Brittany Moon, a teacher at Zionsville Middle School, reacts after receiving an autograph photo of the Blue Angels after her flight with United States Naval aviator Blue Angels CDR Thomas Zimmerman. Moon was selected by the Blue Angels as its Key Influencer Rider.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
HANCOCK COUNTY — The skies over the western and central part of Hancock County will be filled with some of the coolest planes and best pilots in the nation this weekend. The 2023 Crossroads Air Show at the Indianapolis Regional Airport, 3867 Aviation Way, Greenfield is being billed as an “unrivaled” air show experience, organizers say.
The air show will provide opportunities for audiences, expecting anywhere from 7,000 to 15,000 people to relive aviation history with flyovers featuring warbirds dating as far back as World War II. The show will give patrons a chance to marvel at the acrobatic skills of some of the world’s best pilots.
For the first time in approximately 12 years, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels return to Greenfield for one of their signature aerobatic performances. The Blue Angels will headline the event with performances in their signature F/A-18s on Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29.
The air show will take place this weekend, rain or shine, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
“We’re excited for the Blue Angels as they are obviously the feature performance both days, but there will be so many other shows throughout both days,” said Brandon Kline, marketing and communications director for the air show.
A couple of the Blue Angel pilots came into town Wednesday morning landing at the airport around 9 a.m. The rest were scheduled to land sometime Thursday.
“You can tell the pilots are excited and we’re excited having them here for the first time in over a decade,” Kline said. “The air show is some four years in the making and it’s really a city here at the regional airport with tents, tables, chairs, presentations, food and restrooms all set up.”
The show will also feature the Commemorative Air Force’s Tuskegee Airmen flying the iconic P-51 Mustang to honor the legacy of America’s first black military pilots. Additional performances will include flyovers by the F-100 Super Sabre, the T6G Texan, an acrobatic show by Rob Holland, an aerial parachute demonstration by the U.S. Special Operations Command’s Para-Commandos and much more.
The only thing flying higher than the anticipation for the show and the planes is the costs associated with parking for the event.
Single-day admission tickets were going for $10 a ticket, but didn’t include parking. A single-day standard parking pass is $150, motorcycle parking is $50 and bus parking is $500. While the general admission tickets are near, there are speciality box seats available Hancock County Director of Tourism, Brigette Cook Jones said.
“The parking prices are a bit of a sticker shock for everybody including us, but what people need to know is Mt. Comfort is a different place than it was 12 years ago,” Jones said. “There has been a lot of growth and construction there.”
Jones noted the parking problem surprised both county and event organizers who didn’t know the Indiana State Police (ISP) required event organizers, The Crossroads of America Council, to have only onsite parking.
While event organizers had planned to bus people in from nearby areas, the ISP balked at the idea creating limited parking with higher prices.
“Everyone who comes to the event must have a vehicle to get into in case of inclement weather,” Jones said. “Since the Indiana State Fair stage collapse (Aug. 2011) the state police have been a lot more cautious with public events so now you have much less parking so what they were trying to do is promote car pooling.”
While this weekend’s event is an air show, America’s Navy will have an interactive experience on display. The U.S. Navy will showcase the Nimitz, a mobile, state-of the-art virtual reality experience which simulates an actual high-speed Navy SEAL mission.
Inside the Nimitz, which is housed in a massive, unfolding 18-wheeler, participants go through a video briefing before strapping on an Oculus Rift headset and a piece of wearable technology called a SubPac — traditionally used by Club DJs — that percusses in real time to the sounds of the mission.
Visitors navigate the mission using a cutting-edge steering wheel and throttle system that replicate the actual sensation of piloting a high-speed, Navy Special Warfare Combatant Craft. Once finished, participants move to the debriefing station, where they receive feedback and a performance grade.
All in all, Jones said it’s going to be a huge tourism event for the county with people flying in from all over staying in county hotels and eating at county restaurants.
“We’re very excited about this being here this fall,” Jones said. “We want everyone to have a good time and come back.”
Kline noted they were able to make some adjustments around the airport to add a few more general admission tickets which are close to selling out on both days. The only thing they need to do now is hope the rain stays away.
“We’re doing the reverse rain-dance this week to make sure the sun is out and the weather is great so everyone can enjoy the show,” Kline said.
Prior to the actual air show, organizers are hosting the Soaring Students Day from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Some 500 plus students from eight Central Indiana schools will be in attendance. An in-air rehearsal, featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels practice show is from noon to 4 p.m. Friday (today).
Funds from the Crossroad Air Show will support central Indiana scouting groups, Riley Children’s Foundation and the Catch the Stars Foundation.
