2010 Fort Smith Air Show is canceled
by December 11, 2009 10:34 pm 98 views
Scheduling conflicts have resulted in a cancellation of the Fort Smith Air Show, according to a statement from the 188th Fighter Wing.
The unit released the following statement Friday (Dec. 11):
FORT SMITH, Ark. – Scheduling conflicts combined with an increasingly arduous training and inspection schedule over the next year has prompted Fort Smith Air Show officials to cancel the 2010 event, which was originally slated for June 26-27.
The 188th Fighter Wing is scheduled for an upcoming Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF) rotation in Afghanistan in spring 2010. The 188th will deploy approximately 300 personnel and 10 of its 21 A-10C Thunderbolt II “Warthogs” to Afghanistan.
The 188th is also tasked with multiple Operational Readiness Exercises in preparation for an upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection. Additional 12th Air Force Standard and Evaluation inspections will require further training.
The 188th’s busy itinerary limited the amount of dates available to secure a headline performer as in past air shows. Air show officials decided it would be in the best interest of the community to cancel the 2010 event rather than proceed without a headline act.
The air show is held at the 188th Fighter Wing and Fort Smith Regional Airport. It garnered a record turnout in 2008 with approximately 200,000 attending the event, which featured the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
“The 188th and the Fort Smith Regional Airport have had the privilege to host one of the nation’s best air shows for many years,” said Col. Tom Anderson, 188th Fighter Wing commander. “We’ve had the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels, U.S. Army’s Golden Knights and many of the world’s finest civilian air show performers over the years.
"But an intense inspection schedule and an AEF deployment to Afghanistan left us with a small number of dates to schedule a headline act. The 188th and the Community Council are very appreciative of the overwhelming positive response we have received over the years as a result of our air shows. The community’s support has helped make the Fort Smith Air Show one of the best in the country and we felt like Fort Smith deserved a headline act.”
Officials from the 188th Fighter Wing-Fort Chaffee Community Council said the event will be tentatively rescheduled for 2011 but no dates have been set. Air show officials will release the dates as soon as they become available.