HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah — The twists, turns, dips and dives were on full display on Saturday during the Warriors Over The Wasatch air show.
After two years, the air show made its return to Hill Air Force Base with plenty of action to be seen from on the ground and in the sky.
“This air show is one of the largest air shows in the western United States,” said Kevin Ireland, the executive director of the Utah Air Show Foundation.
Ireland says several hundred thousand people are expected to turn out over the weekend to see all the aerial acrobatics the planes will be performing.
“We have everything from World War II aircraft to high-performance aerobatics, we have Tora, Tora, Tora during World War II re-enactment of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and then of course, we have F-35 demo, who is stationed here at Hill and of course the United States Air Force Thunderbirds,” said Ireland. “We’re probably talking about 30 different, 40 different aircraft and that many pilots as well.”
The first air show here was put on back in 1954. While the event is free to the public, Ireland says it gives a nice jolt to the state’s economy.
“It has a huge, huge economic impact on the state of Utah to the tune of over $50 million every time we put this show on,” said Ireland.
Marcus Svedin came out with family and friends to see what the air show had to offer.
“We wanted to see the images of freedom, man,” Marcus said.
Svedin told FOX 13 News on Saturday that his family moved to Layton from Australia back in February.
“We wanted to see the jets, and you know, it’s a good experience for the boys, and yeah, it’s a first for all of us,” Marcus said.
His son, Hyrum, was excited to see what those jets could do.
“Just seeing all the tricks and like turns and spins that the planes do, it’s really cool,” Hyrum said.
While the Svedins were air show first-timers, Sherae Davis and her daughter Dezirae were back to see the air show after first coming to see it two years ago.
“The jet truck is one of our favorite things to come to the runway and see,” Sherae said. “Just as it’s going by, you feel the heat and the vibration off the ground.”
For Dezirae, like the Svedins, she came to watch the jets.
“The F-18 jets just like, I don’t know like what it is about the jets, but they’re just really cool,” Dezirae said.
The air show will continue on Sunday. Gates will be open to the public from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Those attending the air show are advised to carpool or take public transportation, as parking is extremely limited.
UTA is offering special transportation options to get people to the show. You can take FrontRunner or use bus transportation to the Clearfield Station. UTA has a special Air Show Day Pass that is good for unlimited rides on all UTA services.
From the station, people can take a free shuttle to the show.
FrontRunner trains and shuttles will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both days.