(TNS)
Dec. 1—Members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flew into New Century AirCenter near Gardner Tuesday for a site inspection of the airport in advance of next summer's KC Air Show.
The Blue Angels will be the major draw for the air show, presented by Garmin, which will be held at the airport on July 3 and 4.
"These winter visits, also known as site visits, are hugely important so that we can get a lay of the land so that when the team comes down they can just hit the ground running," said Lt. Julius Bratton, Blue Angel Pilot No. 7. "We'll do the same show week in and week out in a new city so that familiarity just helps the team with efficiency."
This year's KC Air Show, which was to be held Labor Day weekend and was to feature the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, was canceled due to COVID-19. The show had moved to New Century AirCenter after years of being held at Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City.
All tickets or special seating/parking that was purchased for the September 2020 show will be honored at the 2021 show, according to the event's website.
"So 2020 has been great in the sense that we've been able to continue flying and practicing at different practice locations close to our home base in Pensacola, Florida," Bratton said. "We've also been able to take part in a tribute to our first responders and healthcare workers by doing fly overs across the country and working with our sister service the Air Force."
Bratton said it's a real treat and dream to fly the aircraft and inspire a culture of excellence for everyone who watches them perform.
"COVID definitely puts a big question mark on the future," Bratton said. "However, having 2020 under our belts now, I think that we are armed with a little bit of knowledge on how we can move forward with the appropriate mitigations to keep everyone safe."
Next year's show will mark the first performance of the Blue Angels at the airfield since 1954. New Century AirCenter previously was the Olathe Naval Air Station.
"I think what our winter visits have really shown us is that people are willing to think outside the box and just try to bring the entertainment and show to the people in probably a different format than ever expected before which shows how the industry is evolving and getting to be more and more fun," said Lt. Katlin Forster, Blue Angel Pilot No. 8.
The Blue Angels will be celebrating their 75th anniversary next year. They will also be transitioning from the F/A-18 Hornets they've flown since 1986 to the more powerful F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.
For more information about performers and to purchase tickets, go to https://kcairshow.org/.
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