Wings Organisers working hard to bring B-52 to Air Festival
Friday 12th February 2021
Organisers for Wings over Wairarapa Air Festival 2021 have put plans in motion to bring the United States Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress to this month’s event.
In addition to having an extravaganza of aerial action lined up already, the air festival is set to showcase high-end readiness, which is a key line of effort for all of the military commands involved, including the New Zealand Air Force, and the U.S. Pacific Air Forces and Air Force Global Strike Command.
“We are working very hard to bring the B-52 to this month’s Wings Over Wairarapa air festival,” says Wings Over Wairarapa Board Chair Bob Francis. “I would like to say thank you to the United States Embassy for their incredible support in helping us make this dream a reality.
“We acknowledge we are operating in a very dynamic environment with the Covid-19 global pandemic and its effects potentially coming into play however, we are hopeful that having the B-52 make a rare appearance in our skies will provide an additional ‘wow’ factor to an already amazing line-up of aircraft we have planned.”
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber, designed and built by Boeing. It has been operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) since the 1950s. The bomber can carry up to 32,000kg of weapons and has a typical combat range of more than 14,080km without aerial re-fuelling.
The B-52 will perform a fly past Hood Aerodrome in Masterton on Saturday 27th February in the early afternoon. Because of its weight, it is unable to land at the Hood Aerodrome runway in Masterton and no weapons will be carried on this flight as it enters New Zealand airspace.
The B-52’s scheduled participation remains subject to change in the event there are unforeseen weather conditions, operational requirements or unavoidable circumstances.
Organisers of this year’s air festival acknowledge the complexities of running such a large-scale event with the Covid-19 global pandemic. They are ensuring all Covid-19 social distancing, contact tracing and hygiene protocols are catered for at Alert Level 1 and that planning has occurred for any change in Alert Levels.
Wings Over Wairarapa general manager Jenny Gasson says being one of the first air shows in the world to get back off the ground [since Covid-19], she is expecting a large, varied crowd of people from aviation to non-aviation backgrounds.
“In addition to the spectacular flying programme there will be fantastic ground displays, as well as activities for small and big kids alike such as the STEM Aviation and Education programme designed to inspire youngsters to learn about potential aviation careers.”
This year’s three-day air festival gets underway on Friday, 26th February and features over 70 aircraft including vintage, military, jets, helicopters, aerobatic displays and skydiving. Wings’ audiences have previously seen aircraft from the very first, through to those flown during WW1 and WW11, and more recently the brand-new RNZAF display team. Hood Aerodrome is home to the world-famous Vintage Aviator aircraft collection owned by Sir Peter Jackson, which includes replicas of some of the earliest aeroplanes.
“Whether you are an aviation enthusiast or just want an entertaining weekend away for the family, WINGS 2021 has so much to offer,” says Jenny.
For further information please contact:
General Manager Jenny Gasson
Phone 022 090 38 64 / info@wings.org.nz
Published by Destination Wairarapa 24 Oct 2020