Cape Girardeau, Missouri sits in a bend on the Mississippi river and is a wonderful town to visit. Even in the middle of the summer, the weather Gods knew to bring clear skies and low humidity to the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival. This scenic venue presented some of the best known names in civilian performers and military hardware as well. With what can usually be described as a scorching summer environment, Air Festival Director Bruce Loy explained “we moved to a two-evening show to better accommodate the temperatures. Performing multiple times were the internationally known US Army Golden Knights. The Knights offered a tandem jump on Saturday to veteran airshow performer Dan Buchanan. Dan made his first ever parachute jump with the Golden Knights and landed to a roaring ovation in front of the crowd. Congratulations Dan!

  Beginning with a press and practice show on Friday afternoon, the Friday evening show was well attended and a pleasure to watch and photograph. The multiple hues of red, pink and purple in the skies made for some exquisite shooting conditions along with no need to squint while watch the performers high overhead. The skies sounded as though they were being torn apart by the East Coast Rhino Demo team from VFA-106 at NAS Oceana. The setting sun reflected delightful hues off of the headlining Red Baron team flying their white and red Super Stearmans. Otto, John Mohr, and the Untied Team with Todd Green all performed, as did an excellent collection of warbirds.

  Swoops is a civilian parabatic team that performed with steep angles and high speed landings. Jet Pack Man was a first time performance at the Cape. Looking just like a character out of a James Bond movie, Jet Pack Man took off and landed right in front of the crowd after a maximum duration 30 second flight. Powered by hydrogen peroxide fuel, the jet pack was loud and quite unique.

  Flying daredevil Skip Stewart defied the laws of physics once again in Prometheus his supercharged biplane, and together with Paul Stender in the Dodge Ram Jet, they raced and opposed each other on the runway and with Skip in the skies. The nighttime skies were alive with flying pyrotechnics when Otto presented a nighttime pyro performance as did Dan Buchanan in his powered hand glider. The pyrotechnic abilities of the Tora, Tora, Tora team were used in strafing and bomb runs by the warbirds and even the Super Hornet. However the most memorable pyro was a 1,300 foot long wall of fire with Paul Stender racing down the runway in full afterburner in the Dodge Ram Jet.