Indy Transponder: New act, excitement on the ground, photo contest for Labor Day Weekend

New act, excitement on the ground, photo contest for
Labor Day Weekend

Viper added to performer lineup

Jason Newburg is coming to Cleveland. An extreme aerobatic pilot, Jason brings his high-energy performance in his Pitts Viper, a carefully evolved modified Pitts S2S. The plane has a roll rate of 400 degrees per second (that's less than one second to make a complete roll) and can reach speeds up to 300 miles per hour. An Ontario native, Jason followed in the footsteps of his father, Ron, an aerobatic champ in the 1960s. Jason now flies in aerobatic competitions around the world. Check out photos and videos of Jason and the Pitts Viper at www.viperairshows.com.

Marvel at the P-51C Mustang, witness history in RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit

The P-51C Mustang with its red tail will stand at the center of a special World War II attraction, the CAF Red Tail Squadron RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit. The attraction will both salute and teach the legacy of the special group of black pilots, the Tuskegee Airmen. A customized 53' trailer turns into a movie theater so visitors can spend about 15 minutes to watch the original movie, "Rise Above," about the Tuskegee Airmen and what they had to overcome to fly and fight for their country in World War II. The movie was created by Emmy Award-winning Cleveland filmmaker Adam White, owner of Hemlock Films. Part of the movie was shot in Cleveland. The exhibit is sponsored by the Texas Flying Legends Museum.

Also on the ground … it's the MV-22 Osprey, C-17 Globemaster III and more

Inside the gates, more than two dozen aircraft will await to be explored by Air Show fans. This year, the U.S. Marine Corps will bring the MV-22 Osprey—a tilt-rotor aircraft that combines the vertical flight capabilities of a helicopter with the speed and range of an airplane. Also scheduled is the Air Force's C-17 Globemaster III military transport plane with a 170' wingspan. The U.S. Navy is bringing an F/A-18 Hornet, SH-60 Seahawk and P-3 Orion, while the U.S. Army will have a CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache Longbow. The U.S. Coast Guard's HH-65 Dolphin also will be here along with a Canadian CF-188 Hornet and NASA's S-3 Viking. Commercial and general aviation also will be on the grounds, including a Boeing 737 from Continental-United Airlines and an Airbus A300 from Federal Express.

Online, Barnstormer Club ticket sales end Friday

If you want to order your Air Show tickets online or reserve a seat in the exclusive Barnstormer Club area (tickets include umbrella table seating and lunch), you'll need to place your orders by 5 p.m. THIS Friday. Advance general admission tickets (save $2 off gate price) will continue to be available at Discount Drug Mart and the Air Show box office at Burke Lakefront Airport through Friday, Sept. 1. Click here to order your advance box seat or general admission tickets today.

Interact at Command Center Alpha

The U.S. Air Force brings a first-of-a-kind augmented reality experience—Command Center Alpha, which immerses visitors into the sci-fi world of the Air Force. Each visitor receives a handheld device to experience the 3-D interaction and learn the amazing things the Air Force does through technology. Don't miss the Command Center Alpha inflatable hangar—and the full F-16 underneath it!

See how cybercriminals operate

Ever wonder how your computer got a virus or why a system shuts down? The Norton Operation Shield America 18-wheeler truck gives you the opportunity to see how cybercriminals operate—and learn how to defend against "cyber evil." Plus join a scene from this summer's Captain America movie for a quick snapshot and have the chance to win exclusive Captain America prizes.

Up in the sky … soon to be on the road?

Ohio's not only the birthplace of aviation … it's the birthplace of Superman. The Siegel and Shuster Society is leading the effort to make birthplace of Superman a license plate option for Ohioans. They need your help and will be at the Cleveland National Air Show (in the central Information Center) awaiting your signature on the plate petition. (In case you didn't know, Clevelanders Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the Man of Steel here. The house where Siegel awoke and ran off to Schuster's to describe his new dream-created character—Superman—is still standing.)

Chevrolet celebrates 100 years and zooms in Cleveland Chevrolet will cruise to the Cleveland National Air Show with two of its fuel-saving models—the Ohio-built Chevy Cruze and the Chevy Equinox will be on site for up close inspection. Drawing praises from Cars.com and Autoweek, Chevrolet is investing up to $40 million in carbon-reducing initiatives. Learn more at www.Chevrolet.com.

Roll up your sleeve

Want to combine a trip to the Air Show with a humanitarian gift? LifeBanc, hosted by WDOK, will be back on site this year ready to take your blood donation. While visitors can stop by any time at the LifeBanc bus (near the west end of the aviation midway), you also can make an appointment online here.

Start a little earlier Monday

While all performers and planes are scheduled to fly all three days, the schedule for Monday (Sept. 5) is a little different. Civilian performers such as John Klatt, Kent Pietsch and Jim "Fang" Maroney are expected to take to the skies starting around 10:30 a.m.—about an hour earlier than Saturday and Sunday shows. The schedule adjustment is a must to comply with FAA flight restriction rules regarding major league sporting events—and the Cleveland Indians take the field at 1:05 p.m. Monday.

Smile and say, AWESOME

We want to see the fun you had at this year's show – bring your camera and shoot away—the planes, the performers, the crews, the food and all the fun. Then send your best shots to us at info@clevelandairshow.com. We'll post more details next week on our website and Facebook page. The week of Sept. 10, we'll post the finalists on Facebook and ask for your votes to pick the winners who will receive 4 VIP tickets to the 2012 Cleveland National Air Show featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

Volunteer news

The Cleveland National Air Show couldn't go on without the support of hundreds of volunteers who give up their Labor Day Weekend (and sometimes an entire week) to produce Northeast Ohio's annual aviation event that draws tens of thousands of Burke Lakefront Airport.

A big kudos to two of our teen volunteers who have been helping out since 2006:

· Ross Heidersbach piloted his first solo flight earlier this month.

· Daniel Dietrich, who followed in his grandparents' air show volunteer footsteps, is joining the U.S. Air Force and will participate in the enlistment ceremony Saturday afternoon at the show. Since he was a little boy, Daniel has loved airplanes, especially the A-10 Thunderbolt (which will be here) and the Air Force.

Traffic updates

Burke Lakefront Airport is easy to get to from East Ninth Street or East 55th Street exits off the interstates and shoreway. Construction, however, may require a little adjustment before you arrive at those exists. Next week, we'll begin posting construction updates from ODOT here. Or just visit www.buckeyetraffic.org for the latest details.

Do you like and follow us?

If you haven't "liked" us on Facebook yet, please do so at the Cleveland National Air Show page, where we post frequent updates, news about the show and how to win tickets or other super fun stuff related to the Air Show. We plan to have another fan photo contest this year too.

If you're not following us on Twitter, why not? We share the latest news and even offer some Twitter follower surprises (last year one lucky follower won upgraded VIP seats inside the show gates). We're @cleveairshow.com

What questions do you have? Now we want to know what questions you have of us. Post on our Facebook page, email us, or tweet us (@cleveairshow). We'll answer and share them through the social media outlets—and may even pose them in our Executive Director's podcast like this one last year (listen to see if he already answered your question.)