Wings and Wheels Air Show

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The Wings and Wheels Air Show has been held annually each September since 1932 as the Birmingham District's premier event dedicated to aviation held at the Shelby County Airport. The show features a wide array of stunt pilots and unique aircraft.

History

The Wings and Wheels Air Show has its beginnings in 1932 as the The National Air Carnival. Created by the Birmingham Aero Club, the event was originally held at the Birmingham Municipal Airport. The 1946 edition saw over 400,000 people attend the two day event. By the mid-1950s, increasing traffic at the airport resulted in its being discontinued as a free event.

By 1964 the event had changed its name to the Southeastern Aircraft Exposition the annual fly-in and aviation exposition featured vintage aircraft, exhibits and aerobatics.

By the 1970s, the show took its current form and has taken place at the Bessemer Airport and more recently at the Shelby County Airport. The show claims to be one of the "longest continuously running aviation events in the United States [1]."

2006 Show

Although marred by tragedy when a deadly plane crash claimed the lives of three, the 74th show did feature a number of acts. Some of these of local interest included:

  • Birmingham native Greg Koontz performing stunts with his Super Decathlon aircraft
  • The nation's only female professional skywriter, Suzanne Asbury-Oliver, spelled "Airshow" over downtown Birmingham to advertise the show on Friday, September 22, 2006

References

External links

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