Team Wright-Patt helps tell Air Force story at Vectren Dayton Air Show

  • Published
  • By Chris McGee
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohi --  The 2008 Vectren Dayton Air Show drew about 76,000 people July 19-20, and Team Wright-Patt played a key role in helping showcase the U.S. Air Force mission and capabilities to the crowd. 

A team of nearly 400 people representing various functional areas from the base volunteered their time and expertise to support Air Force and military participation at the air show, held at Dayton International Airport. 

Event spectators witnessed the speed, versatility and maneuverability of the F-22 Raptor and the F-16 Fighting Falcon, along with the capabilities of the C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules, during individual flight performances. 

Those aircraft combined with numerous other Air Force aircraft on static display to present the Air Force airpower story to air show attendees. Team Wright-Patt provided much of the support necessary to make that possible. 

"Team Wright-Patt's support of the Dayton Air Show was an absolute success," said Lt. Col. Kevin Melton, 88th Operations Support Squadron commander and air show military director for the base. "This gave Team Wright-Patt a chance to excel and to allow us to support the community."

Base support to the air show encompassed areas such as operations, logistics, maintenance, fuels, transportation, safety, civil engineering, medical, security forces, public affairs, judge advocate, recruiting and Civil Air Patrol.

"By supporting the air show, we can show the public what Wright-Patt and the Air Force bring to the fight," said Col. Melton.

A base maintenance team played a significant role managing military aircraft participation.

"Our job was to ensure the safe arrival and departure of all military aircraft," said Eric Littrell, maintenance manager with the team. "It's a joy to work closely with our civil and community partners in an effort to showcase Dayton's aviation heritage."

A team of 20 recruiters from the 338th Recruiting Squadron from the base were on hand to speak with people about the Air Force.

"We set up a booth and display to talk with men and women about the benefits of the Air Force," said Staff Sgt. Chad Tanner with 338th RCS Marketing. "We had recruiters on site to meet with people and discuss career options."

Highlighting the recruiting effort, Gen. Bruce Carlson, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, conducted a swearing-in ceremony for 40 new recruits in front of the F-22 Raptor.

A Civil Air Patrol Team of 32 student cadets and 14 adult officers derived from CAP units in the Dayton and Columbus, Ohio, areas offered additional support by assisting with safety efforts in the military aircraft static display area and by providing information to the public.

"The cadets wear an Air Force style uniform with distinct insignia, so the public often asks them questions about the show and aircraft," said Capt. Bruce Baisden, commander of the CAP Dayton Air Show Support Team. "They are capable of answering many of their questions, because part of the cadet program involves aerospace studies." 

According to Capt. Baisden, the CAP team provided an additional set of eyes to report any suspicious or unsafe activity and to assist with crowd control during aircraft movement.

With the 2008 air show complete, Team Wright-Patt is already planning for next year's show.

"This is a year-round planning event, with the planning schedule normally getting more aggressive around February," said Col. Melton. "We're already looking forward to 2009."