No Doc, but Tora Tora Tora and Thunderbirds are back for air show at McConnell

Amy Geiszler-Jones
United States Air Force

McConnell Air Force Base is opening its gates to the public for an open house and air show featuring approximately 50 static displays and a dozen aerial acts, including the headlining Air Force Thunderbirds.

The event, called Frontiers in Flight, is happening this Saturday and Sunday, with gates opening both days at 9 a.m. and the aerial acts taking to the skies at noon. It’s free to attend, with tickets available for premier air show seating, ranging from $40 reserved seats to two upgrade options that include additional amenities.

And the answers to the two questions that most Wichitans have been asking Maj. Steven Zumwalde, an Air Force tanker pilot serving as the air show director, are: No, the B-29 known as Doc will not be at the show, and yes, Tora Tora Tora — the aerial demonstration act that recreates the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor — will be back. Doc was already booked for this week’s Miramar Air Show in San Diego.

The Commemorative Air Force Red Tail Squadron aerial act will remind audiences about another legendary World War II effort, that of the Tuskegee Airman, comprising America’s first Black military pilots and their support personnel. They will fly a North American P-51C Mustang, easily recognized by its bright red painted tail.

Joining the aerial acts for the first time is the Misty Blues All-Woman Skydiving Team. According to the Frontiers in Flight website, only 15% of North America’s 35,000 active skydivers are women.

The finale air show slot is reserved for the Air Force’s precision flying team of F-16 Falcons, the Thunderbirds. The team is expected to take to the air around 3 p.m.

Area residents can get a preview of this weekend’s aerial show on Friday afternoon when a practice run happens at noon.

When not flying, the aerial act performers will be available for meet-and-greets and autographs near the hard-to-miss static display of the modified Boeing 747 Dreamlifter. The mammoth plane is the world’s largest cargo lifter.

Residents used to seeing the new KC-46 refueling tanker in the skies can get an up-close look since it will be open for tours as one of the static displays. The model it replaces, the KC-135 Stratotanker, will also be on display. Home to the 22nd Air Refueling Wing of the Air Mobility Command, McConnell aircrews fly both models of the refueling aircraft on regular missions.

Enthusiasts might also want to get a look at another tanker model used by the Air Force, the KC-10 Extender, before that plane series is retired in 2024, air show organizers said.

Other static displays will include a trio of Army helicopters — the CH-47 Chinook, the UH-60 Black Hawk and the AH-64 Apache — and several vintage planes including 1940s Stearmans, a 1941 Stinson and the A-26 Lady Liberty, the oldest flying A-26 in the world. The A-26 is a WW II fast attack bomber.

For a fee, visitors can get cockpit photos inside an F-14 Tomcat, a two-seat fighter craft.

Besides Zumwalde, two other pilots — Capt. Ryan Sheive and Maj. Mark Sajowitz — along with Maj. Paul Weskalnies, a civil engineer who is serving as the ground boss, were tasked with organizing this year’s air show. Sheive is serving as the air operations director while Weskalnies is the show’s deputy director.

It’s been their primary job, the four said in an interview last week.

“And we’ve gotten lots of support from the civilian aviation side,” noted Weskalnies.

Another group providing support for the show is the 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command, the newest such command in the Army Reserve. It’s based near McConnell.

Here are some good-to-know tips if you plan to go to the air show, with more information available at frontiersinflight.com:

  • Parking is available on base for those with access and for the general public at what’s known as Cessna fields at the southwest corner of Pawnee and Rock. Commercial ride-share services are discouraged.

  • No ATMs will be available, so bring cash or cards to purchase food and drink concessions (including alcoholic drinks) and souvenirs.

  • Personal water bottles or containers are permitted — and encouraged — with refill stations available. Small snacks are allowed. No coolers.

  • Cameras, video recorders and binoculars are permitted but individuals must demonstrate all items are working gear. No drones permitted.

  • Collapsible seating or blankets are allowed for watching the air show.

  • Wear comfortable shoes and sunscreen. Bring hearing protection too.

  • No weapons of any kind, including pocket knives or tools or scissors, are allowed.

  • Day-of-show information or changes in the air show schedule can be found at facebook.com/FrontiersInFlight. (For example, a low cloud ceiling prevented the Thunderbirds from performing during the McConnell show on at least one day.)

The Kansas Aviation Museum is hosting a separate air show watch party during the open house weekend, with a $20 ticket per carload that includes museum parking, admission to the first floor and flight ramp exhibits at the museum and viewing of the air show (bring collapsible seating or blankets). For more information, visit kansasaviationmuseum.org.

Frontiers in Flight at McConnell

What: open house and air show featuring approximately 50 static displays and a dozen aerial acts

When: 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 24 & 25

Where: McConnell Air Force Base in south Wichita

Admission: free

More information: frontiersinflight.com or facebook.com/FrontiersInFlight

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