MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Before Team Misawa says goodbye to the festival-filled season, the installation will host its annual free open house and air show, Sept. 8 and 9.
Air Fest 2018, orchestrated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, provides community members the opportunity to see various aircraft, meet military personnel and observe aerial and ground demonstrations, which encompasses the power of our joint and bilateral forces here.
The weekend's festivities kick off on Sept. 8, starting with entry to the show site for all base personnel, dependents and special needs members from noon to 4 p.m.
The rest of the community will be able to attend on Sept. 9, with the main gate opening at 8 a.m., allowing attendants in and allotting time for guests to walk to the show location before the official opening at 8:30 a.m.
The demonstration events include:
8:30 to 9:20 a.m. F-35 Lightning II opening fly-by
9:40 to 10 a.m. F-15J Eagle demo
10 to 10:15 a.m. Pacific Air Forces’ F-16 Demonstration Team performance
10:15 to 10:25 a.m. F-2 Mitsubishi and EA-18G Growler demo scramble
10:25 to 10:45 a.m. Air-to-ground demonstration
11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Ribbon-cutting ceremony
12:15 to 1:15 p.m. JASDF’s Blue Impulse aerial show
1:40 to 2 p.m. CH-47 Chinook demo
2:30 to 2:50 p.m. U-125 and UH-60 Black Hawk demo
Not only will the event provide all-day demonstrations, but it will showcase various U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and JASDF aircraft and equipment used during daily mission execution.
Static displays will include the C-12 Huron, UH-1N Iroquois, V-22 Osprey, JASDF F-15J Eagle, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-130 Hercules, F-16 Fighting Falcon, RQ-4 Global Hawk, P-8 Poseidon and a SH-60 Seahawk, which visitors can see up close.
Team Misawa encourages attendees to talk to and interact with service members, allowing our community partners to put a name and story to the uniforms they see in and around their community.
The list of aircraft static displays is subject to change. To stay up to date, check out the Air Fest 2018 website at http://www.misawa.af.mil/airfest/.