Last appearing in Dayton in 2018, the Blue Angels have entertained audiences for more than 70 years.
The team flies six Boeing F/A-18 Hornets during a tightly choreographed, high-energy demonstration. They sometimes fly as little as 18 inches apart but as fast as 700 miles per hour.
“The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and four of the top civilian attractions in the country- what a fantastic start to our 2020 show lineup,” said Scott Buchanan, chairman of the United States Air & Trade Show Board of Trustees, the show’s governing organization. “What a great show we’ll have in 2020. Our fans are going to love it.”
The 110-member squadron will be led by commander Brian “Boss” Kessel ring flying lead in Blue Angel No. 1. Sixty members of the team will travel to Dayton to stage the show in June.
Air show officials also announced today the addition of four other attractions to the 2020 lineup:
• TORA! TORA! TORA! will make a return visit to Dayton in 2020 with a re-enactment of the Dec. 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. This Air Force production features eight Japanese replica fighter and bomber aircraft with pyrotechnics simulating bombing runs.
• The AeroShell Aerobatic Team, with their Pratt and Whitney 600 horsepower engines, will also roar over the skies of Dayton. The team will perform a variety of aerobatic maneuvers including the bomb burst, avalanche and “Switch Blade.” AeroShell last performed in Dayton in 2014.
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• Kevin Coleman began airplane and aerobatic flight lessons at the age of 10 in his family’s Decathlon aircraft from aerobatic Hall of Fame Legend Marion Cole. He flew solo at age 16 and earned his pilot’s license at age 17. He flew in his first air show at age 18. He was the first American to fly in the Challenger Class of the Red Bull Air Race and earned a spot on the U.S. Advanced Aerobatic Team. Coleman will perform in his Extra 300 aircraft at 400 degrees per second and will conduct maneuvers at +/- 10 G’s. In 2010, Coleman performed at Dayton as part of Sean D. Tucker’s “Stars of Tomorrow” program.
• Redline Airshows will also return with its two-ship formation aerobatic performance. Based in Cincinnati, the team is led by Ken Rieder and new wingman, former F/A-18 Super Hornet demo pilot Shaun Roessner. The team will show off its precision aerobatics including opposing, inverted and formation maneuvers in their home-built Van’s RV-8 aircraft. Redline last performed in Dayton in 2018.
Air show officials said additional attractions to the 2020 show will be announced in the months ahead. Tickets will go on sale today at DaytonAirShow.com.
Beginning May 18, 2020, customers can conveniently purchase discount general admission tickets at area Kroger stores. This Kroger exclusive offers $3 off adult and children tickets at over 100 Kroger stores in the Dayton/Cincinnati region.
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