CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In honor of Yeager Airport’s 70th anniversary, the airport and the 130th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard will host an air show later this year.
The event will take place from Sept. 30 through Oct. 1, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. It’s free and open to the public.
“We really just wanted to have a thank you on our 70th anniversary for the public to have an opportunity to come out, get on the airfields, see airplanes up close, see some area demonstrations,” said Yeager Assistant Director Nick Keller.
Parking will be on the airfield with entry through the general aviation area.
Keller said event goers can expect to see dozens of airplanes.
“There will be a lot of World War II aircraft and then we’ll round it out with active duty military aircraft, so we’ll probably end up having about 30-40 aircraft,” he said.
The airport was built during WWII and has grown a lot since then, Keller said.
“It was designed for slow moving propeller aircraft. Back in those days, airports typically had three runways. The airport was designed to have three runways. When it opened, they decided to only have two. It’s just been modernized as every airport has been modernized as jets get introduced, the runway gets lengthened,” he said.
Currently, the airport has a $180 million impact on the local economy provides nearly 1,800 full time jobs.
Yeager’s air show will also feature “The Faces of Flight” which includes highlights of people involved with aviation in the Charleston area dating back to the 1920s.
Food and merchandise vendors will be on hand.