SWANTON – After a six-year hiatus, the skies once again echoed with the roar of fighter jets and barnstormers during the Toledo Air Show at Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport.
From Friday through Sunday, thousands of spectators gathered to admire static aircraft displays, walk through a cargo plane and be thrilled by a talented lineup of performers, headlined by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, who made their return to the Northwest Ohio sky for the first time in nine years.
Mike Timbrook has been the air show executive director since the last show in 2019. He served in the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing for 28 years, flying an F-16 for 21 of those years. He was originally the chief of safety in the 2000s. He said the show was delayed for runway construction and deployments before returning in 2016, followed by another hiatus beginning in 2019 due to the pandemic.
The newly revived air show featured aircraft from the past and present. Some historical planes featured were the B-25J Mitchell Bomber and the C-47 Skytrain from WWII. The modern military aircraft included the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the A-10 Warthog and the F-35A Lightning. The latter is the newest in the Air Force, Navy and Marine inventory.
“People get to see how things have progressed from World War II to the Vietnam era, Korean War to today’s airplanes,” Timbrook said. “From prop airplanes that go slow without a pressurized cockpit, non-oxygen, to today’s airplanes that are air conditioned and everything, it’s pretty amazing. You climb up one of those [WWII planes] and you go, ‘Holy smoke, I can’t believe people used to fly in this,’ to the stuff we have today.”
Timbrook said the airshow provided plenty for children and adults to do, including E.C.H.O. (Enhanced Cognitive Human Operations), a simulation that allows kids and adults to put on apparatus gear and simulate being a fighter pilot. Along with exhibits, he touted performances that featured Ferrari, Porsche and Corvette race fighter jets.
“It’s a great spectacle, and you get to see people perform in airplanes and do some pretty awesome stuff that we as normal folks will never get to do,” he said.
Timbrook said that after all the bills are paid and money is stored for the next show, the proceeds are donated to local charity.
Kyle Russell has been a pilot for the 47th Flying Training Wing for seven years. He pursued flying because his father and grandfather were both pilots. He fell in love with it after flying in an F-15.
“I realized that I never wanted to do anything else after that,” Russell said. “I think it’s just the coolest thing.”
For those considering becoming a pilot, Russell said there are a few ways to start, noting that the the best way is to join the Air Force because they will pay for everything. If you don’t want to join the military, flying commercially or learning to fly for air shows like the Toledo Air Show is another option.
“Find someone that does what you want to do and talk to them about how they do it,” said Russell, who was at the show for a display, but not to perform.
To overcome the dangers of flying, Russell said safety is everything.
“Before we step out of the door, we assess our risks for the day, make sure that what we’re doing is safe and makes sense, and then briefing any rules that might be a factor, trade rules, and make sure we’re adhering to those.”
Ryan McBroom traveled from Bedford Township, Mich. to watch his 4th air show. He enjoys the show with his wife and kids, but that’s not his only reason for attending.
He said he likes that it gives the Air Force a chance to show off its military strength, and he is impressed with the engineering. “To me, it’s just seeing the raw power of it all,” McBroom said, adding that the air show gave people in Toledo and the surrounding areas something to do on the weekend.
Rob Holland, a 13-time, consecutive U.S. National Aerobatic Champion and a five-time world champion in aerobatics, performed at the Toledo Air Show in both 2016 and 2019 and was scheduled to return this year. But tragically, he died in a plane crash while attempting to land during a test flight at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Va., on April 24.
Timbrook said Holland was a mentor for many and will be greatly missed.
