30th Year Memorial Day Salute to Veterans Airshow Underway This Weekend

By Carmelo Turdo

The 30th Memorial Day Salute to Veterans Corporation Airshow is taking place this weekend at Columbia, MO Regional Airport. This year's aerial performers include the revitalized USAF A-10 Demo Team, Trojan Phlyers T-28 Demo Team, two jet warbirds - Jerry Conley flying the DeHavilland Vampire and Shaun Roessner flying the T-33 Ace Maker. Also featured are the Douglas Skyraider of the Vietnam War era and a North American Texan racer, Radial Velocity. The United States Army Special Operations Command Black Daggers Parachute Demonstration Team is also scheduled to jump from a Missouri ANG C-130 Hercules transport. 

The Aero Experience was on site for the Friday preparations and airshow practice sessions. The weather had other ideas, and a storm cell settled in to wash out the morning airshow for veterans and delayed the flying and exhibit setup until around noon. Our reporting below will feature the scenes of the day, and while not representing the airshow per se, nonetheless show the reality of working around weather delays. The photo essay below shows the apron following the rain, the arrival of Radial Velocity, and orientation flights of a Trojan Phlyer T-28 and the USAF A-10 Demo by Captain Cody Wilton. See more on Saturday's airshow following these photos.

The Saturday airshow was held under central Missouri's blue skies. The Aero Experience thanks our friend Duane Cooley of DRC Images for these photos.