Do you hear it? The whir of the wings. The roar of the engines. After a four-year hiatus, the Rochester Airshow returns! Get ready to welcome back the Thunderbirds, the official air demonstration team of the United States Air Force. Mark your calendars for August 12 and 13. The show will be hosted at the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport.
The Rochester Airshow began in 1986. There have been around sixteen shows since then, featuring mainly military aircraft. Many vintage World War II planes have been added over the years and most of the planes come from the national warplane museum in Geneseo.
Dave Cooper, the managing director of the airshow, used to run a novelty concession company that sold aviation toys and merchandise at shows. This work led him from South Carolina to the Rochester area and eventually to a position in the warplane museum gift shop. He was visiting the Rochester airshow back in 2000 when he met the head promoter, who asked him what he thought of the show. Cooper laid it all out, including everything that could be improved. The promoter replied, “You’re hired!” Cooper has been involved with 650 air shows since 1987.
Forty to fifty thousand people are expected to attend the performances over the two-day event. There will be around twenty-five planes on the ramp, not including the Thunderbirds. You’ll find a great kid zone, including a train that takes families around to all the airplanes and ground displays when the kids get too tired to walk. Children can play all day on the trampolines and participate in other activities at the kid zone. Families can walk around and talk to the pilots. Flight simulators and other displays will be available for everyone to take part in.
The airshow will have plenty of local food vendors and entertainment, from vegetarian options to Red Osier's famed sandwiches and even Nick Tahou’s garbage plates. If you’re looking for something extra, A VIP flight deck experience with the best view and a catered lunch will be set up for VIP ticketholders right across from the Thunderbirds.
This year marks the seventieth anniversary formation of the USAF air demonstration squadron. Crowds love the exciting and inspiring show with a patriotic theme. “The Thunderbirds put on a show that is perfect for kids five and six years old through kids like me in their seventies,” says Cooper. “It never fails to throw me with the acrobatics that they do.” Flying for millions of people around the world, the team consists of 200 personnel from administration to medics, public affairs to pilots and mechanics. Rochester was lucky to have been chosen by the Thunderbirds as they only participate in about thirty-five shows each summer around the country.
In addition to the Thunderbirds, you’ll be amazed by the parachuting skills of the all-female Misty Blues Skydiving Team. You can also watch Michael Goulian, one of the most decorated aerobatic pilots in North America, perform a heartstopping display of gyroscopic tumbling and flying. Catch Jason Flood as he flies a comedy routine followed by powerful aerobatics. Visit Rick Volker as he pushes the boundaries of speed limits and artfully utilizes the smallest three-dimensional space with his Sukhoi SU-26M aerobatic airplane. All these and many more performers will be waiting for you this year at the airshow.
Airshows can be loud, so it’s important to come prepared with ear protection, especially for young children. You’ll want to consider good earplugs and noisereducing earmuffs that have a high NRR (noise reduction rate) and fit correctly.
There will be flight schools on the field. If you are interested in becoming a private pilot, you can talk with instructors and even take part in discovery flights. Everyone who visits the show gets to have a taste of what it’s like to become a pilot.
The airshow is also focused on honoring those who have served and inspiring the younger generations to join the military operations. There will be a simulator from the Air Force where you can practice being a fighter pilot on an F16 or practice fueling a plane. The Navy, Marine Corps, and Army will also be there. Cooper says he knows several young adults who have gone on to the Air Force, Naval Academy, or ROTC because they came to the airshow as a child.
The team that puts the show together spends all year long prepping for this weekend. They will need to set up about forty or fifty tents, 3,000 chairs, and fencing in all the areas. There will be close to 200 pilots and ground crew for the Rochester show. Another 100 volunteers on top of the paid crew will be there as well. There is a big effort to make it all go smoothly, and safety is the highest priority. Air buses and air traffic control direct all the ground traffic.
There most likely won’t be an airshow next year due to planned improvements at the airport, so this is the year to visit. The gates open at 9:30 a.m. Flying begins around 10:30 a.m. and ends around 4 p.m. For more information on where to park and how to get your tickets to the 2023 A.P. Property Services Rochester Airshow, visit ROCAirShow.com.
What to know about the Rochester Airshow
- DATE: August 12-13, 2023
- TIME: Gate open at 9:30 a.m.; gates close at 6:00 p.m.
- LOCATION: Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport
- COST: $15–$250
- PARKING: Reserved lot and shuttle lot parking available
- GET TICKETS: ROCAirShow.com