Airshow News

View Original

Great Tennessee Air Show, Syracuse Air Show to Donate Proceeds to Jeff Kuss Family Fund

Just a day after a tragic accident in Smyrna, Tennessee that took the life of Blue Angel #6, Marine Captain Jeff Kuss, the entire air show community and fans all across the world have come together to both honor Jeff and pay their respects to Captain Kuss' friends, family, and teammates.

Friday, the International Council of Air Shows did their part by setting up the Jeff Kuss Family Fund, in which all proceeds will be given to Jeff's surviving wife and two children. ​

Late Friday afternoon, the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority and The Air Show Network announced that they will jointly donate a portion of the proceeds from this weekend's Great Tennessee Air Show to the Jeff Kuss Family Fund. John Black, Executive Director of Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport, stated that "The weekend's air show is dedicated to honoring Capt. Kuss for his service to our country and for making the ultimate sacrifice." He went on to explain that "We hope to help ease some of the family's financial hardships after this tragedy and let them know we hold them dear to our hearts."

Following this statement, the Syracuse Air Show set for June 11 & 12 in Syracuse, New York announced that "the Syracuse Air Show will donate all proceeds to the fund," and thanked the International Council of Air Show for setting up the fund. They were scheduled to host the Blue Angels this year prior to Thursday's accident.

In addition to this fund, one of Captain Kuss' family members set up a GoFundMe page to help with financial hardships during these tough times. As of 11:00 AM EST Saturday morning, the GoFundMe has raised nearly $120,000. You can contribute here