The 2013 Wichita Flight Festival will take place Sept. 28-29 at Colonel James Jabara Airport, 3512 N. Webb Road. Bring your families, folding chairs, and your cameras (and possibly some water) for a weekend full of FREE fun celebrating in the Air Capital of the World.
Saturday and Sunday admission is free from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. There will be air shows between noon-3 p.m., Kid’s Zone, static airplane displays, Fly Market with vendor booths, DWTA helicopter rides ($35 per rider) and a meet-and-greet with the pilots from 3-3:30 p.m. at the Sponsor Tent.
Free public parking will be available at Jabara Airport, the Wichita Area Technical College, 4004 N. Webb Road, and Beechcraft Lot E, east of Central on Webb. Shuttle service will be provided.
On Saturday, you’ll have the opportunity to meet one of Kansas’ few remaining Pearl Harbor survivors. From 10 a.m.-noon, 90-year-old Arthur Dunn will be in the Fly Market to share his story with visitors. Mr. Dunn was a U.S. Navy Gunner’s Mate on the USS Oklahoma that was torpedoed seven times and capsized within eight minutes of the attack. He swam out from under the boat through fuel oil and flames on his way to safety.
On Saturday night, the gates re-open at 6 p.m. for the Twilight Air Show and Concert. Tickets are $10 and available now at WichitaTIX.com or can be purchased at the gate. Children age 11 and younger will be admitted free.
The headline act for the air shows will be TORA TORA TORA, based out of Midland, Texas. TORA is the Commemorative Air Force’s recreation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Saturday night concert will feature Hotel California – The Original Eagles Tribute Band. The first 500 people through the gate Saturday night will receive a free gift compliments of Wichita’s Hometown Chevy Dealers. Before the start of the Hotel California concert, a special presentation will take place to give a newly renovated mortgage-free home to combat-wounded veteran Jared Smith through the Chevrolet Everyday Heroes Come Home Program. Smith, a Rose Hill native, was injured in combat in Afghanistan in 2011 and is now retired from the U.S. Marines. The program is a partnership between Chevrolet, the Military Warriors Support Foundation and Chase Bank.
Dates: September 28-29, 2013
Times: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Twilight Air Show starts at 6:15 p.m., and the Hotel California concert follows at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Colonel James Jabara Airport, 3512 N. Webb Road, in Wichita
Parking: Free public parking will be available at Jabara Airport, the Wichita Area Technical College, 4004 N. Webb Road, and Beechcraft Lot E, east of Central on Webb. Shuttle service will be provided.
Cost: FREE for daytime activities; Twilight Air Show and Concert tickets are $10, free for children 11 and younger
For more information, including a list of permitted/prohibited items: WichitaFlightFestival.com
