Last summer’s show achieved an attendance record of 85,000, and the 2022 show hit its own record at the time, 83,000 attendees over two days.
This year, sweltering heat and humidity on Saturday were followed by morning storms Sunday before show grounds gates opened. Frankin, who is also of president of aviation services company Wright Brothers Aero Inc., said more than 40,000 people attended Saturday.
“We hoped to have a big number, like you talked about, but considering the weather conditions, we did very well,” Franklin said at a press conference at the show’s former expo center. “We were happy with that.”
It’s the second year in a row that Dayton Air Show attendance numbers have held up even as the Columbus area re-inaugurated its own air show just over an hour away at Rickenbacker International Airport. That show was expected to attract about 50,000 people, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Work on next year’s show at Dayton International Airport has been underway for a while. It’s scheduled for June 21 and 22, 2025, with the Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration squadron set to headline both days.
Scott Buchanan, chairman of the board for the U.S. Air and Trade Show, pronounced it a successful weekend.
“It was just an amazing experience,” he said. “It’s an honor for me to be able to turn around and see families together having a good time at the air show, children seeing airplanes or jumpers for the first time.”
Typically, healthcare providers assisting guests of the show deal with about 60 cases of heat-related ailments during a typical show’s two days.
But on the weekend’s warmest day, Saturday, the show assisted 80 people by shortly before 4 p.m., said Dr. Brandon Amburgey, the show’s chief medical officer. (The show’s gates close at 6 p.m.)
Patrons were able to round up ticket payments this year to contribute to the Wounded Warrior Project, a U.S. non-profit that helps veterans and their caregivers. Buchanan presented Shawn Seguin, alumni manager of the Wounded Warriors organization, with a check Monday for $10,000.
“This donation is greatly, greatly appreciated,” Seguin said. The money will go toward programs providing medical care, mental health help, financial security assistance and more, he said.
Making a weekend of it
People from all over Ohio and beyond travel to Dayton each year for the air show.
Some people, like Kathy and John Quintus, make it a mini-weekend vacation, with an overnight stay and a visit to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force the day before or the day after they attend the air show.
Kathy and John enjoyed the Air Force museum on Saturday and they were among the first people through the gates shortly after 9 a.m. on Sunday morning. The U.S. Air Force Band of Flight, stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, serenaded visitors as they walked through the front gates.
He, who last came to the Dayton air show in 2022,
The Quintuses, who live in the greater Cleveland area, made a beeline for the spectator areas to put down their foldable chairs and claim a good front-row seat for the air performances.
John Quintus said he likes the Dayton Air Show more than Cleveland’s because it has way more military aircraft and performances.
“This is way better,” he said.
Kathy Quintus said they’ve had a great visit to Dayton.
Eric Krahn, 30, of Lima, said this is the fourth time he’s come to the Dayton Air Show with his family. They last came in 2022 when the Blue Angels performed, and Krahn said the Blue Angels are a must-see act.
Krahn said his father was in the military, and he likes to educate his three daughters about military aviation.
Krahn said his family went straight to the spectator area to guarantee front-row seats. He said it’s such a different experience being close to the landing and takeoff areas.
“If you don’t get here and mark your territory, you’re going to be way back there,” he said.
Krahn’s 9-year-old daughter Ella said the stunts are her favorite thing about the air show.
“I like how they spin in the sky,” she said.
Staff Writer Cornelius Frolik contributed to this story.
About the Author
