MINOT AIR FORCE BASE More acts have been added to the air show that is part of Minot Air Force Base's Northern Neighbors Day open house set for July 18.
Recently, the Air Combat Command Viper West Coast F-16 demonstration team was added. Its performance will include a heritage flight with a P-38 Lightning piloted by Kevin Eldridge with the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, Calif.
"There aren't many P-38s flying, so that's going to be a pretty big deal," said Pat Travnicek, deputy director of Northern Neighbors Day.
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The 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, is home to the Viper West Coast demonstration team, one of two single ship F-16 aerial demonstration teams in Air Combat Command. The F-16 Fighting Falcon, more commonly known to military pilots as the Viper, is a compact, extremely maneuverable multi-role fighter aircraft.
"The Golden Knights are coming," Travnicek added. This year is the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Army's official parachute team. Their performance at this year's Northern Neighbors Day was announced earlier.
The Northern Neighbors Day open house is an all-day event which is free to the public.
Fact Box
Civilian fly-in
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE Officials at Minot Air Force Base are inviting civilian pilots to fly to the base on Northern Neighbors Day to attend a flight safety seminar sponsored by the 5th Bomb Wing and attend the open house, which includes an air show.
Pilots who would like to participate must complete pilot registration information. Minot AFB bomb wing officials must receive the information by June 29.
Information about civilian fly-in procedures and special events planned at the base that day are available at the Minot AFB Web site at (www.minot.af.mil), then click on Northern Neighbors Day 2009 and then go to "Additional Information" and click on "Civilian Fly-In Procedures."
"Kent Pietsch is coming out with the Interstate Cadet and Warren Pietsch will have his Clipped-Wing Taylorcraft," Travnicek said. He said Warren Pietsch also will give a performance in his Schnortenzummer, a home-built aircraft. Pietsch Air Shows of Minot Kent and Warren Pietsch are performing in air shows across U.S. and in Canada throughout this year.
"Jim Peitz of Pierre, S.D., (Peitz Aerosports Inc.) is bringing up his Extra 300 again and something you don't see very often, he's going to bring up his Beech Bonanza and do an aerobatic show with that," he said. It's one of the few aerobatic commercial passenger kind of small aircraft. It's a neat show," Travnicek said.
John Mohr of Mohr Barnstorming of Vadnais Heights, Minn., with his Stearman PT-17, will also be in the air show, as well as three aircraft the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber, the Vultee BT-13A Valiant basic trainer and Stinson L-5A Sentinel liaison aircraft from the Minnesota Wing Commemorative Air Force.
There will be flybys of several aircraft, including a B-52, B-1B, B-2, B-25 and U-2.
Numerous static displays are planned. Air Force Maj. Mark Schmidt, a native of Sawyer who is an F-15E "Strike Eagle" pilot from Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, will be among those at Northern Neighbors Day with his plane. He will talk about his plane and his Air Force job.
Tours will also be available to visitors to Uniform-01, which is a mock missile silo, and a missile procedure trainer, both on base.
The gate opens to the public for Northern Neighbors Day at 8 a.m., with the air show beginning at noon and continuing until 3:45 p.m.
Lt. Col. Bruce Way is director and Jim Clifford is civilian volunteer for Northern Neighbors Day.
During the Northern Neighbors Day weekend, recipients of orientation flights with Warren Pietsch in his 1931 Waco and John Mohr in his Stearman PT-17 will be done, originating and landing at the Minot International Airport. Pietsch and Mohr donated the flights for auction to the Team Minot Prairie Warrior Association Auction, which raises money for Minot AFB events and activities, including Northern Neighbors Day.
For more information about Northern Neighbors Day visit the base Web site at (www.minot.af.mil).