Crowds flock to open house at McGuire Air Force Base

BY DAVE BENJAMIN

Staff Writer

WRIGHTSTOWN - With an audience topping 175,000 visitors this past weekend, the McGuire Air Force Base 2007 Air Expo and Open House was deemed a success.

"This year's theme, 'Heritage to Horizons: Commemorating 60 Years of Air and Space Power,' highlighted the many traditions Team McGuire embraces as America's Premier Joint Base Community," said Angel Lopez, military affairs specialist. "Today all three bases, Fort Dix, Lakehurst and McGuire, have come together for the air show and open house."

The open house at McGuire went on as scheduled May 12-13 just days after federal law enforcement authorities arrested six men and charged them with plotting an attack on soldiers at nearby Fort Dix.

Lopez said the event at McGuire was an example of Army, Navy and Air Force personnel all working together. Admission was free and residents took up the offer to see some of the nation's military equipment and personnel in action.

"We invited the community to come out and spend Mother's Day with us," said Senior Master Sgt. Patricia Barry, Air Expo executive coordinator. "The weather has been ideal for watching the performers and experiencing our modern military capabilities."

Throughout the weekend, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the U.S. Army Golden Knights, the A-10 Air Combat Command Demonstration Team, the Canadian Skyhawks and many other performers demonstrated their flying capabilities, some by plane and some by parachute.

One group of aviators that kept the crowd's attention were the GEICO Skytypers.

"The GEICO Skytypers are a venerated World War II squadron," said Ralph Roberts, public affairs officer for the GEICO Skytypers. "It's the only World War II squadron flying today."

Roberts said the planes were built in 1941 and there were only 50 made. Today, only 11 exist in the world and six of them are the GEICO Skytypers.

He said the Skytypers fly at air shows and type messages in the sky at about 10,000 feet.

The planes were not use in combat during World War II, he added. They were only used to train pilots and were never outfitted with any weapons.

Also on display was a QF4 Phantom Jet which can usually be found at Elton Air Force Base, Florida.

"There are about three or four of these planes painted up in Vietnam War colors," said Bill Sarama, an architect by trade and the owner of Top Cover, a photo company in Scarsdale, N.Y. "But the plane will eventually be shut down and there will be no more Phantom jets anywhere in the world."

Lt. Col. James Sfayer, who directs the Freehold Regional High School District's Junior ROTC program at Colts Neck High School, was accompanied by students Dominick Hayes, Mike Kalusz, Nick Westendorf, Dan Elluzzi, Chris Fennell and others to learn about the aircraft and to see the demonstrations.

"Look how accurate they are," Sfayer said, describing the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team as they landed right on target. "It's like stepping out of a car, if you do it right. These guys are the best."

Sfayer spent a good portion of the day answering questions from his students and providing details about some of the aircraft in the displays.

Wayne Matusiak, of Wagontown, Pa., who works at Airshow Traveler, described an F15-E Strike Eagle and a KC-10 tanker.

Thrilling the crowds throughout the weekend were the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performing precision aerial maneuvers with their high performance red, white and blue F-16 Fighting Falcon jets, also known as The Viper.

"Its Pratt and Whitney engine produces more than 23,000 pounds of thrust," an air show announcer said. "That's 71,000 horsepower. It can reach speeds in excess of Mach 2, twice the speed of sound or over 1,500 mph, and can carry more than 11,000 pounds of munitions."

Foreign planes on display included a Russian Yak-52 and a Nanchang CJ6 from the People's Republic of China.