WIND STILL UNDER THE 'WINGS OF FREEDOM'

Middletown Air Show Will Go On Sept. 20-21

MIDDLETOWN, OHIO (Sept. 18, 2008) – "The show must go on." So says Rich Bevis, chairman of Middletown Aviation Foundation, organizer of Middletown Airport's first air show in over 30 years. Despite the disruption in power as a result of Sunday's storm, "Wings of Freedom" will take place, featuring dozens of war birds, top aerobatic performers, ground displays, along with a car show, military re-enactors, paratroopers and aviation-oriented kid zone.

Bevis notes, "Power was restored at 9 a.m. today, but we already had a big generator scheduled to take care of the vendors, which would have provided more than enough power for any other needs we may have had. We were determined not to let the community or our sponsors down," he says.

Among the scheduled acts: The B-17 "Flying Fortress" featured in the movie "The Memphis Belle;" precision formation flying team Scream'n Rebels in WWII era T-6 Texans; a P-51 Mustang; and a tactical demonstration by a MiG-17 Fresco Vietnam war jet fighter. Other "war birds" expected to participate: A TBM Avenger; BT13 Valiant; T-28 Trojan; Cessna O-2 Skytrain; Nanchang CJ-6; 179AW Mansfield: C-130; Sikorsky MH-53 Sea Dragon and MH-60 Pave Hawk. There also will be a flyover (Saturday only, 12:30 p.m. EST) of a C-5 Galaxy, the largest aircraft in the U.S. Airforce.

In addition, there will be six top aerobatic performers including pilot Brett Hunter flying a Magnum Pitts S2C, Cliff Robinson barnstorming in his 450 Stearman biplane and Jay Hodge in a Russian Yak-52. Other acts include Emerson Stewart (Citabria) and John Black in a SuperDecathlon. There also will be military re-enactors, a commemorative D-Day paratrooper performance, ground displays of a variety of different aircraft and a car show. Kid zone will feature a climbing wall and inflatable slides along with "Top Gun" photo ops and dog-fighting flight simulator.

The Middletown Aviation Foundation is a non-profit organization created to support regional aviation and contribute to the community and the economic engine of Middletown and surrounding regions through the creation of community events at Middletown Regional Airport and other venues.

To purchase tickets visit the airport at 1707 Run Way. For more information about the show, call Rich Bevis at (513) 217-4777 or visit www.middletownaviation.com.