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AirFest ready for take-off
By Krista Ledbetter
Daily News staff writer
Nathan Warda has only been in an airplane once. It was a jet, he said, while on a family vacation.
But that was nothing like what he sees at Southern Wisconsin AirFest every summer, and on Thursday afternoon he was like a kid in a candy store.
AirFest Executive Director Julia Dacy hosted a press conference Wednesday at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport, and it gave kids like 7-year-old Warda the opportunity to meet air show pilots and explore some of the airplanes.
As Warda, of Janesville, was getting autographs from members of the United States Air Force West Coast Demonstration Team, he talked about his AirFest experiences.
His favorite part?
“Probably all the noise,” he said, as his mom, Laura Warda, laughed.
Laura Warda, of Janesville, said they usually come to AirFest every summer, and as made evident by her son's excitement on Thursday, he enjoyed it.
“My favorite planes are the Thunderbirds,” he said.
But when asked if he'd ever go for a ride in his favorite plane, he was hesitant.
“I don't know if I'd ever go in a Thunderbird,” he said. “It would be scary.”
As pilots were arriving, Dacy welcomed them and anticipated the arrival of this year's special guests, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, a team of 11 aircraft, nine of which are used for aerobatic performances. This will be the first year the Snowbirds fly at AirFest.
“This really is a big deal,” Dacy said. “We're looking forward to welcoming them.”
Also appearing for the first time at the local air show is aerobatic aviator Michael Goulian, of Boston, who performs worldwide at over 20 air shows a year in his Castrol Aviator Extra 300.
This weekend will be Goulian's first Wisconsin air show outside of the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture, an event of which he is a regular performer. He'll perform on both Saturday and Sunday.
“This is really a great opportunity to perform,” Goulian said of AirFest.
EAA, he said, is generally attended by aviators, themselves, and aviation enthusiasts. An event like AirFest draw a more general crowd, and allows people who might not know much about aviation to experience an air show.
“I'm excited to be here,” he said.
Goulian spends most of April through November both training and performing in air shows, he said. He spends the winter months in Florida, where he can continue to perfect his craft, which is one of the most high-performance acts in the world.
“The way it's often described,” he said, “is a rock concert in the sky.”
Daily News staff writer
Nathan Warda has only been in an airplane once. It was a jet, he said, while on a family vacation.
But that was nothing like what he sees at Southern Wisconsin AirFest every summer, and on Thursday afternoon he was like a kid in a candy store.
AirFest Executive Director Julia Dacy hosted a press conference Wednesday at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport, and it gave kids like 7-year-old Warda the opportunity to meet air show pilots and explore some of the airplanes.
As Warda, of Janesville, was getting autographs from members of the United States Air Force West Coast Demonstration Team, he talked about his AirFest experiences.
His favorite part?
“Probably all the noise,” he said, as his mom, Laura Warda, laughed.
Laura Warda, of Janesville, said they usually come to AirFest every summer, and as made evident by her son's excitement on Thursday, he enjoyed it.
“My favorite planes are the Thunderbirds,” he said.
But when asked if he'd ever go for a ride in his favorite plane, he was hesitant.
“I don't know if I'd ever go in a Thunderbird,” he said. “It would be scary.”
As pilots were arriving, Dacy welcomed them and anticipated the arrival of this year's special guests, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, a team of 11 aircraft, nine of which are used for aerobatic performances. This will be the first year the Snowbirds fly at AirFest.
“This really is a big deal,” Dacy said. “We're looking forward to welcoming them.”
Also appearing for the first time at the local air show is aerobatic aviator Michael Goulian, of Boston, who performs worldwide at over 20 air shows a year in his Castrol Aviator Extra 300.
This weekend will be Goulian's first Wisconsin air show outside of the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture, an event of which he is a regular performer. He'll perform on both Saturday and Sunday.
“This is really a great opportunity to perform,” Goulian said of AirFest.
EAA, he said, is generally attended by aviators, themselves, and aviation enthusiasts. An event like AirFest draw a more general crowd, and allows people who might not know much about aviation to experience an air show.
“I'm excited to be here,” he said.
Goulian spends most of April through November both training and performing in air shows, he said. He spends the winter months in Florida, where he can continue to perfect his craft, which is one of the most high-performance acts in the world.
“The way it's often described,” he said, “is a rock concert in the sky.”
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