'Warriors Over the Wasatch' expected to draw 600K spectators


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HILL AIR FORCE BASE — This weekend's "Warriors Over the Wasatch" air show is Utah's biggest free event and always a lot of fun for the whole family. Pilots and stunt performers practiced their routines all day Friday in preparation for the main event Saturday and Sunday.

An crowd of roughly 600,000 people is expected to descend on Hill Air Force Base, ready to see the newest high-technology military aircraft, speed, aerobatics and even people jumping out of planes.

"We are the biggest, or one of the biggest, air shows in the Department of Defense — certainly in the United States; and I'd say now we're starting to rival other air shows around the world," said Lt. Col. Kristopher Long, commander of Hill’s 75th Operations Support Squadron.

Getting all the spectators into the show and organizing all the aircraft — some of which are coming in from other countries — takes an incredible amount of coordination.

"I can honestly say it immediately started after the 2014 show in June," Long said. "While we were still standing here on the flight line after the show was ending ... (we) started talking about 2016 — so literally two years."

It takes about 3,000 people to make sure the show goes smoothly because there's certainly plenty going on in the air and on the ground, simultaneously. Plus, the show is taking place on an active military installation. Safety and security is a big deal.

"We're talking about the logistics of care and feeding of folks; the medical, the water, keeping people safe, keeping the airfield set up proper. ... It's a lot of effort," Long said.

"Warriors Over the Wasatch" gives also gives the U.S. Air Force the opportunity to show off its capabilities to a huge public audience — and that's a great recruiting tool.

"That's what this is all about," Long said. "It's about inspiring the next generation to join, and so this show does a good job of that."

In fact, recruiters representing all branches of the military will be at the show.

"If you have a teenager who's interested in joining and wants to know more about military service, we'll have people here who can talk about that," Long said.

The show starts at 8 a.m. Saturday and is free to the public. For more information, visit www.hill.af.mil/warriorsoverthewasatch.

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Keith McCord

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