Military aircraft to thunder overhead for base air show
This weekend, after a five-year hiatus that included a scheduled air show in 2020 that was canceled due to covid-19, the skies over Central Arkansas will roar with the sounds of jet fighters and military transport aircraft as Little Rock Air Force Base throws open its doors and takes to the sky to host Thunder Over the Rock.
This year’s headliner for the two-day open house and air show, the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron — better known as the Thunderbirds — is scheduled to perform Saturday and Sunday beginning at 2:40 p.m. each day with demonstrations of precision formation flying as the six F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft fly at speeds up to 700 miles per hour, at times no more than 18 inches apart and 100 feet from the ground.
Thunder Over the Rock spectators will also get an up-close and personal view of the mission of Little Rock Air Force Base’s “Team Little Rock” with a demonstration of the C-130 capabilities exercise (CAPEX). The CAPEX is described in a media release as a unique joint display of effects during a demonstration of an airfield seizure operation intended to showcase the teamwork and precision aerial skills of Team Little Rock. Also featured in the CAPEX will be the A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 358th Fighter Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, UH-60s Blackhawks from the Arkansas Army National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Brigade at Camp Robinson and 200 Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division stationed at Fort Liberty in North Carolina.
Lt. Col. Matthew Styles, director of this year’s Thunder Over the Rock air show, said the expo, which required a team of 50 people working for 18 months to put together, will offer a little something
for almost everyone when it kicks off Saturday.
“We have big performance plans and the team has worked hard,” Styles said. “We have lots of local aerial acts and the [CAPEX] demonstration, which is the highlight of the weekend, in my opinion.”
In addition to the Thunderbirds performance, the CAPEX demonstration and performances by local aerial acts, performances are also planned by the U.S. Air Force F-35 Demonstration Team, the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team, the U.S. Air Force Academy Wings of Blue Parachute Jump Team, the Aftershock Jet Truck, a commemorative Air Force re-creation of the attack on Pearl Harbor titled, “Tora, Tora, Tora,” and more.
Some 70 static displays of modern and heritage aircraft will also be on display, including the massive C-17 Globemaster, the KC-46 Pegasus tanker and the venerable B-52 Stratofortress bomber.
Styles said spectators will be allowed to tour the interiors of the larger cargo planes, tankers and bombers. Smaller aircraft such as the fighter jets will allow a peek inside the cockpit and he said guides at each display will explain the history and capabilities of each aircraft on display.
Thunder Over the Rock will also feature a hangar dedicated to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Fair, with several displays and interactive activities for people of all ages. The STEM Fair is open Friday to student tours only and will be open to everyone on both days of the air show. Adjacent to the STEM Fair hangar will be a Kid Zone which features bounce houses, games and other activities designed for children.
Admission to the base and parking are free with the gates open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. A preshow demonstration by the U.S. Air Force Academy Glider Team is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.
Air show performances begin at 10 a.m. and are scheduled to run until 2:40 p.m., at which time the Thunderbirds demonstration will begin to cap off the day’s activities. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from vendors located on the ramp alongside the static displays.
Entry to the base will be through the Vandenberg Gate, located near U.S. 67/167 in Jacksonville, and the Arnold Gate, located at the corner of Arnold Drive and Arkansas 107 on the west side of the base.
The Jacksonville Police Department is advising motorists who are not attending the air show to avoid the intersections of North First Street and T.P. White Drive as well as John Harden Drive and Vandenberg Boulevard on Saturday and Sunday. According to an advisory issued last week, traffic lanes and turn lanes at these intersections will be altered in an effort to avoid dangerous traffic backups onto the freeway and are expected to experience large traffic volumes.
The advisory said people planning to travel to the air show on U.S. 67/167 who are traveling north from Little Rock exiting at the 10B and 11B northbound exits should flow onto T.P. White Drive to Vandenberg Boulevard. Southbound traffic exiting the highway at exit 11 southbound, the advisory said, should flow onto North First Street to Vandenberg Boulevard Local residents attempting to avoid the air show traffic this weekend are advised to use the James Street overpass to cross over U.S. 67/167.
Once on the base, Styles said, spectators should follow the flow of traffic to the designated parking areas where they will be directed toward the ramp.
According to Thunder Over the Rock officials, guns, knives, and other weapons are prohibited on the base as are illegal drugs, fireworks, backpacks and coolers, tents or umbrellas, bicycles and skateboards, remote control devices, laser pointers or animals.
“Treat the air show as if you’re going to the airport,” Styles advised.
Folding chairs are allowed and hearing protection is encouraged as noise levels at air shows typically range between 100 and 115 decibels. Sustained exposure to noise levels above 80 decibels can result in long-term hearing damage, according to the National Institutes of Health.
For those who want an upgrade from general seating, which is free of charge, VIP tickets for reserved seating are available through the 19th Force Support Squadron online at https://air.show/lrf/. Additional information for Thunder Over the Rock is available online at https://www.thunderovertherock.com.