thedrifter
05-06-09, 08:15 AM
A real crowd pleaser: 275,000 visitors set record at Iwakuni Friendship Day
By Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, May 7, 2009
Leave it to a jetpack to make an impression.
A rocket-propelled person — not a jet — awed crowds during the opening of the 2009 Friendship Day air show at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan.
The hissing James Bond-type performance by JetPack International was scheduled for later in the day but was moved up to surprise the hundreds of thousands of civilian visitors to the event, said Capt. Christian Ortiz, the event project officer.
"We were expecting ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ and that is exactly what we got," Ortiz said. "It probably had the biggest impact" among events at the air show.
A record 275,000 visitors, most of them Japanese citizens, turned out to see exhibitions by U.S. military paratroopers and pilots, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s aerobatic Blue Impulse flight team, according to Iwakuni’s public affairs office.
A unit of reconnaissance Marines from Okinawa also helped open the show with a low-altitude parachute jump and many of Iwakuni’s own squadrons put aircraft on display Tuesday.
The popular air show drew about 200,000 visitors last year and has been held for 36 years. It is a rare opportunity for the Japanese public to access a U.S. military base and see military aircraft up close.
In 2007, the air station reported 270,000 attended the air show, which it said was a record.
This year, Iwakuni tried to keep the air show talent mostly military instead of relying on civilian performers, a move that saved money and pleased the crowd, Ortiz said.
"This is the first time we had the military jumpers," he said.
The annual event also had plenty of other high-tech gadgetry and aeronautic expertise.
A civilian stunt plane raced a Harley Davidson dragster — and lost — while about 2,000 motorcycles participated in the Thunder Run drive down the airfield.
Only about 800 motorcycles made the run last year when poor weather might have hampered turnout, Ortiz said.
There were no major incidents or injuries during Friendship Day this year, though some emergencies teams reported giving treatment for heat exhaustion, Ortiz said.
Ellie
By Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, May 7, 2009
Leave it to a jetpack to make an impression.
A rocket-propelled person — not a jet — awed crowds during the opening of the 2009 Friendship Day air show at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan.
The hissing James Bond-type performance by JetPack International was scheduled for later in the day but was moved up to surprise the hundreds of thousands of civilian visitors to the event, said Capt. Christian Ortiz, the event project officer.
"We were expecting ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ and that is exactly what we got," Ortiz said. "It probably had the biggest impact" among events at the air show.
A record 275,000 visitors, most of them Japanese citizens, turned out to see exhibitions by U.S. military paratroopers and pilots, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s aerobatic Blue Impulse flight team, according to Iwakuni’s public affairs office.
A unit of reconnaissance Marines from Okinawa also helped open the show with a low-altitude parachute jump and many of Iwakuni’s own squadrons put aircraft on display Tuesday.
The popular air show drew about 200,000 visitors last year and has been held for 36 years. It is a rare opportunity for the Japanese public to access a U.S. military base and see military aircraft up close.
In 2007, the air station reported 270,000 attended the air show, which it said was a record.
This year, Iwakuni tried to keep the air show talent mostly military instead of relying on civilian performers, a move that saved money and pleased the crowd, Ortiz said.
"This is the first time we had the military jumpers," he said.
The annual event also had plenty of other high-tech gadgetry and aeronautic expertise.
A civilian stunt plane raced a Harley Davidson dragster — and lost — while about 2,000 motorcycles participated in the Thunder Run drive down the airfield.
Only about 800 motorcycles made the run last year when poor weather might have hampered turnout, Ortiz said.
There were no major incidents or injuries during Friendship Day this year, though some emergencies teams reported giving treatment for heat exhaustion, Ortiz said.
Ellie