Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets Headline Selfridge Air Show
MACOMB (WWJ) - Two Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets are scheduled to appear in the free Aug. 20-21 show at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The Super Hornets, which are flown by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, will join other military aircraft scheduled to fly or be on display at the show.
The original F-18 Hornet entered service with the Navy in the mid-1980s. The upgraded Super Hornet variant entered the fleet in 2002. The F-18 can operate from both land-based stations and is the attack and fighter aircraft onboard American aircraft carriers when they are at sea.
In addition to the Navy's F-18s, a variety of Army armored vehicles, Dept. of Homeland Security aircraft and informational booths by all of the military services will help round-out the "open house" portion of the Air Show, according to Lt. Col. Sean Campbell, director of the Selfridge Air Show.
Military flying demonstrations will be conducted by the A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the Warthog, the KC-135 Stratotanker, Army CH-47 Chinook and the Coast Guard HH65 Dolphin, all of which are based at Selfridge.
Other military aircraft scheduled to either fly in the show or to be on static display during the show include the F-15 Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, KC-10 Extender, C-130 Hercules, B-52 Stratofortress, B-1 Lancer and the B-2 Spirit. The participation of all military aircraft is subject to availability and operational concerns.
Several former military aircraft - known in aviation circles as "warbirds" - will also participate in the show, including a Cold War-era Russian-built Mig-17, an F-86 Sabre, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell and the P-51 Mustang.
More than a half-dozen civilian acrobatic aircraft will also be performing in the show. There will also be a children's area with inflatables, free of charge.
All branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, several agencies of the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, NASA and several veterans organizations will have items on display at the show in what is considered Michigan's largest free air show.
Originally, a F-22 Raptor was scheduled to headline the air show, but due to a nationwide stand down of the fleet, it won't be able to perform. It would have been the aircraft's first appearance at the Selfridge show, since being formally accepted by the Air Force in 2005.
Rocker Eddie Money will perform at the annual Friday Night Hangar Party the night before the air show opens. The Friday night activities begin with a cocktail hour, followed by dinner at 6 pm in one of the hangars on the base. Several aircraft will fly by the stage area as a mini-preview of the air show. Eddie Money will close out the night. Tickets for the dinner and reserved seating for the concert are $40. Tickets for the concert only are $10. (Click for more)
The 2011 Selfridge Air Show and Open House will be 8 am to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday Aug. 20-21. Public admission to the base will close at 2 pm. Air show admission and parking are free. For more information, visit www.selfridgeairshow.org.
Selfridge is located near the junction of M-59 and I-94 in Harrison Township. Entry to the base on the days of the show, Saturday and Sunday, can be made from Jefferson Avenue via 21 Mile Road or from North River Road. The portion of M-59 which runs along the north edge of the base will be closed on the days of the show.
The air show is organized by the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard, the host unit at Selfridge. The 127th Wing flies the KC-135 Stratotanker, an aerial refueler, and the A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the Warthog, which is an air-to-ground attack fighter. In addition to the Wing, Selfridge is home to numerous other military and federal agencies, which fly a variety of helicopters and small, light fixed-wing aircraft. All of the Selfridge-based aircraft will be on display during the air show.
