Blue Angels coming in May
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on December 6, 2006 1:45 PM
Next spring, angels will share the skies over Goldsboro and Wayne County with more than a dozen Japanese bombers.
The International Council of Air Shows conference announced the featured acts for next year's Wings Over Wayne Airshow Tuesday.
The Navy Blue Angels Aerial Demonstration Team, the Army Golden Knights Parachute Team and Tora!Tora!Tora!, a re-creation of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, will be among the headlining acts May 12 at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
Last week, Lt. Dan McShane and Maj. Nathan Miller from the Blue Angels landed the team's No. 7 jet, a blue and yellow F/A-18 Hornet, on the flight-line at Seymour to meet with base officials and determine whether Goldsboro was a town right for their act -- were there proper amenities, attendance numbers and recruitment opportunities for the team here?
Obviously, the base, city and county communities passed the test.
And while the angels are sure to be a fan-favorite, buzz is already being generated about Tora!Tora!Tora! and their first performance in Wayne County.
The show begins on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, and unfolds in an unanticipated assault by three types of Japanese aircraft -- the Zero, Kate and Val. Loud music and pyrotechnics will capture the essence of that chaotic morning as the fighters buzz by with a spray of machine gun fire.
The Army Golden Knights Parachute Team will also be featured at the show. The group, which performed at Seymour Johnson in October, will put on display the capabilities of the men and women who free fall through the sky on a daily basis to support the United States' military missions overseas.
Additional information about May's Wings Over Wayne Airshow and the acts set to perform there will be made available in the coming weeks and months.