Airshow demonstration not free

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I still say it most likely doesn't reduce any cost or funding to the military and is just a give away to private orginazations like most new-fashioned privatization schemes. Meanwhile it's likely cutting down on the size of the audience that gets to see the flight demonstration. Why not just end the demonstrations all together and then the military might (probably not) save even more money?

One good thing about paying extra for admission and parking maybe is that the crowd is smaller and it may be easier to get a front and center veiwing postion. Although it didn't seem to be to hard to get a good view when it was held for free at Rickenbacker in Columbus prior to '08.

My ticket was $43.50 for one person. Then you have gas, drinks and food since coolers aren't allowed. Good thing I'm not taking a family of 4 or so. That could get cost prohibitive.
 
So it would cost the military nothing to host over 60,000 people on its base?

The cost of the Blue Angels is the cost of the Blue Angels. Nothing changes between locations.

Who pays the event costs is signifcantly different.
 
Originally Posted By: mechanicx
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
No doubt, the Blue Angels are worth every penny if you need to pay.

Better than wasting $$$ at the local movie theatre.


I use to think the Blues Angels were better than the Thunderbirds, but I saw the Thunderbirds last year and the Blue Angels the year before and I thought the Thundrbirds were a better show.


Yeah - can't say as I agree with that one! The Blues do some amazing stuff with airplanes (high-alpha, inverted flight) that the T-Birds don't...Keep in mind that the Blue Angels were flying Bearcats in formation in 1946...before there even was a USAF...

But to the point: there are a lot of participants that DO get paid, and there is a large set of costs to running this thing, so whether you get sponsors, or charge a gate fee, that $$ has to come from somewhere...
 
So does the air show only take place directly over the airport land? I have seen plenty of people simply park off a side road in a farmers field set out picnic blankets and see all the air show they want, but that was a smaller show.
 
Like I said the military is still funding the Blues and the other military flight demonstrations and the static displays that people want to see. The base still has to pay salary to personel that could work the show on base along with volunteers. Instead its held at the airport, and Dayton police and fire are providing traffic control and security at city's cost as far as I know. Where is there any real savings? I doubt there is any.
 
I think the Blue Angels show at JRB Ft Worth was free. The Blue Angels are a recruiting tool for the Navy and Marine Corps. (One of the Blue Angels is always a Marine) But I am certain that they gouged people on parking and gouged the vendors for the right to sell their wares there.
 
When it was on base they didn't even charge to park on the base, and had sponsors and volunteers. There were pricey concession stands but that is understandable. Wright-Patt had an annual open house event with even a concert this past June. I'm not sure why that couldn't have been rolled into what they are providing at the airshow and they wouldn't even need the band.
 
The concept of no such thing as a free lunch seems to not be well understood.

If the event were held on base and all the people who'd be working anyways were working on this, what wouldn't get done as a result?
 
The more I think about it, they shouldn't charge admission to the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, or Golden Knights.

It's more than just an recruiting tool for the various branches. It's a source of national pride.

I wonder if the Canadians charge for the Snowbirds?

...or if the N Koreans charge for their big parades of tracked vehicles and marching army? or the Chinese?
 
Well whatever, Dayton police had to find spare time (and maybe special duty pay) to have it off base. The base just had an event a few weeks ago. They could've just rolled that and this airshow into one event on base if having the base open-house is really such a burden, instead of having one open-house plus providing some support to this other airport event.
 
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
The more I think about it, they shouldn't charge admission to the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, or Golden Knights.

It's more than just an recruiting tool for the various branches. It's a source of national pride.

I wonder if the Canadians charge for the Snowbirds?

...or if the N Koreans charge for their big parades of tracked vehicles and marching army? or the Chinese?


That's the way I look at it. Let it be affordable to more people and maybe get more future recruits and be on a military base. The military isn't really charging anyone of course, but some locations are allowing a private organization produce the show at the airport. Wright-Patt base might just prefer not to work the show on base, despite having an annual event just a few weeks earlier. My guess is it probably cost more to do it off base all said and done.
 
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
I wonder if the Canadians charge for the Snowbirds?


The last time I saw them in this neck of the woods was before 9/11. The airshow at their home base, about 50 miles from here, has been cancelled since 9/11. In any case, the airshow wasn't free. I think the last one I went to at their home base cost $10 or $15. I don't know what happens at the few other airshows there are in Canada. The one I used to attend in Saskatoon wasn't free, either. But, the airshows aren't "just" the Snowbirds. The last one I went to in Moose Jaw was pretty good. Snowbirds, Blue Angels, and plenty of other nice stuff.

I'd gladly pay double the $15 if it would bring the airshow back.
 
They charge at our local air base (Pease). It is still active for Air National Guard but turned over for private industry otherwise.

There is an incredible amount of coordination involved. AND the profits from the show do patially benefit the agencies(Brain Injury) involved.

That being said I live a few miles from the air show that just took place and they flew very low and got a full show from my backyard. They flew close enough to make out the pilots in the plane and nice thing is being military it happens at exact same time three times in a row.
 
Well...at least Oceana (one of the best, by the way) is still free general admission: http://www.oceanaairshow.com/

It costs the Navy quite a bit to put it on though, the manpower alone is incredible, traffic/security/support is hundreds of sailors.

I've been to quite a few airshows over the years, and even though Oceana was my duty station (base) for a decade, and I still live nearby, it really is one of the best...
 
National Military Parades?
Hah!
I love how the Russians circa 1960 would parade wooden mock ups of real missiles, and have their bombers make circles so there seemed an almost overwhelming number of them.
The newsreels were very much to impress and create fear in the USA. We fell for the missiles for a while, but some sharp eyed guy in the military noticed the numbers on the planes were repeating!
 
The airshow at Homestead ARB was free but no coolers were allowed.
That's OK because after the show we go to dinner and skip the $6 burger and $3 bottle of water.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
I wonder if the Canadians charge for the Snowbirds?


The last time I saw them in this neck of the woods was before 9/11. The airshow at their home base, about 50 miles from here, has been cancelled since 9/11. In any case, the airshow wasn't free.


I had seen them several times as a kid (all pre-9/11) and there was never a charge. Nothing on their web site , including their show schedule, mentions any fees. As I understand it, though, their shows are often parts of wider or larger (non-free) events, of which the Snowbirds show may be a part.
 
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