Tampa Bay AirFest kicks off weekend of stunts at MacDill Air Force Base
TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay AirFest at MacDill Air Force Base officially kicked off Friday with 75,000 people coming through the gates to see the show.
"The skills of these pilots are insane," said Amy Hamm of Lutz. "I just watch them, and I am like ‘they are going to crash.’"
It's airfests like these that inspired Hamm's daughter, Madisyn, to become a member of the Civil Air Patrol.
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"The patriotism is high," she said. "It's flowing through everyone right now."
The Thunderbirds were the show sealers of the day with highly coordinated stunts that shocked those who came from afar to see what America is capable of.
"I am actually Canadian, so to come out here and check it out, and to see all the might of the U.S. Air Force is really cool," said Nick De Koning of Ontario, Canada.
The tens of thousands of fans who flooded the airfield were treated not only to an amazing show in the sky, but a chance to walk through some of the biggest planes in the world, including the Air Force's biggest, a C5M Super Galaxy, that can carry 140 tons of equipment.
The weather was sunny with hardly any humidity, making it perfect for flying and watching the show.
"That's the incredible part, just these individuals doing these kinds of things," said Chris Wagner of Seminole.
Another 75,000 people are expected to attend the next day of the Tampa Bay AirFest on Saturday.
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