Hawaii Air National Guard hosts open house
By Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo, Air Force Print News
/ Published May 31, 2006
HILO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Hawaii --
The Hawaii Air National Guard hosted an air show here to give the public an up-close look at various aircraft stationed in Hawaii for Armed Forces Day.
“Armed Forces Day is a special day,” said Master Sgt. Bruce Hara, Hilo Air Show Coordinator. “It affords us the chance to bring out aircraft that Hilo would never have the opportunity to see,” he said.
Because of the recent arrival of the C-17 Globemaster III to the state, the disaster relief efforts on the island of Kauai and in the Philippines, Hickam and has been in the news regularly. There is a little envy from the outer islands that Oahu gets to view the aircraft and they do not.
By sheer size the C-17, stationed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, dwarfed all the other aircraft and became one of the main attractions for the crowd.
“I was in the Marines and rode in some of these aircraft but that always gets you—the size of it,” said Billy McCane, an air show visitor.
A half hour after opening to the public, more than three hundred visitors had passed through the gates to view aircraft such as the C-17, KC-135 Extender and F-15 Eagle. Aircrews and maintenance personnel for the aircraft were on hand to interface with the public and to answer any questions about the aircraft.
The Army, Coast Guard and Civil Air Patrol also brought in aircraft for the public air show to put on static display.
“There is a lot of energy and a lot of excitement about the equipment and the people who are a part of the air show,” said MSgt Hara.
“We hope this will an annual event that will grow and grow; get more aircraft and generate more interest in the community,” said MSgt. Hara.