it’s our full dress rehearsal.”

As for how issues like wildfire haze, impending storms, pilot illness, or mechanical failures get handled, Smith says they expect and actively plan for the unexpected.

“If things don’t feel right, if things are getting pushed too far, it’s a very simple answer for us, even though it’s not our first answer or the one we want to answer with—we’re going to take a break or we’re going to say no for today,” says Smith, citing safety concerns surrounding recent crash incidents at air shows in Dallas and Belleville. “It’s a tough choice, but it’s an easy choice, right?”

The Show Goes On

When all of the boxes have been checked and double-checked and everything ahead is blue skies, it’s showtime.

Smith is especially excited about catching the Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II Demo Team this year. It’ll be a historic moment for the team, as this is their final season after more than 40 years of performances. Smith also says that enthusiasts will get a rare photo op when the A-10C and the three North American P-51D Mustangs from the Horsemen Flight Team join wingtips for a few minutes of each show in a four-aircraft Heritage Flight.

“It’s so high energy. It’s electric, you can feel it,” says Smith. “Everybody’s happy. We worked for an entire year for these two days.”

Smith reminds show goers to balance all of that sunshine and cherry pie with plenty of sunscreen and water. He adds that the show can reach up to an ear-damaging 115 decibels, so bring ear protection for the whole family, including pets.

And Smith hopes the kids will come along too. “I attended my first air show as a one-year-old here in Traverse City,” he says. “Don’t leave the baby at home—I need a replacement someday!”

The 2024 National Cherry Festival Air Show runs Saturday, June 29, and Sunday, June 30. Each day’s show is free to attend, starting at 1pm and concluding with the Blue Angels before 4pm. Spectators can also catch the air show broadcast on 107.5FM WCCW starting at 12:45pm.

Photo by Morgan Suhy, courtesy of the National Cherry Festival.