More than 100,000 people expected for Westmoreland County Airshow this weekend
LATROBE, Pa. (KDKA) — The skies above Latrobe will have a lot more than just birds flying around this weekend.
The Westmoreland County Airshow returns and a massive crowd is expected at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. This year is all about paying tribute to past military aviation and showing off some of the U.S. Navy and Air Force's best modern aircraft.
Lt. Jordan Suazo, a U.S. Navy F-18 Super Hornet pilot, and his team will share the skies with their Air Force counterparts flying F-16 Falcons.
"You'll see me pull a lot of Gs, you'll see me go really fast," said USAF pilot Aimee Fiedler said.
And when Fiedler says fast, she means fast.
"I will fly as .97 mach, which is somewhere around 800 miles per hour," Fiedler said "If you blink, you'll miss it."
Attendees will also see the T-6 Texan, which once filled the skies training young Americans to fly and fight in the Pacific and European Theaters of World War II.
"There were close to 14,000 made," said Kevin Russo, a T-6 Texan pilot. "There's about 400 or so left right now."
The show is a marquee event for the airport and region. Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said the planes bring people and profit for local businesses.
"We think the economic impact is at least $5 million, and that's pretty conservative," he said.
Monzo said the airport expects a crowd of more than 100,000 for the two-day event. Gates open Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.
