OmahaNebraska.com Interview with Kris Pierce, Chief of Public Affairs for the 55th Wing and Offutt Air Force Base
This is OmahaNebraska.com with…
Kris Pierce, Chief of Public Affairs for Offutt Air Force Base.
What should visitors know for this year’s air show? Any changes they need to know of?
The biggest change is that we have brought parking back onto the base. Last year, because of flood recovery, we couldn’t have parking on the base, so we had various parking locations around the surrounding area and we had buses shuttling everybody. That’s changed. We’re bringing parking back on base, but in order to get on base, you have to have a parking pass, which is free. The event is still free, but it helps our organizers park everybody on base in different areas. So a parking pass will be required this year, which is very different from last year.
How do people go about getting the parking pass?
We only need one parking pass per vehicle. To get one, you go to our website, which is offutt.af.mil/air-show. The web page tells you how to get the parking pass, and it also provides a list of the do’s and don’ts, such as what not to bring and so on. Also on that website is a very elaborate FAQ. If anyone has questions, many of them probably are going to be on our FAQ page.
How is this air show different from the last one two years ago?
There will be different acts. We have the F-35 demo team this year. We also have Tora Tora Tora, which is a reenactment of Pearl Harbor with huge explosions, fireballs. We haven’t had that in many years.
That’s one of my favorites. I always miss it when it’s not there.
We’ll have the Air Force Academy parachute team here. And then we’ll have some of the regular favorites. We’ll have Randy Ball and the Red Bull team. We’re going to have the B1, the B2, and the B52. So yeah, we’re going to have some different ones. The type of assets we’re able to bring this time will be a little different because of what’s going on in the world, but I think it’s going to be a great show. Hopefully it’s not going to be as hot as it was in 2024, but we’re prepared for that. We have quadrupled the amount of water that we will have available to everybody throughout the air show area, so whether it be water buffaloes or with our spigots, they can refill reusable water bottles. We’ll also have two misters if things get too hot. Our medical staff are well prepared this year for a big heat wave. So we are much more prepared weather wise than we were last before, although we are having the air show in early August rather than late August like last time. But we learned a lot last time, and we’re putting those lessons learned into practice this year.
I think that’s a great idea to try to find a better time of year, because with so many events in Omaha in August, the heat is pretty hard on people.
Yeah, and we have a little bit of control over that, but ultimately the Air Force decides what the final date of the air show will be. We make recommendations, but ultimately the Air Force will tell us, “If you want to host an air show, these are the dates when you can host it.” But we’ve gotten lucky that we now have a little earlier air show than we did last time.
Thank you. It takes a tremendous amount of people, both military and civilian and volunteers, to put on the air show. Do you have an idea of what kind of numbers are there?
Well, I can tell you some specific numbers. We have over 800 military volunteers working the air show each day, and over 300 of them will be there just to help organize our parking strategy. So we’re putting a real effort into making sure that people get on base, they get to where they need to park and get on the air show as quickly and as easily as possible. So we’re investing a lot of manpower into this air show. One caveat: While every parking area will have handicapped accessibility areas, depending on where you actually end up being parked, you may have to walk a distance to get to the air show. It just depends on where you park. So people should be prepared that it’s not going to be that you park and then walk a few hundred feet to the air show. Parking spaces are all over the base and we’re utilizing them all, so wear comfortable shoes.
If people have questions, let’s say for the parking or something else that comes up with the air show, what’s the contact information for that?
So they can contact us, and again, this is also on the website, but 55WG.PA@us.af.mil is the e-mail address if they have a specific question they need answered.
Oh, thank you.
The website is where they’ll find things that they can and can’t bring, like if you bring a bag, it must be a clear bag, no weapons, but that’s also where they will register for their parking pass, their base entry pass. Even if you bring a clear bag, all bags are subject to search, as always.
What procedures are in place in case there’s severe weather or some other unexpected condition?
We are encouraging people to watch our Facebook page, either the air show one or the 55th Wing or the Offutt Air Force Facebook page [ https://www.facebook.com/OffuttAirForceBase ] in case there’s a cancellation or delay or something. We’ll use that as our main communication process.
Thank you. What do you hope that visitors will learn about the Air Force through the air show and about Offutt?
Well, we are celebrating America’s 250, so part of our theme is past and present. With the P-51 and then the F-35, you’ve got the past and present. And then you’ll see some of the future stuff. The EA-37 Bravo, which is the Air Force’s newest airplane which belongs to the 55th Wing, will be here, as well will be the EC-130, which is what it’s replacing. The EC-130 is being retired in September and the EA-37 Bravo is its replacement. They will both be here. It will be the first and last time they will be sitting next to each other, because of the retirement. The other thing is just the vast differences, whether it be platforms, but we’ll also have the Army. I believe the Army helicopters will be here, so it’s not just the Air Force, but it’s all men and women in uniform. It provides an opportunity for the public to (1) touch stuff, and (2) gain a little bit of understanding of what our men and women in uniform do and just the sheer training it takes to exercise our national defense.
Thank you. At the end of the day, when people leave, what are you hoping that they take away or something they may have learned or didn’t understand before about Offutt or the Air Force?
Well, I think it’s just an appreciation. The average John and Jane Doe don’t get to be this close to some of the platforms and equipment that we get to use on a daily basis. Especially for our younger folks, I’m hoping that they walk away with a sense of awe, especially when they hear huge jet engines flying overhead and they tell the story to their friends that didn’t make it to the air show. We want it to be a positive experience. Also, this is also our recruitment, potentially. You get young men and women that are maybe facing graduation from high school and thinking, “What am I going to do next?” And perhaps they have an engagement with an F-35 pilot or an AWAC pilot and then say, “You know what, this is what I want to do,” or “I want to fly an RC-135 rivet joint.” It’s an opportunity for recruitment of the next generation.
Is there something I should have asked about the air show that I didn’t, that you think would be a good idea to put in?
I think the two big things that we are sharing right now is to bring ear protection and bring a water bottle that you can fill to your heart’s content. We want to make sure everyone is safe and has a great time.
I forgot about the ear protection, so thank you for the reminder.
Yeah, especially for our young visitors.
Well, thank you very much.
