By Dan Linehan
Free Press Staff Writer
MANKATO
March 21, 2008 01:25 am
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The Air Force Thunderbirds, Navy Blue Angels and Canadian Forces Snowbirds may have Mankato in their sights.
The city is pursuing one of those major squadrons for an air show in 2009.
“You just have to get your face in front of ’em,” Burt Lyman, Alltel Center executive director, said of the squadrons. He and marketing manager Eric Jones attended a Las Vegas trade show in December to do just that.
Securing a commitment from one of those three outfits is essential to an air show. It attracts huge crowds, which attract the eight or so lesser acts to fill out a three-hour show.
The city won’t know until next December whether a major squadron is coming but has talked to them and will put in detailed applications next month.
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Photos
Four F-16s with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds fly in formation during a 2003 show at the Mankato airport. The airport, with marketing support from the Alltel Center, is looking to organize an air show in 2009. The Free Press
Stunt planes and other aerial performers tend to accompany the better-known military squadrons at air shows. Here, a man is strapped between the wings of this propeller plane. The Free Press