[MilCom] MacDill Air Show cancelled

[Amtrak35 at aol.com]

MacDill Air Show A No-Go
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By RICHARD LARDNER  Tampa Tribune

Published: Nov 19, 2005

TAMPA -- Citing security concerns and an unrelenting pace of operations, the 
commander of MacDill Air Force Base has canceled next spring's Air Fest.

In a statement released Friday, Air Force Col. Maggie Woodward said the 
decision to forgo the demonstration of aerial acrobatics and aircraft displays was 
difficult.

There was no specific threat that prompted the move, she said, noting the 
energy and resources needed to properly protect the nearly 6,000-acre facility in 
south Tampa were the primary factors.

"As the leadership of the base weighed the pros and cons of having the 
airshow, our security situation and the incredible tempo our folks have been 
maintaining for over a year led us to decide that it was too much to ask of the 
troops to hold an airshow in 2006," Woodward said.

The base's security forces have been heavily tapped in recent months as 
MacDill hosted the 2005 Air Fest, a series of meetings for senior Air Force leaders 
and a special operations conference, said Air Force Capt. Danny Cooper, chief 
of MacDill's public affairs office.

Frequently moving the base's aircraft to other Air Force installations to 
avoid potential hurricane damage has added to the stress.

MacDill's 6th Air Mobility Wing is a 3,000-person force that provides 
refueling, airlift and base support to U.S. Central Command, Special Operations 
Command and other tenants at MacDill.

The wing operates 12 KC-135R tankers. At any time, as many as 300 members of 
the wing are refueling aircraft over Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, Cooper 
said.

During peak operational periods, 500 to 700 personnel are deployed, he added.

Air Fest, which alternately is headlined by the Air Force's Thunderbirds and 
the Navy's Blue Angels, drew 350,000 people in 2005 and half a million 
visitors in 2004, Cooper said.

Air Fest was not held for two years after the Sept. 11 attacks, ending a 
15-year run.

It cost $148,000 to put on this year's show, according to MacDill.

South Tampa residents said the show will be missed.

Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois oversees MacDill and 
11 other bases in the United States.MacDill is the only of those facilities 
to cancel an air show or open house scheduled for 2006, a spokesman for the 
command said.