October Topeka air show to offer U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, 'planes shooting fireworks'
An October air show at Forbes Field will feature the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatics team, appearing in Topeka for the first time in 22 years.
Innovative, after-dark aerial and skydiving performances will also be part of the 2024 Thunder Over the Heartland Air Show at Forbes Field, said its director, Indianapolis-based Luke Carrico.
This year's event, taking place Oct. 11-13, will provide "the most awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping aerial performances this world has to offer," Carrico said.
The air show will be Topeka's first since the 2021 Thunder Over the Heartland event at Forbes, with which Carrico was also involved.
This year's show will mark the Thunderbirds' first performance here since 2002.
How will this year's show be different from past shows?
This year's shows will each last at least four hours, Carrico said.
Performances on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11 and 12, will include an "experimental" aerial show in which some of the flying will take place after nightfall, organizers said in a news release.
Shows those days will start with the Thunderbirds flying at 3 p.m., then continue after dark while featuring skydivers wearing LED suits and "airplanes shooting fireworks off their wings," Carrico said.
"This is going to be unlike any air show you've ever expected before," he said.
The show on Sunday, Oct. 13, will be more traditional and will start at noon, Carrico said.
The air shows will be preceded by a kickoff party Oct. 10 at Evergy Plaza, 630 S. Kansas Ave., with admission being free. Plans call for air show pilots to be among those present.
How much will it cost?
With this year's show taking place in October, conditions will likely be cooler than during past air shows held during the warm-weather months, said Sean Dixon, president of Visit Topeka.
Organizers will use a "dynamic ticket pricing model" through which prices will start out at $30 each for early bird general admission tickets, then rise as the time of the show nears, Carrico said.
He encouraged the public to go to thunderovertheheartland.com and sign up for an email newsletter, which will give them first dibs to buy some of the limited number of early bird tickets that will go up for sale in late March.
How many aircraft will take part?
Carrico and Dixon joined representatives for Vaerus Aviation and CoreFirst Bank & Trust on Wednesday to announce the return of Thunder Over the Heartland during a news conference held in a hangar Vaerus maintains at Forbes.
CoreFirst is the show's presenting sponsor, as it was in 2021.
Organizers made Wednesday's announcement while standing in front of what Carrico called the air show's "flagship piece," a vintage Douglas DC-3 airliner owned by Vaerus Aviation.
That plane will be among an estimated 80 to 100 civilian and military aircraft that will fly in the show, Carrico said.
Organizers have a goal of making Thunder over the Heartland "the destination brand for Topeka and the central United States," Carrico said.
"The Thunderbirds and our night shows are just the start of what's to come, with more details and surprises to be announced soon," he said.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka air show in October to feature U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
