DAYTON — Thousands of people battled the heat at the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show over the weekend.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30, organizers said they still had a great weekend despite the heat wave, and they are already getting ready for next year.
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“We’re just planning for next year already, and we already know the dates for next year,” Dayton Air Show organizer Scott Buchanan said.
Over 75,000 people from across the country came to Dayton for the air show.
“This is the history of aviation up to the modern stuff. It’s a really neat experience,” Organizer Kevin Franklin said.
Dozens of performances took to the skies Saturday and Sunday, including the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the U.S. Army Golden Knights, Red Bull Air Force, and Third Strike Wingwalking.
“I really enjoyed the gentleman who flew the vintage, his story. A lot of these folks are prior military to fire military fighter pilots,” Buchanan said.
However, the successful weekend didn’t come without challenges.
“The heat on Mother Nature is trying to throw some curveballs. It started off with the rain getting into the heat dome,” Franklin said.
Heavy rain the day before the Air Show forced crews to use pumps to dry out the grass.
Then the high temperatures moved in.
As previously reported by News Center 7, 120 people stopped by the medical tents for heat-related issues, and 14 people were taken off-site.
Organizers said they had EMS on site, ready to help. There were also water stations across the property and RTA buses with air conditioning.
Some people found shade under the airplane wings.
“I was out handing out airshow coins to the kids, running one of them by one of the misters, and some of the young kids were just there completely. So, they were just loving,” Franklin said.
Organizers are now focusing their attention on next year’s show.
“We know we have the Blues on a certain date. They set those dates a year in advance. We’re already applying for demos,” Buchanan said.
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