Air show set to return to Marietta after 2-year wait
by Kathryn Dobies
kdobies@mdjonline.com
August 27, 2010 12:00 AM | 3597 views | 2 2 comments | 21 21 recommendations | email to a friend | print
The Thunderbirds fly formations for crowds gathered at the Wings Over Marietta Air Show in 2008.
The Thunderbirds fly formations for crowds gathered at the Wings Over Marietta Air Show in 2008.
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MARIETTA - The famous Blue Angels aerobatic team will return to Marietta in October as part of the Wings Over Atlanta open house and air show hosted by Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

The Air Show will be free and open to the public Oct. 16 and 17. The Blue Angels, Canadian Snowbirds and the U.S. Air Force Academy Wings of Blue parachute team will headline the event.

The last Wings Over Atlanta show, in 2008, featured the Thunderbirds and drew a crowd of about 72,000 people per day. Slow security checkpoints at Dobbins led to a logistical nightmare with transportation, causing many spectators to wait more than two hours for a shuttle bus to transport them to and from the show.

Air Show Director Lt. Col. Steve Droso said this year they are expecting between 75,000 and 100,000 spectators per day and that people should be prepared for crowd delays.

Dobbins has hired an engineer who is helping the Air Reserve Base look at the transportation issues from the last air show. Air Show planners are also working with Cobb Community Transit.

"We are trying to come up with the best solution that we can to accommodate all of those folks," Droso said.

Dobbins officials again plan to transport spectators via shuttle bus from various parking locations, but has yet to work out the details.

J.D. Marckmann, a public affairs specialist, said they will have a definitive parking and transportation plan within the next few weeks.

"These plans are not easy to come up with ... they're definitely still in the works though," Marckmann said Thursday.

For more information on the show, visit www.wings overatlanta.com.
Comments
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Enough Already
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August 27, 2010
YEAH!!! Love those people that protect and defend and love to see the equipment they use in action. They really make me proud and secure and the power these aircraft have is just beyond words. Beautiful.

If you see one of our military in a restaurant, why not pick up the check for him/her and tell them they are appreciated? Shake their hand. You will never forget the expression on their face and the sincerity in their thanks. And visit a military hospital and walk thru chatting with them. They deserve ever bit of support we can provide.

D in Smyrna
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August 27, 2010
I am so glad to hear the air show is coming back. As an ex-air force brat, I never did understand the fears people had with this. It's safer than getting out of bed in the morning. I especially love it when the jets fly over my home - that's the sound of freedom people!!!
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