Friday, December 22nd, 2017
Armstrong airport may host airshow
By Sydney Albert
WAPAKONETA - Auglaize County officials are working to possibly host an airshow at the Neil Armstrong Airport in 2019.
County commissioner Don Regula said county officials have been considering the airshow to provide more entertainment during the 50th anniversary celebration of Neil Armstrong's famous moonwalk.
In a meeting with commissioners, airport manager Ted Bergstrom said he'd been doing research on what an airshow might cost and requirements.
Bergstrom spoke with an industry insider who works at Laughlin Bullhead International Airport in Nevada and was told the cost of hosting an airshow there in 2013 was about $90,000. However, Bergstrom said launching a local airshow would probably cost less than the one put on by the Nevada airport.
"They're a 139 airport where they take passengers. They have a much larger facility," Bergstrom said. "I don't feel that all of their numbers exactly equate back because they had much larger amounts of parking, they had a lot more static display, they also had a VIP tent and a number of other things."
He spoke with another industry contact who estimated an airshow costs between $60,000 and $80,000.
"I haven't really picked a hard date, but we're looking at August of 2019 as a good target range for the airshow," Bergstrom said. "I still need to generate a good budget, and I'm still waiting on some cost estimates to come in."
As part of new Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the airport would need an air boss, who would essentially act as an air traffic controller, and set up an acrobatics box, Bergstrom said.
Airport officials will reach out to the U.S. Air Force to try and set up static displays and fly-bys, but Bergstrom said the Air Force won't begin confirming 2019 appearances until summer. Bergstrom has also reached out to SpaceX, a spacecraft company, but has not yet heard back.
In the next year and a half, Bergstrom will work to arrange for parking and possibly shuttles, as well as vendors and sponsorships.
"Sponsorship would definitely dictate where things go. Depending on what we get, that'll make this an airshow or a fly-in," he said.
