The Goshen Freedomfest has easily become one of my favorite airshows. 2006 was the first year that Goshen partnered with the nearby Battle Creek airshow to share performers. It’s a win-win proposition to fly just 50 miles from one venue to the other and perform a little later in the day for another massive crowd. Goshen is a small community in north central Indiana with a large population of Amish nearby. Without a doubt, the crowds at Goshen are some of the largest you will see. With an estimate that easily surpasses 45,000 for the single day show, the spectators were fifty deep for almost the entire length of the 6,000 foot showline. It looked like Oshkosh! Spectators were treated to some of the finest aerobatic performers in the world like Skip Stewart, Jim LeRoy, Jurgis Kairys and Mike Goulian. The contrast of the bright reds, blues, and yellows against the deep blue sky showcased the team aerobatics of Matt Chapman and Mike Mancuso.

  The folks at Goshen could have easily stopped there, but kept right on going with the Firebirds Delta Team, a fantastic collection of warbirds on the static ramp and in the skies, plus the Screamin’ Rebels T-6 team. There were also enough low flying jets to keep your interest. Will Ward performed in his Mig17F, doing plenty of afterburner passes and the East Coast Viper Demo Team showed what the F-16 can do. John Mohr flew his amazing Stearman performance and with Otto and Todd Green performed as the Untied Team. Dave Dacy along with Tony Kazian performed their wingwalking act. When Todd Green and Tony Kazian chatted, they realized they had never performed at the same show before. So, you are thinking no big deal. Well both Tony and Todd are second generation performers which made for a unique alignment of acts. Draco the Dragonator thrilled the crowds by spewing flame, steam and slime both in the daytime and after dark. Spectators were also treated to a death defying motorcycle act and skydivers.