Fair St. Louis held its first Independence Day Weekend celebration air show near the Gateway Arch since 2005.  Corporate sponsors, the Fair St. Louis Committee and local community groups banded together to bring top-tier performers back to the St. Louis riverfront.  As in years past, St. Louis Downtown Airport in nearby Cahokia, IL hosted the performers, and EAA 64, Civil Air Patrol and the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum provided support personnel to facilitate escorted public access.  St. Louis and metro east Illinois again showed that it is truly a leading aviation region!

Headlining the Fair St. Louis Air Show this year was Art Nalls and his Sea Harrier demonstration.  The Nalls Aviation team, including an L-39 chase plane and ground vehicles, professionally supported the aerial performance and were very friendly to the fans on the ramp.  Other national and internationally renowned performers include aerobatic champion Kirby Chambliss, home town favorites Aeroshell Team, Matt Younkin flying the twin Beech 18, the Red Eagles, Jim Maroney, John Mohr, Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes, Missouri CAF B-25 “Show Me” and TBM Avenger, and Black Daggers parachute team jumping from a Missouri ANG C-130.