Thunder in the Valley

As the Thunderbirds took to the air around 3:30 last Saturday afternoon, Beau turned to me and said, "It's a good thing I didn't see this show when I was 16 because I would have signed up for the Air Force." He couldn't have said it better.

At 9:00 in the morning, Beau and I accompanied Dad (on his birthday) to the Waterloo Regional Airport for the Thunder in the Valley airshow. A show of this stature had not been to the Cedar Valley since the 1980s. 50,000 people were expected for the 2-day event. I had never been to an airshow before and didn't really know what to expect.

We waited in line for 20 minutes or so to see inside the cockpit of a Thunderbird, checked out an Avenger (fully stocked with missiles, torpedo, and machine guns), and made our way to where the crowd was gathering by the runway. With all the seats taken up along the fence line, we set up shop in the middle of a wide expanse of grass, perfect distance between portable restrooms, ATM, and beer vendor! By the time the show started at 11:00, the area was completely packed with people.

It was an incredible experience. Highlights included: the National Anthem playing along to two planes circling a parachuter displaying an American flag; a B-2 Stealth Bomber flyover; watching a Panzl S-330 flip and stall and fall all over the clear blue sky leaving a zigzag of smoke with every twist and turn; seeing the Thunderbirds leave the crowd in awe; and $3 Summit Oktoberfests!

It was a long, hot day, but one that was totally worth the experience. If the Kiwanis can pull this off again next year, the Henrichs clan will be there. I strongly suggest anyone who missed out this year to be as well!