About 25,000 spectators attended the Mountain Madness Air Show, which took to the skies Saturday and Sunday and “went on without a hitch,” Air Show Director Chris Parson said.

“The thing I was most amazed at was the organizations involved,” Parson said. “Everybody pulled together and made this thing happen. There were no big surprises or challenges. Overall it went really smooth.”

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce President Joe Unterreiner also credited the success to a number of partnerships and logistical improvements made during a 10-month planning process for the show.

Glacier Park International Airport and its management team, Glacier Jet Center, 40 community groups and the air-show committee collaborated with the Kalispell Chamber — host of the event — to present the air show.

“Their partnership, from managing the show around commercial flights to providing outstanding on-site accommodations, was critical to the success of this event,” Unterreiner said in a press release.

Parson said air-show volunteers and organizers worked quickly to address some difficulties at Saturday’s show with accommodating the transportation for elderly and disabled spectators from the parking lots to the show area.

“It’s always tough when you’re taking a farmer’s field for parking,” Parson said. “The event is at the airport, where there are long walks and security concerns. It makes it very challenging to accommodate everybody.”

Show organizers used golf carts and trolleys with handicap access to shuttle those who couldn’t walk long distances.

“We tried to do our best, and we saw some opportunities on Saturday to make things smoother on Sunday,” Parson said.

Rain showers before the show on Sunday caused a slight delay, but didn’t deter any of the acts.

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds were the highlight of the show and featured Maj. Jason Curtis of Kalispell as the No. 6 pilot.

Thunderbirds Public Affairs Officer Maj. Darrick Lee said the team was honored to perform in Montana over Labor Day weekend.

“The 2014 Mountain Madness Air Show was coordinated with excellence and our team enjoyed the Flathead Valley’s hospitality and incredible scenery,” Lee said in a press release. “We would like to thank everyone who partnered with us to deliver a successful event.”

Unterreiner noted that in addition to strong partnerships, the Kalispell Chamber made some improvements for this year’s show, which included the implementation of a number of different air-show ticket options. From VIP tickets and sponsor chalets to box seats and the Family Fun Pack, the various options allowed spectators to customize their experience and view the show from a number of different vantage points.  

Another improvement was the inclusion of an air boss who worked together with air-traffic controllers to keep the show on schedule and operating smoothly. The Kalispell Chamber brought in a professional traffic-control team.

Glacier Park International Airport Director Cindi Martin also deemed the event “a truly collaborative effort and a great success.”

 The Kalispell Chamber will spend time assessing what improvements might be made to the next air show, which is not yet scheduled. Parson said it would be at least three years before another show is staged in the Flathead Valley.