Monroe Takes Flight
The Warriors and Warbirds Air Show at the Charlotte Monroe Executive Airport was a "High Flying" success. Thanks to the work of Bob Russell and Bob Yanacsek the second annual Warriors and Warbirds Air Show attracted over 70,000 people on the weekend before Veteran's Day. The goal of this show is to celebrate the service of all veterans and their families.
Monroe, North Carolina served as host to this wonderful event and the commitment from the City of Monroe was unparalleled. This show is a perfect fit for Monroe since they are ranked as #5 in the country for the aviation manufacturing industry and #1 in the state of North Carolina.
The show began with the Trojan Horsemen flying in the T-28's, they started off the show with the missing man formation and it could not have been more spectacular. This kicked off the show with such momentum that you didn't dare leave your seat. These skilled pilots took to the air with such precision that it appeared they were doing a perfect waltz in the air.
The show continued on with flights by the award winning Quicksilver, a P-51 Mustang that shined so brightly in the Carolina Blue Sky that it was almost blinding. The Quicksilver was restored over a period of almost 15 years by Bill Yoak and his team from Lewisburg, WV and flown by the youngest Mustang pilot in the world. Scott Yoak is only 25 years old, but flew like he was a true veteran of the skies. His poise and agility in the air was recognized by all. The Quicksilver is not a plane to be missed, and just a note it only flies for veterans, making it even more special. The Quicksilver is a true "labor of love" for its owner Bill Yoak. This plane is made up of parts from over 250 Mustangs that have met a more dismal fate.
The show was highlighted by the appearance of the Memphis Belle, the one that actually appeared in the movie. The stars must have been aligned perfectly because Matthew Modine the star of the movie Memphis Belle just happened to be in Monroe filming a movie, and he came out and attended the show. He even spoke at the kick off ceremony recounting a story about how special this plane and movie was to him.
This air show began with true heart and soul. Four years ago Bob and Bob decided to invite the warbirds to a fly-in with the promise of an old fashion hangar dance. The next year they had even more attendees and with that a show was born. These two dedicated pilots, along with the City of Monroe's Pete Hovanec have made this a huge success. Last year was the first official Warriors and Warbirds Air Show with an attendance that was estimated at 50,000 people for the weekend. With the huge support of the community they decided to make it an annual event.
The City of Monroe also did something unique this year by engaging the local school system. The city met with the school system's curriculum developers to help engage the youth of today in the history of yesterday. This project worked with the history departments of various schools by allowing students to visit and meet with veterans to discuss the significance of the warriors and warbirds. This hands on approach to learning is a great way to foster learning and appreciation for history.
The show was emceed by Hugh Oldman and Nathan MacKey. These two emcees added a bit of levity to the program as well as sharing their extensive knowledge of aviation with the crowd. The first part of the show included demos by various planes and the second half was marked with explosive reenactments with as many as 6 planes in the air at once. Everything from a showcase of the Dolittle Raid that included a carpet bombing pyrotechnics display to the "wall of fire" that was ignited just as the Trojan Horsemen flew overhead to close the show. Both days of the show followed the same schedule for the most part and all of the planes were on display throughout the two days for the public to get an up close view of.
After Saturday's events that included demonstrations by a B-17 bomber, Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, A6M Zero, the Tora Pyro Team and skydivers an old fashion hangar dance was held in Bob Russell's private hangar. The dance was compete with a swing dance band and swing dance lessons.
The dance was free and open to the public with special guests including Bernice Falk Hayduk and Florence Mascot representing the Women Airforce Services Pilots. These wonderful women surely had many fascinating stories to tell.
This was this reporters first air show ever and I must say I am officially hooked. The display of amazing machines that have been meticulously maintained and looked as if they were meant to be in the air was amazing. While these planes were made by man, they came to life and clearly have a heart and soul, something that the people who created and fly them bring out in them. But the thing I enjoyed most of all was having the opportunity to meet the members of this exclusive club. From the pilots, crews, spectators and most notably the veterans everyone was friendly and inspiring.
As a history major in college I already have a love for the past, but I now have a new appreciation for the people that helped shape it and the machines that allowed them to do so.
Signing off from Monroe, this is Caroline Adams from the MonroeScoop.com wishing you "blue skies and tailwinds" (something I recently picked up from a new friend).
By Caroline Adams
