USAF to star at 2009 Kemble Air Show

The United States Air Force is set to take part in the 2009 Kemble Air Show for the first time, adding an international dimension to the popular event.

A KC-135R Stratotanker air-to-air refuelling tanker aircraft will be performing a flyby at the two-day event on 20th/21st June. Similar aircraft were maintained at Kemble in the mid 1980s, when the airfield was home to the USAF’s Support Group Europe.

The KC-135 provides the core aerial refueling capability for the USAF and has excelled in this role for more than 50 years. This unique asset enhances the Air Force's capability to accomplish its primary missions of Global Reach and Global Power. Four turbofan engines power it to takeoffs at gross weights up to 322,500 pounds. Nearly all its fuel can be pumped through the flying boom, the aircraft's primary fuel transfer method. A cargo deck can hold a mixed load of passengers and cargo. The KC-135 can carry up to 200,000 pounds of fuel or 83,000 pounds of cargo.

 "The 100th Air Refueling Wing from RAF Mildenhall is very pleased to be taking part in the Kemble Air Show for the first time with a flyover by one of our KC-135R air-to-air refuelling tanker aircraft,” said Major Chad Erickson, an Instructor Pilot with the Wing. “It is one of the major events on the UK air show calendar and it is especially appropriate that we take part in it because the United States Air Force is a part of Kemble's long and proud history."

Other highlights include the Red Arrows aerobatic team (Saturday only), the ever-popular Spitfire and Hurricane, Royal Navy Swordfish and Seahawk and a stunning glider aerobatic display by the Swift Team. A giant Chinook helicopter, the RAF’s workhorse in Afghanistan, will show its surprising agility. A major theme of the Air Show will be 100 Years of Naval Aviation in the UK. The show will also include helicopters, transport aircraft, light aircraft and other wartime favourites – flying and static. Trade stalls, vintage vehicles and children’s entertainment ensure a fantastic day out for the whole family; after all, 21st June is Fathers Day!

The change to a two-day format will enable some different aircraft to appear each day and will make it easier for people to stay long enough to watch a spectacular ascent by over a dozen hot-air balloons on the Saturday evening.

Advance tickets for the 2009 Kemble Air Show are now on sale and are priced at £18.50 for adults and £5 for children aged 5-16. Under fives are free. Two-day tickets are available for £30. Tickets can be purchased from Tourist Information Centres in Bath, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cheltenham, Chippenham, Cirencester, Corsham, Gloucester, Malmesbury, Melksham, Stow-on-the-Wold, Stroud, Swindon, Tetbury and Warminster, or by logging on to www.kembleairshow.com

Explore Gloucestershire
15 May 2009

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