MacDill Happenings

MacDill AFB will open up its gates to AirFest 2009 on 28 & 29 Mar.  This is open to the public with free admission.  The headline performers will be the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds displaying their aerial prowess in F-16′s.  The tenative schedule for the Thunderbirds performance is 3pm to 5pm each day. On the tarmac, there will be dozens of static displays of planes and displays from the F/A-18 to the CH-53 to the V-22 to the C-17 to the U.S Army’s interactive combat simulator.  You can walk through or sit in most of the aircraft. Talk to a pilot or the crew and find out what it is actually like to fly in the planes.  Last’s total audience was around 250,000, so be prepared for a little bit of traffic.  The only entrance into the base will be the main gate on Dale Mabry.  Tampa police and MacDill AFB Security Police do a great job with traffic so that everything flows pretty smooth. Just have some patience in traffic, the show will be worth the wait. You can bring a cooler, but alcohol is not allowed.  There will be plenty of food concessions available if you don’t want to bring your own.  Make sure you bring chairs if you want to see the shows as well as sunscreen and hats.  A good idea is to use your children’s wagon to tote thing around if you plan on bring a lot of stuff.  The tarmac area is very large and you won’t be crowded.