QC Air Show: Thousands witness the ‘thrill of aviation’

Pam Hanson got to accomplish one of her life goals on Saturday morning, June 22. She got to fly in a helicopter. “I loved it. That’s been my favorite part of the show, so far,” said the Moline woman, moments after she completed a helicopter ride at the Quad City Air Show, held Saturday and […]

Pam Hanson got to accomplish one of her life goals on Saturday morning, June 22. She got to fly in a helicopter. “I loved it. That’s been my favorite part of the show, so far,” said the Moline woman, moments after she completed a helicopter ride at the Quad City Air Show, held Saturday and Sunday, June 22-23, at the Davenport Municipal Airport.

1 of 11

Ms. Hanson was one of dozens of people lined up to take helicopter rides during the opening hour of the show on Saturday morning. Once that thrill was done, she and many others were off to see some of the show’s other features: the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor demo team; other military and civilian aircraft; live music that included country music star Aaron Tippin; plenty of food; and many displays on the ground, featuring aircraft, gifts and educational opportunities. The weekend air show was expected to attract at least 70,000 visitors, according to Evan Hopper, the show’s vice president of ground operations.  The air show’s sponsors included Eaton, Bally’s Quad Cities Casino & Hotel, Isle Casino & Hotel Bettendorf, Arconic, Republic Services, One Step and J&J Ventures.  While most of the people were interested in anything and everything in the sky, many people were also interested in seeing what was on the ground: many vintage civilian and military aircraft; and service organizations and aviation companies with tables set up around the airport. One of those ground displays was Revv Aviation, which had company reps offering flying lessons to the public. “We’ve had some people interested in taking lessons.  … This weekend is all about bringing back the thrill of aviation to the public,” said Jerome Howard, vice president of flight training and chief flight instructor for Revv. Not far from the Revv table, Ed Hildebrand was busy promoting the services offered by the American Legion. “We’re here signing people up for the Legion. … I’ve told a lot of people about us. We’re giving out flags and talking about what we can do,” said Mr. Hildebrand, commander of American Legion Post 26 in Davenport. Next to the American Legion table, reps from Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were handing out information on the college’s new aviation maintenance program. That program started classes last year and currently has 22 students. Even though Kirkwood classes, flying lessons and American Legion services were a hit with many people, the stars of the show were the many aircraft in the air and on display on the ground. Bill Maitland of Minnesota was being kept busy answering lots of questions and giving some of the details on a World War II-era Navy trainer plane that he had on display at the show. He said some of the common questions people were asking about the plane included: Is it loud? Do the guns on the plane work? How old is it? “I hope people who stop by come away with an appreciation of the history of this plane, and an appreciation of the men who flew them,” said Mr. Maitland, who is also the brother of Eric Maitland, chief meteorologist at KWQC, channel 6. Near Bill Maitland’s vintage plane, Matt Throckmorton of Terre Haute, Indiana, was also busy facing a lot of questions and comments about his Army trainer plane from World War II. Some  were: What’s the material covering the wings of the plane? Will you let me fly it? “We’re here to honor, inspire and educate people about these planes … and about the men who were in these planes,” said Mr. Throckmorton. Shortly after looking over the Navy training plane, Kyle Potter and his family said they liked seeing the vintage planes, but they were looking forward to seeing one of the main attractions of the day:  the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor demo team. We live right around the corner. I really can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to this show. … But I'm really looking forward to the F22s,” he added. Another fan of the air show – and the F22s – was Adam Ellis of LeClaire. He was at the show Saturday morning, with his two young sons (ages 6 and 7.) While waiting for the F22s to take flight, the Ellis family was looking over some of the military aircraft on display. It was all a big hit with the kids, the LeClaire man said. “I grew up around the air show. This is just an awesome weekend,” he added. Mr. Ellis and the family are already looking forward to next year’s show. That show is set for Aug. 23-24, 2025. Show organizers said  next year’s event will be later in the summer in order to get the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds team to the show.