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Blue Angels will soar in Peoria in April

Posted December 13, 2007 10:00 pm

Dave Haney

Prairie Air Show officials are gambling on the weather but putting all their chips on the Blue Angels.

The squad of U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter jets, recognized by their signature blue and gold markings and thrilling air performances, will dazzle Peoria audiences come this April.

Prairie Air Show Director Brett Krause said they are risking a bit with the weather by moving up the date of the show, but betting that a good case of cabin fever, along with the promise of offering arguably the world's most awe-inspiring pilots will bring what he hopes will be record crowds.

"This will be the first major event of the season in the Midwest and I think is going to get people out of their homes who are suffering from cabin fever," Krause said of the air show, scheduled for April 19 and 20.

Moving the show up three months specifically was to accommodate the Blue Angels, Krause added. A roster of other performers is expected to be made public early next week, the air show director said.

"There will be more for people in the air, on the ground, to do, to see, to drink and eat," Krause said, promising a bigger and better show in 2008.

Krause and others pored over weather statistics, summarizing monthly rainfall and temperature averages over the past 30 years before making a final decision. He said they expect temperatures in the low to mid 60s, and less of a chance for rainfall in April than May or July.

"I'm betting people would rather come watch the air show with a sweater than in 102 degrees looking for shade," he said.

Many had questioned whether the Blue Angels might be the headliner at the 2008 air show after the No. 7 plane and its pilot were spotted in Peoria about two weeks ago.

Krause had confirmed the meeting but said nothing was definite, until this week.

The Blue Angels, the Navy's flight demonstration squad, is comprised of 16 officers and backed by more than 100 enlisted maintenance crew members, who together make the precision, eye-popping aerial maneuvers possible.

The Blue Angels last performed in Peoria in 2004. The air demonstration is a mix of formation flying and solo routines using six F/A-18 Hornets and a C-130 Hercules. The pilots perform approximately 30 maneuvers during the demonstration. The Blue Angels have more than 600 performance requests a year but do less than 20.

The three-day Prairie Air Show this year drew about 35,000 visitors.

Dave Haney can be reached at (309) 686-3181 or dhaney@pjstar.com.

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