Wings Over Muskegon brings aviation show back after 17 years

MUSKEGON, MI – Muskegon’s airways were full of WWII bombers and aerobatic planes Saturday, July 8, with pilots and plane fanatics gathered at the Wings Over Muskegon Air Show.

Even with a little rain, people turned out for the show and covered themselves with umbrellas and ponchos, not wanting to miss the aviation event of the year in West Michigan.

Saturday’s event was the first air show Muskegon has had in 17 years, the last one being in 2006 when Muskegon held a long tradition of showing off aviators from across the country. The Wings Over Muskegon Air Show, a new annual event, served up showcases from B-17 bombers and military-grade jets.

However, this year’s event was not only a show but an interactive aviation experience for fans of classic planes. Parts of the show offered spectators live looks into the cockpits, talking to the pilots while doing tricks.

One aerobatic pilot, Rob Holland, an award-winner for his tricks and flight skills, spoke to the crowd as he did flips, dropping 4,000 feet per minute, and pulling quadruple twists.

Perhaps the biggest draw was the opportunity to board the B-17 WWII plane and take it for a joy ride. One of the volunteers, Jeff Glass, said it was a great experience because stepping into the plane was like stepping into a piece of history.

Glass said being in the plane and seeing how thin the aluminum was and putting yourself into the shoes of WWII veterans gave him a bit of perspective. When the plane hit its highest speed at 10,000 feet in the air, all he could feel was joy.

“Everybody came off that plane with a smile,” Glass said.

One pilot in attendance at the show who feels that joy every day is Capt. Lindsay “Mad” Johnson, the first female pilot of an A-10 demonstration plane, a plane that is commonly used in military combat today.

“I try not to think about it, whether female or male,” Johnson said. “I always say the airplane doesn’t know if I’m a male or female; it just knows if I’m putting in the right input, but it’s good. You actually get to see little girls walk up to you and be inspired by something they can do.”

Johnson has been flying planes ever since she was 9 years old, growing up as an army brat and flying her dad’s civilian planes, always knowing she wanted to fly.

Johnson entered the military as a second lieutenant in 2014 after receiving her commission from the United States Air Force Academy. Since then, she has been in 87 combat missions and racked up over 1,000 flight hours.

Now, Johnson has worked her way up to be the closing act of the air show pilot after a long run of being the safety observer for the A-10 demonstration for the U.S. Air Force.

Johnson said she always gets anxious and excited before flying a plane for a show, even with this being her 12th show of this season.

“It’s really cool for us to be able to showcase the capabilities of the A-10, and then what our team does,” she said. “Everybody on the team works really, really hard, and it’s just a small little tidbit of what the military is about. And the men and women on our team worked really hard to hopefully be able to give you that.”

One person who knows about teamwork behind aviation is Gerald Lester,a member of the B-25 crew and a volunteer at the Yankee Air Museum in Belleville. At Saturday’s show, he helped by checking the oil and fuel levels of the B-25 bomber, ensuring the seatbelts and headsets were working properly and preparing the plane for its flight.

Lester said he was impressed by the turnout of families that wanted to know about the history of aviation and were excited to even just hear the old aircraft, as the younger generation grew up with jets.

“I think it has to do with the families of backgrounds, whether it was grandparents, great grandfather that served in World War II, they heard about these planes,” Lester said. “Now, they get to actually see them up close, and in many cases, they can touch them and talk to the crews and so forth. It’s part of the history that’s important.”

In between acrobatic performances from the planes, the P-151D Mustang, Swamp Fox, the C-47, Hairless Joe, the B-25, Rosie’s Reply and the B-17, Jim Beasely, flew around the airfield while the announcer gave history lessons on what each of the planes did in World War II and their positions in the Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid.

Longtime community member Allen Rasor’s father was in World War II, so it was important for him to see these planes and watch kids ask questions about the aircraft.

Rasor grew up on the side of the airport as a kid and remembers watching the old Musekgon air shows. He was excited to see one of his favorite events return to the area.

“It’s always nice when the community comes out and supports an event like this because I know it’s an unusual event, but I think people around here miss it,” Rasor said. “The air show is always a part of Muskegon, and to have it gone for so long, it was difficult.”

Other attractions, such as the Smoke and Thunder Jet Car, which is powered by 1200 Horsepower and can go from 0 to 400 miles per hour in nine seconds, dazzled the crowd with flames coming out of its back. The crowd cheered as it raced one of the planes.

Lester said he is happy the community is embracing the new air show, invigorating the community for a day of excitement and entertainment.

“I always say, ‘There’s no bad seat at an airshow; all you have to do is look up.’”

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