 Throughout 1996, the Decatur Airport celebrated its 50th anniversary
with a variety of events. Included were a pictorial history of the
Airport, Passenger Appreciation Month, a Coloring Contest, an appearance
on “Good Morning America”, a memento flown on Space Shuttle,
a special proclamation in Congress, an award-winning birthday party
float, limited-edition prints, a birthday party airshow, and a letter
from President Clinton. |
|
| On August 31, 1996, tens of thousands
celebrated the Airport’s
50th with an all-day birthday party including music, classic cars,
airplanes, amazing aerobatics maneuvers, fireworks and fun. The airshow
portion of the party included an F-16 fighter demonstration at barely
subsonic speeds, the aerobatics of the Pepsi Skydancer and TF-51
Mustang Crazy Horse , a wing-walking routine be Bob & Pat Wagner,
patriotic parachute jumping by the Liberty Parachute Team (shown
above-bottom), precision formation aerobatics by the world-famous
Team America (shown above-top), the comedy antics of Dave Slaybough
in his Piper J-3 Cub and a special flyby by the F-117 Nighthawk Stealth
fighter. |
|
 A grand lady: Lockheed Constellation, affectionately
known as “The Connie,” on
static display during the airshow. |
|
 USAF
Captain Kurt “Huevos” Gallegos taxis his F-16
out for his performance. He demonstrated the capabilities of the
Air Force’s premier multi-role fighter aircraft. The F-16 is
powered be a single engine that produces 29,000
pounds of thrust. |
|
 Aerial comedian Dave Slaybaugh attempts his “first” flying
lesson in his Piper J-3 Cub. He pretended to be tipsy beginner pilot
who wavered and bobbed all over the sky. His antics are so convincing
that in the past he’s
been handcuffed and tackled by police. |
|
 Pepsi
Skydancer pilot, Steve Oliver, taxis out for his performance in his
1956 DeHavilland Chipmunk. Steve performed an aerial dance
to rock ‘n’ roll
music and the Pepsi jingles. |
|
 The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk Stealth did a flyby during the airshow.
This single-seat twin engine fighter is designed to penetrate dense
environments and attack targets
with pinpoint accuracy. The stealth’s first fight was in 1981. It was employed
in combat in January & February 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. |
|
 Bob
and Pat Wagner performed an eight-minute routine during which they
reached
speeds up to 140 miles per hour. Pat, Bob’s wife is on the wing. They’ve
been performing since 1971. |
|
 This TF-51 Mustang Crazy Horse performed aerobatics during the
50th anniversary
airshow. |
|
 The
Decatur Airport offered a unique greeting with waves and smiles to
television
viewers just before tuning into the “Good Morning, America” show
on August 28, 1996. The seven-second segment featured Airport employees, tenants,
50th Birthday Party sponsors, and other friends of the airport. It was taken
from an Illinois Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. |
