High-Profile Air Show Planned for Fall 2016

 Brunswick, GA: April 13, 2016 –The Glynn County Airport Commission (GCAC) and JLC AirShow Management shared plans earlier today to host the Wings Over the Golden Isles Air Show at the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport.  The performer line-up will includeworld-class civilian performers and military demonstration teams.   In addition to the airshow, plans for a Saturday evening concert were also shared during Wednesday’s press conference.  The air show weekend is tentatively planned for October 8-9, 2016.

 Community partners are excited to bring a first class air show to the Golden Isles. Glynn County governmental agencies, airport tenants,pilots, and the business community will all be involved in planning and hosting the two-day event.  Plans will be presented to the GCAC members as well as the Glynn County Commission for final review and approval. “The air show is anideal opportunity to show off our fantastic aviation assets in the community and surrounding areas, and create a strong impact onour economy,” states GCAC Director Robert Burr.

 Air show organizers anticipate total event attendance to exceed 75,000 people with an overall economic impact of 5 million dollars.  1997 was the last time an aviation event of this size and magnitude was hosted in the Brunswick area. 

 Brunswick native John Cowman, President of JLC AirShowManagement, announced a lineup of scheduled performers featuring the Canadian Forces 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, the “Canadian Snowbirds”.  Their performance in the Golden Isles will be the final US demonstration for the Snowbirds before flying northto the team’s home base in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

The Snowbirds utilize nine CT-114 Tutors to perform their close-formation aerobatic demonstration.  The CT-114 is a Canadian-built jet and was used as a basic pilot training aircraft from 1963-2000.  The Tutor weighs more than 7,000 pounds and is powered by a J-85engine producing 2,700 pounds of thrust.  While in formation, the planes fly with only four feet between the aircraft and reach speeds up to 370 mph.  The Snowbirds perform at air shows across North America between May and mid-October with fewer than a dozen appearances in the United States.

The lineup of elite air show performers also includes appearances by Veteran North American pilot Buck Roetman, five-time U.S.National Aerobatic Champion Rob Holland, three-time U.S.National Aerobatic Champion Patty Wagstaff, the US-SOCOM Para-Commando Military Parachute Demonstration Team, warbirddemonstrations by Scott Yoak and his P-51D Mustang, the DAV Flight Team flying in their B-25, a Cobra Demonstration Team , Kent Pietsch’s Jelly Belly Plane, and Bill Braack’s Smoke-n-Thunder Jet Car.

Headlining the weekend’s concerts are Southern Rock recording artists .38 Special.  Founded in 1974 in Jacksonville by Don Barnes and Donnie Van Zant, the band is best known for its hits, “Hold on Loosely,” “Rockin’ Into the Night,” “Caught Up in You” and “Fantasy Girl”.  The chart-topping band will perform Saturday evening at the conclusion of the air show.  Opening for .38 Special is local favorite J. Scott Thompson.  The concerts will conclude with a fireworks extravaganza promising to be the perfect ending to an action-packed day.

 “I couldn’t be more excited to return to my hometown to host an air show of this magnitude with some of the world’s most elite pilots and performers,” says organizer John Cowman.  “We’re in the initial stages of planning this event and couldn’t be more pleased by the support the community has shown thus far.”

For more information and updates on the progress of the 2016 Wings Over the Golden Isles Air Show, download our mobile app, available on both the App Store and Google Play. In addition, follow us on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well as online at www.newsairshow.com.