TWINFALLS -- Some of the best aerobatic pilots in the world will be in Twin Falls this weekend for the Magic Valley Air Show. More than 30,000 people are expected to attend.
The crowds are in for a treat -- the Blue Angels are performing.
Each year top U.S. Navy officials sit down and decide where the Blue Angels will perform. Twin Falls has been lucky enough to make their list twice.
We don't get to this part of the country very often, said Greg McWherter the 2012 Flight Leader for the Blue Angels. The density of the population in this part of the country just doesn't justify air shows on a regular basis. So we get to this area once every few years and we are very excited to be here. The last time the Blue Angels performed in Twin Falls was back in 2008.
We are the smallest venue that they go to and to have them come back is a credit to our community because it is the hospitality, saidMagic ValleyAir Show Director Jim O'Donnell.
Already the community has made quit the impression on the Blue Angels.
Honestly, I've been talking to my family about coming on vacation here, said Sgt. Douglas Green, an airframe structural mechanic for the Blue Angels. He is responsible for making sure the planes are ready to fly.
The Blue Angels pilots from the Navy and Marine Corps will wow crowds this weekend.
They'll see us flying at times 12 to 18 inches apart, said McWherter.
When the Blue Angels are in the air all eyes are on the flight leader, or as the team calls him boss.
I am thinking about nothing but how to execute the maneuver that I am in, said McWherter.
It's only when the wheels touch the runway that Capt. Greg McWherter can relax.
You get to go to the crowd line, you get to talk to people about what we just did, see the looks on their faces, young and old there is something about aviation that captures the imagination, said McWherter.
The Blue Angels are here to do more than entertain. They're here to teach people about what they do and inspire future recruits.
If we can drop into their backyard over the course of the weekend and show them firsthand that pride and professionalism that is demonstrated by men and women in the Marine Corps and the Navy on a daily basis that is a great way to build support for our armed services, said McWherter.
By the end of the Blue Angel's season more than 11 million people will see them perform.
It makes me smile knowing that everybody is looking at us and we can represent the Navy and Marine Corps in the best light, said Green.
The Magic Valley Air Show is Saturday and Sunday at the Magic Valley Regional Airport. Gates open at 8:30 each morning. Performances start at 11:15 in the morning, the Blue Angels will take off around 3 p.m.
