6 things to know about the Milwaukee Air & Water Show
Milwaukee’s lakefront gets a show of force — and aerial acrobatics — Saturday and Sunday with the return of the Milwaukee Air & Water Show.
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are the marquee name of this year’s air show, which is staged above, in and along the shore of Lake Michigan from McKinley Park to Bradford Beach.
Viewing is free — for the air show, just look up — but three tiers of reserved seating close to the lakeshore are also available.
Either way, the air show is one of Milwaukee summer’s great magnets, pulling an estimated 400,000 people to the lakefront to see the display of stunt work, skill and showmanship.
“Milwaukee is a very patriotic town,” said Paul Rogers, president of the Milwaukee Air & Water Show. And it has a history of air savvy, from Gen. Billy Mitchell to fighter pilot Lance Sijan.
Here are six things you should know about the 2018 Milwaukee Air & Water Show.
1. Thunderbirds are go — again.
The Thunderbirds — also known by the more functional but less cool moniker the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron — are back with the Milwaukee air show for the first time since 2015.
The squadron, made up of F-16 Fighting Falcons, performs Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.
2. Milwaukee will be safe from enemy submarines.
One of the new participants in the Milwaukee air show for 2018 is the Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The Poseidon is designed for,
among other duties, long-range antisubmarine warfare.
“That’s the one that the Navy flies around the globe tracking Russian and Chinese submarines,” Rogers said.
The plane, one of the Navy’s newest, is part of one of the Air Force’s oldest squadrons, the “Fighting Tigers.”
3. Badger State pilots will have wings of an Eagle.
When the F-15E Strike Eagle, an allweather, multiple-role fighter plane, takes to Milwaukee’s skies, it’ll have at the helm two fliers familiar with the landscape below.
According to the air show, Dylan “Willy” Muench, a Nashotah native, is the pilot on the Air Force fighter plane. Joining him will be Will “Kong” Remien, a Madison native, who serves as the weapons systems officer on the plane. Both fly with of the 336th Fighter Squadron based in North Carolina.
4. The air show’s in double digits, age-wise.
The 2018 Milwaukee Air & Water Show is the show’s 10th — and, weather permitting, the first time since 2012 that back-to-back events will be complete.
The show has had its challenges. The 2016 edition was canceled because of financing and scheduling issues. In 2014, fog grounded the air
show portion both days. And in 2013, the show lost its headliner act, the Thunderbirds, because of a federal budget sequestration, in which the failure to reach mandated spending cuts led to automatic reductions in select programs.
The air show regained its footing last year thanks to a title sponsorship from Waterstone Bank. The bank is back in that role this year.
5. It’s an air show, but there’s stuff on the ground, too.
There’s plenty going on at ground level during the air show. In addition to food and souvenir vendors and kids’ activity stations, there’s the Navy Nimitz Experience, a learning-centric virtual-reality tour; the Air Force’s X-1 Supercar, an interactive showcase of technology including hands-on activities and games; a display of the cockpit of an A-7 Corsair, from a Navy plane that served in Vietnam.
6. Watch the skies for previews.
Even big birds have to practice flying.
And depending on the weather Friday, listen for and look up to see some of the planes taking part in the weekend air show getting out the kinks by taking a few runs in Milwaukee’s skies. At least none of their routes will have potholes.