Okay, you've decided that you're going to attend an airshow that's coming up in a few days. It doesn't matter if this is your first airshow or your thirtieth airshow, and you haven't got the slightest idea on how to prepare for one. This page will help you better prepare yourself - and your family - for the day or weekend at any airshow anywhere in the United States and Canada. I will outline things you can bring and things you should leave behind, as well as explanations why you cannot bring certain items.
Before the Airshow
You and your family (or just you and friends or just yourself) have been looking forward to going to a particular airshow for a very long time. You've packed everything you need, or so you thought. However, you're unsure about how people prepare to go to an airshow. Some of these tips might seem very basic or common sense, but honestly, people do have brain lapses every once in a while!
What do I bring? Keep in mind you're going to be outside all day, probably for a minimum of six hours, and quite possibly much longer than that. Most of the larger airshows open their gates at 8:00 am or 9:00 am, with flying displays starting about an hour or so after that, lasting until about 4:30 in the afternoon. A lesser number of shows have a nighttime show following the daytime airshow, which will keep you at the show site until about 10:00 pm at the latest. You will be out in the elements, and hopefully you've got a nice, sunny day with a few clouds in the sky.
Chairs: Any kind of folding chair would work. The trend of chairs that come in bags are also suitable for airshows - in fact, they are everywhere. Be prepared to have the chair out of the bag when you go through security.
Umbrella: There are a lot of people who bring umbrellas to airshows - not when it's supposed to rain, but also to shield from the sun. I actually recommend against bring umbrellas since they are a nuisance for those who are trying to take pictures and shoot video during the airshow.
Blanket: Great alternative to having to carry chairs.
Sunscreen: An absolute MUST. The sensible person applies sunscreen every couple of hours while in the sun, and while at an airshow, once before you arrive at the show and several times over the course of the day. Keep in mind that you can get a sunburn on a cloudy day.
Hearing Protection: Either in the form of earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones. Airshows tend to get very loud, and for most people, that's a great thing.
Clothing: Dress for the weather. Bring a coat for the morning or evening, depending on the time of year.
Accessories: Sunglasses (not the real big bug-eyed alien sunglasses that are apparently the thing to wear) are highly recommended as well as a hat of some sort.
Food and Drink: The largest majority of airshows will not allow people to enter the show site with coolers, unless you have a medical condition that requires you to keep certain items cool all day long or you have an infant. The reason for this is to attract patrons to the food and drink concessionaires. You can, however, usually bring in food and drink in a plastic bag and have no problem bringing it onto the show site. I would highly recommend bringing bottled water and small snacks to the show. Leave the alcohol home (most shows prohibit bringing alcohol to the show site) and if they do serve alcohol, don't drink a whole lot, since it speeds up dehydration in the body and on a hot day, that could mean a trip to the medical tent. Oh, and you don't want to get a DUI on the way home.
Camera: If there was only one thing you were allowed to bring to an airshow, aside from water, I would choose a camera. You'll want to document what you see, whether it be on film, memory card, or videotape. If you're a hardcore photographer, bring more than enough supplies for the day. Have several sets of batteries charged up, several large memory cards cleared of data and ready to go, and many tapes if you've got a video camera. I personally bring enough batteries and tapes to cover approximately 10 hours of footage just to be safe.
Camera Bag: Don't bring outrageously large camera bags to an airshow. It will take a lot longer for security to check it out. I recommend using a camera bag that is just big enough for the camera and have some room for additional accessories.
Tripod: You don't necessarily need a tripod at an airshow but I have found it to be a great way to keep other children from invading your spot when a jet truck is powered up or when the jet team is flying.
Scanner: Make sure you can only RECEIVE transmissions and not send them.
If you're smart, you'll probably want to carry it all in some sort of cart or wagon or even a stroller. If you have to take a shuttle bus of some sort from the parking area to the flight line, you'll probably want to do away with the cart or wagon and just carry it all. Below is a list of items you should leave behind and why.
Pets: Think about it. Would you keep your dog outside all day when it's in the 80s or warmer without anything to drink? There's also no sanitary places on a show site to dispose of doggie business.
Weapons: That includes, but not limited to guns (firearms of any kind), knives, box cutters, scissors, nun chucks, and walking sticks. The show site is intended to be a safe place for everyone.
Glass Containers: What if it falls and shatters into a million pieces? It's a pain in the neck, and at the same time, you've now got FOD to worry about. Not only would you be endangering fellow spectators, but also aircrews, since the flight line needs to be clean of any kind of trash.
Backpacks and Large Bags: Both of which are a pain to search through quickly.
Bicycles, Skateboards, Skates: For the amount of people that attend an airshow, having many people on bicycles, skateboards, skates, roller blades, and even healies intermixed with thousands of people walking around is an accident waiting to happen.
Coolers: As stated above, it is to help out the food and drink concessionaires. Also, having a cooler filled with food and drink and loose ice is a pain to search. Most shows define a cooler as "anything that is designed to insulate." You can, however, leave a cooler in your car.
Alcoholic Drinks: That includes beer and all liquor. As I stated above, it is far too dangerous to have alcoholic drinks when you're going to be outside all day in warm to hot temperatures. Also, alcoholic drinks usually come in glass bottles, and glass bottles are usually prohibited.
After the Airshow
The drive to the airshow. It might as well be the second most exciting thing (the first is being at the airshow) of the weekend. Keep in mind that you will be on the road with thousands of other people going to the same airshow you are. Plan on arriving at or a little later than the gates are slated to open to the public, or plan on being at most, five minutes away when the gates open. If you've never been to the show site before, know where you're going and have a map of the immediate area for after the show, when the mass exodus of spectators is taking place. Law enforcement will more than likely take you down a road or two you're unfamiliar with and that's when the map will come in handy.
© 2007-2008 Steven Holzinger