Military Pulls Out of Annual Air Shows Across the Nation

"Having the Thunderbird's or the Blue Angels is like having the Super Bowl, it's a household name" - Bill Walkup, manager of the Martinsburg airport in West Virginia

(EUGENE, OR) - Military grounds its jet and demonstration teams because of automatic federal budget cuts which is projected to cost the economy millions if not billions!

The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, are pulling out of annual shows over American airspace this year, nor will there be any F-16, F-18 and F-22 fighter jet performances anytime soon, which will impact about 200 out of the approximate 300 shows scheduled annually. Things will slow down this year in the United States, and likely in the coming years as well.

Thus far, 60 shows have been cancelled and more are expected to be as the season progresses into better weather, which is sending fright into those who depend on such shows and events to generate income into the local economies.

"Having the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels is like having the Super Bowl, it's a household name," said Bill Walkup to reporters. Bill is the manager of the Martinsburg airport in West Virginia. He says their two-day airshow usually draws a crowd of approximately 88,000 each year, and estimates a crowd of less than 15,000 without military participation in the show, which ultimately could lead to the show's permanent cancellation unless something can replace the thrill now lost by the military's withdrawal from such events.

Maj. Darrick Lee, a spokesman for the famous Thunderbird team, estimated that a typical season of such shows represents a $9.75 million dollar income to the economy, and gave the reason they will not participate this year as being because the Air Force instead needs to, "Focus its resources on its mission in Afghanistan".

Lee states that the team members are still doing local public appearances that have little or no cost to the government for them to participate in.

Show hosts estimate that having a military jet team translates into an approximate 25% to 30% difference in the gate admissions alone at these types of events, not to mention all of the souvenirs and other memorabilia sought after by patrons during attendance of such shows.

Such shows literally generate millions of dollars in tourism, including hotels, rental car companies & restaurants in addition to income from visitors attending the shows themselves. All told, it amounts to between $1 billion to $2 billion nationwide - with the military participation of course.

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Anonymous May 2, 2013 10:42 am (Pacific time)

That is what you get if you have an American hating President in the White House. Big money to support terrorists, illegal criminals, and hate everything what makes that Country great. A disgrace. A Communist, a Marxist, a dictator, name it what it is. Obammer at his best. Heil Obammer, our savior, our King. I want to puke so bad

Anonymous April 30, 2013 3:50 pm (Pacific time)

Our military is being abandoned, all the way from new recruits to veterans. The west now has NATO, paying and arming AlCIAda, and using printed money to pay all kinds of rebels in other countries to do the fighting. Since the U.S. military swore, and truly believe in their oath, those in power dont want them around anymore as this country morphs into a communistic scenario. This is why they send the military on 5-6 tours, then put them on phamra drugs when they get home, then take their guns away because they are on pharma drugs. All planned. I know of a well known personality that has sat along side many troops all over the middle east. The troops are awesome, they truly belive in their oath and will die for it. But they are seeing what is happening in this country and it makes them sick. You will see on TV a "rah rah" for a few verterans, while 90% of them are being abandoned. They also dont talk about more suicides in the military than them being killed in battle. This article is simply more proof that our military is not necessary to the globalists anymore. They uised the U.S. for a century, got their power, now thrwoing not only the military and veterans away, but the entire country. They dont need us anymore. As the globalists have said publicly, military is nothing more than cannon fodder for the globalists to build their communist world empire. And please, wake up to this left/right total hoax. They are a team to our destruction. Think for yourself for goodness sake! And turn off the TV!!

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