3rd Moses Lake Airshow a bit breezy, but a whirlwind of fun

CHARLES H. FEATHERSTONE | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 6 months AGO

Former USAF fighter pilot Tom Larkin shows off his 500-pound mini-jet — which can reach speeds of 300 miles per hour — over the skies of the Grant County International Airport at the 2022 Moses Lake Airshow on Saturday. Larkin has performed at the airshow every year since it started in 2019.
Charles H. Featherstone/Columbia Basin Herald

The Undaunted Airshows flying team of Todd Rudberg (in the orange RV8) and Stephen Christopher (in the red RV7) show off their close formation flying skills during the first day of the 2022 Moses Lake Airshow on Saturday.

A pair of girls kneel near the edge of the viewing area on the 10,000-foot-long secondary runway at the Grant County International Airport as an Air Force C-17 transport lands following its performance flight at the Moses Lake Airshow on Saturday.

A pair of U.S. Navy A/E-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft during a demonstration flight at the 2022 Moses Lake Airshow on Saturday.

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey transport plane kicks up dust as it hovers over a portion of the Grant County International Airport during the first day of the 2022 Moses Lake Airshow on Saturday. The Osprey’s tilt engines give it the ability to fly like both an airplane and a helicopter.

Todd Wursten demonstrates his ability to fly his custom-built MXR — he would climb and then “lose control” and tumble only to quickly resume flying — during the first day of the 2022 Moses Lake Airshow on Saturday.

Port of Moses Lake Commissioner Darrin Jackson prepares to guide an old Air Force P-51 Mustang out to fly during the third annual Moses Lake Airshow on Saturday.

A partial vapor cone forms around a U.S. Navy A/E-18G Growler as it nears the speed of sound during a demonstration flight at the 2022 Moses Lake Airshow on Saturday.

Vapor forms on the wings of a fast-moving U.S. Navy A/E-18G Growler during a demonstration flight at the 2022 Moses Lake Airshow on Saturday.

MOSES LAKE — A cool wind blew in from the south on the first day of the 2022 Moses Lake Airshow on Saturday, which made for some interesting conditions both in the air and on the ground.

“We don’t have any tie-downs because we don’t normally park planes on the runway,” said Port of Moses Lake Commissioner Darrin Jackson. “So they’re scrambling some of the airshow planes themselves.”

Jackson said some of the lighter planes, those made with carbon fiber composite or fabric skins so they are as light as possible, had to be hauled down to one of AeroTEC’s hangars at the Grant County International Airport, or else they might be tossed about by the wind. Heavier planes though — a 747, a collection of World war II-era attack planes including a B-17 bomber and a B-25 bomber — could stay out, Jackson said.

“The heavy stuff doesn’t care,” he said.

Jackson, who was helping to direct aircraft in the hot box — the roped-off parking area for aerial performance acts — said the first day of the third annual Moses Lake Airshow had gone well. Attendance was up, ticket sales were up and the weather was good.

“Other than the wind,” Jackson added.

Started in 2019, this year’s Moses Lake Airshow — the third, since 2020 was canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic — saw performances from civilian aerobatic and stunt flyers as well as military demonstration teams including returning pilots Tom Larkin in his customized JSX003 mini jet, Kyle Fowler of Go EZ Aerobatics in his bright yellow Long EZ, and Todd Rudberg and Stephen Christopher of Undaunted Airshows.

New acts at this year’s airshow included Brad Wursten in his MXS-R stunt plane, demonstration flights from Erickson Aircraft Collection’s World War II-era SBD Dauntless attack plane and P-51 Mustang fighter, Mark Peterson in a former U.S. Air Force A-37 Dragonfly attack plane, and demo flights from the U.S. Air Force’s C-17 — including a low-altitude mock aerial refueling flyby with a KC-135 tanker — the U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey demonstration team and the U.S. Navy’s E/A-18G Growler demonstration team from Whidbey Island.

In addition, a number of aircraft were parked on the GCIA’s 10,000-foot long secondary runway — where spectators gathered to watch the show — including a 747 currently being modified by AeroTEC, a B-25 bomber, a B-17 bomber, and a number of smaller civilian and military aircraft.

In addition, there was music from a Marine Corps band, food, flight simulators, military recruiters and veterans organizations out to assist veterans find the help they need.

While the airshow has always been held on Fathers Day weekend, this year, the airshow was held on Saturday and Sunday. Previously, it was staged on the Friday and Saturday before Father’s Day.

“We decided to do it for Fathers Day. It's really fun,” said Colleen Donovan, who was there with her husband Kevin and three of their five children, adding that they’d never been to an air show before. “It’s more fun than I thought it would be. But I didn’t know what to expect.”

After the first day of the show, A-37 pilot Mark Peterson stood next to his plane. This aircraft was built in 1968, he said, and was flown by the USAF, handed over to the South Vietnamese, was captured by the North Vietnamese before the fall of Saigon in 1975 and used against U.S. and South Vietnamese forces, and was eventually abandoned for lack of spare parts. Some Australian entrepreneurs bought the plane — along with about a dozen others — in the 1990s, and sold it to a Montana businessman, who fixed it up to fly in air shows, Peterson explained.

“This is its first year on the airshow circuit,” said Peterson, who flew the Germany-made Alpha Jet during the first Moses Lake Airshow in 2019. “And it’s the first time in the U.S. an A-37 has been flown in an air show for more than 30 years.”

Charles H. Featherstonemay be reached at [email protected]