Dayton Air Show pivots with inaugural Flight Fest: Gary Sinise band to perform
This year, the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show is pivoting. In lieu of the Friday parade in Vandalia, the show is hosting Flight Fest, 6 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Vandalia Recreation Center.
There, guests might actually bump into a favorite pilot.
Scott Buchanan, chairman of the U.S. Air and Trade Show Board, which produces the show, said Flight Fest is free but tickets are required. Guests will have a chance to meet pilots and hear the Lt. Dan Band, featuring actor Gary Sinise, who has long supported U.S. service members.
"That will be probably the biggest difference," from previous air shows, Buchanan show. "Giving the jet teams and the military more access to the public."
The show has always had strong ties to the Air Force and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, he said. "This is just a natural progression of that."
One of the reasons the Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration squadron exists at all is to boost recruiting. "It allows them access to the public, and it allows the public access to them," Buchanan said. "It gives them a whole evening of 5,000 or 6,000 people they don't normally get."
Parking for Flight Fest will at and around the Hareless Hare brewery at 738 W. National Road. Buchanan said there will be shuttles to the recreation center at 1111 Stonequarry Road.
Go to daytonairshow.com/vandalia-flight-fest/ for tickets and details.
High-flying (and static) fun
The show itself will be Saturday and Sunday on the east side of Dayton International Airport. The ever-popular Thunderbirds are set to headline both days.
As always, performances and flights depend on weather, maintenance issues and conditions. The current National Weather Service forecast calls for sunny skies with highs in the 90s both days. Wear sunscreen and hydrate, Buchanan advises.
Expect perennial fan favorites such as a C-17 Globemaster flight, a nod to the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson, the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team, and more. The Red Bull Air Force, with its inverted helicopter flight, will be back. Kevin Coleman will return with his brand of aerobatic derring-do.
What's new? A lot. The B-29 "Doc" restored Superfortress bomber- one of two still flying — will visit Dayton for the first time. And for the first time in a couple of decades, the world-famous Goodyear blimp will be present and flying. Or hovering.
"They'll actually be flying in the show," Buchanan said.
There's enough on the ground to keep the aviation-curious occupied for hours. An F-35 Lighting from Luke Air Force Base is expected, as well as F-16s from the Ohio and New Jersey Air National Guards.
Buchanan hopes a C-5 Galaxy from Dover AFB will be on hand, too, but he cautioned those can be tricky to secure these days.
Even the U.S. Navy is planning an appearance, with its Strike Group "multi-scenario, mixed-reality experience," designed to give users a glimpse of Navy STEM careers.
Veterans will be honored by the Ford Oval of Honor Thursday evening at Wright Brothers Aero on show grounds, and those honorees will be invited to a show chalet Sunday.
"We should have a lot going on," the chairman said.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 show and light rain dampened the event in 2021, although attendance that year was regarded as solid.
Then attendance skyrocketed.
The 2022 show hit a record, 83,000 attendees over two days, before the 2023 show bested that record with 85,000.
The 2024 50th anniversary show drew 75,000.
Parking and traffic are always a challenge. With a number of people roughly equivalent to six sold-out University of Dayton arenas being funneled into the airport area over two days, visitors are advised to arrive early and be patient.
Attendance has been down slightly at other air shows this year, but Buchanan said he is not concerned. "We should do pretty well."
John Cudahy, president of the International Council of Air Shows, said shows have seen some weather challenges so far in 2025, but the crowds still tend to be big.
"It feels to me almost like a rediscovery of air shows, and that's good for the business," he said.
Aerobatics pilot Rob Holland was preparing for a Virginia air show in April when his custom MX Aircraft MXS crashed while landing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Va. Beyond that, though, there have been no safety incidents, Cudahy said.
For tickets and other information, visit daytonairshow.com.
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If you go
What: 2025 CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show.
When: Saturday and Sunday. Gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. both days. Look for performances generally to start around 11 a.m., weather and conditions permitting.
General admission parking: Take exit 64 on Northwoods Boulevard from Interstate 75. Follow signs to appropriate lots. Stay in the right lane. Be prepared to walk once you've parked.
Tickets: daytonairshow.com/tickets/
Flight Fest
When: 6-10 p.m. Friday.
Where: Vandalia Recreation Center, 1111 Stonequarry Road.
Tickets. Free at daytonairshow.com/vandalia-flight-fest/
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