Fairchild’s Open House Will Feature Thunderbirds

The annual open house at Fairchild Air Force Base will be later and longer than usual this year to include one of the nation’s premier aerial shows.

The Air Force Thunderbirds will appear at Fairchild’s Aerospace Day on Sept. 14 and 15. The high performance aerobatic team last appeared at the base air show in 1993 before an estimated crowd of 100,000.

The base usually has its open house in May, as part of the Lilac Festival, or in the summer.

This year, the open house is being held the second weekend in September to accommodate the Thunderbirds’ schedule, said Staff Sgt. Sue Conard, a Fairchild spokeswoman. The aerial team gets far more requests than it can fill each year, she added.

The team’s appearance is expected to help recruiting efforts in the Northwest, Conard said. The team will appear at Mountain Home Air Force Base near Boise and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Mont., in May.

Fairchild’s open house, which features an air show and ground displays of many of the nation’s military planes, is usually a one-day event. This year, it will be held on Saturday and Sunday, and the Thunderbirds will perform both days, Conard said. , DataTimes