Military pilots stun at Wings Over Solano airshow on Travis Air Force Base
SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. - More than 100,000 people attended the Wings Over Solano Airshow at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County this weekend.
Flight enthusiasts were in luck; the clear skies allowed the Blue Angels to wow spectators at the show.
Travis Air Force Base welcomed visitors with open arms this weekend. Spectators were thrilled at the chance to get up close and personal with the U.S. military's aircraft and the incredibly skilled pilots who fly them.
Military pilots stunned crowds with incredible twists, turns and dives. Families and people of all ages came out to enjoy the weekend's festivities.
Laurie Gray came out to see the show with her son, and she says she had a blast, "I love it! It's just…it's exciting, scary!"
"Anytime I get a chance to go see these guys I'm all about it," Zach Gray told KTVU.
Gray grew up going to airshows in Redding. He drove nearly three hours to enjoy his favorite part of the show:
"The feeling that you get when they're flying by fast and loud," Gray said.
While some folks came out just for the airshow, some visitors were most excited about getting a closer look at the planes.
"The UC Davis senior design team for aerospace engineering department, we have our little groups. We're working on redesigning the C5M Super Galaxy so it's cool to see it in person." Nelson Hernandez told KTVU.
Military families came out for the show too.
"We can see it from our house since we live on base but it's a whole different experience when you're on the flight line and you can feel it and see it," Kiana Marshall said.
Visitors had the chance to sit inside the cockpit of the KC-10, a highlight of the event.
"The experience of getting to walk on planes, watch them fly around, that was pretty cool," Naomi Marshall said.
Visitors also had the chance to speak with the pilots and flight crews who operate the powerful planes. U.S. Air Force Captain Robert Lizama has been with the military for nearly nine years.
"I grew up in Guam so traveling was always big to me, I wanted to see the world... been able to see the world all over..." Lizama said.
The event also honored the KC10—a military plane used to refuel in midair—which saw its last air show at Travis Air Force Base on Sunday. The plane will be phased out of military use this fall.
U.S. Air Force Flight Engineer Anthony Vargas has been in service for nearly two years. He says he's proud to be a part of the team saying goodbye to the KC-10.
"It's somber, but it's leaving behind a phenomenal legacy, and that's why we're here today: celebrating that legacy and ushering in a new era of tanker with the KC-46."
Welcoming over 100,000 visitors to the base took a team of over 1,500 airmen and two years of planning. The Travis Air Force Base Commander says it is all worth it:
"We welcome the opportunity to say thank you to the community and to the veterans who have come before us... as we carry the lineage forward," Derek Salmi, Base Commander Travis Air Force Base told KTVU.