Halls Air Show 2018

On August 11, 2018, the skies over Halls Tennessee erupted with the Halls Air Show.  With nearly 40 planes in action, this year’s show was phenomenal!

“Another fantastic show is in the books. The show was a great success,” said Nancy Holman, Wings Over Halls Airshow event coordinator. “The variety of aircraft this year was fantastic. The food and other vendors were all excited about [having] the largest crowd since 2010 (the year the air show came back to Halls).”

“To the volunteers that stayed so busy taking care of the aircraft, pilots and crew members, vendors, parking lots and crowds; I want to say a personal thank you for all of the hard work. Without the fantastic group of volunteers that start work on the show as far back as January, we could not have an event like this,” Holman continued.

“To our generous sponsors that make provisions for the show in so many ways, we appreciate your continued support for the Wings Over Halls Show.

“As things wind up here on the old Dyersburg Army Air Base and the sound of the War Birds has dissipated, I can hear the faint echo of things coming to a close here in 1945 and know how so many must have felt when the war was over and the base was closed for good,” Holman concluded.

Beginning the show, the Flag was parachuted in to the sounds of the Star Spangled Banner, followed by the Missing Man formation, signifying a lost comrade.

Many of the aircraft at the show were historical examples of still flyable planes that have kept our country flying free.  One of the most popular was the B-17, the Yankee Lady. Part of the Yankee Air Force, based in Michigan, this B-17 offered rides and had a crew on hand to talk about the WWII era plane, including a couple of ‘Rosie’s’.  The ladies who were Rosie the Riveters during WWII could put together a B-24 bomber in under two hours, as they became more adept at the end of the war. We met the great niece of an original ‘Rosie’, Bette Kenward, who with her husband Dennis, were there to help man the B-17.  “It’s fun telling people about the people who flew and made these planes,” Bette shared, “We got hooked on the history, and have just fallen in love with keeping this alive, and Rosie On!” B-17 rides were available but were limited due to technical difficulties. Helicopter to plane rides ranged from $20 to $450.

While the gates opened at 9:00 am to allow people to view the exhibits and take a peek inside the Dyersburg Air Force Base’s Veteran’s Museum, the Main event lasted from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on a blisteringly hot day, The skill and daring of the aviators literally took your breath as they flew through their routines coming from miles to near misses.  Dancing through the clouds, their wings dipped, dropped low, and then spun into the sky to come back down in a ‘barrel roll’ or a dive, tapering off into a glide.

So many volunteers worked to make this event a success.  Many places try to do an airshow, but give up after the first time because they don’t realize the work that goes into it.  The people that do the Wing’s Over Hall’s Air Show make it look easy. It was truly a great afternoon!