Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Pa airshows?

Nathan · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 11:48 am

Most of my childhood years from when I was 5 to 11 the only airshow I ever got to go to was the Scranton/Wilkes Barre airshow in Pennsylvania. Being it a 2 hour drive for my mom and dad who always went with me. The most interesting thing about this airshow was that you did not park at the airport. You had to park miles away in hay fields then get on buses that would take you to the show! :lol:

Kinda neat, I thought!

Anyway, on our way to the "hay fields" travelling threw the highways and bussle ways of Scranton/Wilkes Barre you came to a spot where on top of this hill you could see this HUGE plane tail sticking out and a wing or two hanging over the cliff. The darn tail and wing looked as big as the mountain! This was the C-5 and was always a highlight to see on my way to the show. You just have to picture seeing a big mountain then on top you see a C-5 sticking out. Just kinda unreal for a young child, you know?

For a kid that airshow was always cool. They always had TONS of military aircraft and I remember seeing F-4s, B-1's, F-15, A-4's, F-14's, A-6's and usually had the Blue Angels there flying. Not to mention roads full of these jets!

Anyone ever go to this airshow? I'll try and find some pictures to scan and post.

-Nathan

Jiggersfromsphilly · **Joined:** Fri Jun 17, 2005 3:15 pm **Posts:** 951

Are you sure you don't mean the Reading Airshow?

Nathan · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 11:59 am

Nope, it wasen't Reading.

Jiggersfromsphilly · **Joined:** Fri Jun 17, 2005 3:15 pm **Posts:** 951

Reading used to have a World class air show ever other year so it didn't compete with the Paris Air show. It was before the days of the Mid Atlantic Air Museum World War 2 production that is put on currently since about 1990.

Nathan · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 12:18 pm

This was the last Scranton airshow I went to, the 1999 show. Here is the list of aircraft that was there that year.

http://www.schultzairshows.com/Avocastatic99.htm

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 744

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Airshow was fantastic! The Aircrew parties were legendary. :shock:

Many's the man who has left his dinner on the trail from the Woodlands to the Hotels....

CH2Tdriver · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 12:27 pm

Oh yes I remember the Scranton Airshows. From LI its a 3 hour drive so it was one of the regular shows I attended. I was there in 86, 87, 91 and the last time we flew in which was 95.

I'm not sure if they had the show every year but I know the last show was '99. I'm not sure what happened to it. I called up 5 years ago inquiring and was told "Not this year we're paving the runway". After that still no shows.

Either there was a lost of interest or maybe they felt the airport was getting too busy which it was.

I'll post some pics when I can.

Pete

CH2Tdriver · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 12:35 pm

Jiggersfromsphilly wrote:

Reading used to have a World class air show ever other year so it didn't compete with the Paris Air show. It was before the days of the Mid Atlantic Air Museum World War 2 production that is put on currently since about 1990.

Ah yes the Reading On Again Off Again Airshow. "We're gonna have an Airshow! Oh wait, we didn't get a Jet team so we're not..sorry!"

That went on and on for a few years. I flew into that show in '93 along with alot of other people. It looked like Sun N Fun. They parked all the transients on the grass btwn the crowdline and the shows active runway! If you watch the video I took, every time a performer made a low pass they dissappeared behind a sea of airplanes.

I think the WW2 weekend is much better and different!

Pete

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 12:59 pm

I was there helping ops during the last two years and they've expanded the terminal into the main static display area since then. Not sure they are going to have another one, since it's been about 7 years since the last one. They lost a lot of their show line to the construction.
Great show and if you click on my website below, the C-5 pic on the home page was taken at the last show.
Jerry

Nathan · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 1:13 pm

Hi Jerry,

I very much remember the cargo plane line up. They would have all the BIG planes lined up nose to tail. On the other side of the C-5 it goes down in a hill. And down that hill is the road that when you look up you see the C-5 sticking out.

Eric Friedebach · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 1:34 pm

Airlift48 wrote:

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Airshow was fantastic! The Aircrew parties were legendary. :shock:

Many's the man who has left his dinner on the trail from the Woodlands to the Hotels....

I tried for years to book that show, but there was always another Gooney that could come in for less money.

Nuts!

planenutti · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 3:51 pm

We used to attend the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre show as often as we could get the Lodestar in. The shows were great and the parties could get interesting. The airport "improvements" were what did the show in. They always seemed to have one of the jet teams. Without AVP that makes MAAM's show the best in the state. Too bad Reading can't get a jet team, I remember those shows when I was growing up, I think that may have been my first show.
Bob

wls3 · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 4:13 pm

I always enjoyed the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton show. It was the first place
I ever saw the Heritage flight. Not sure it was even called that then.
2 Mustang's, (Frenesi and Big Beautiful Doll) flying with an F-15.

And it was the last place I saw the Cat Flight, Wildcat, Hellcat, Bearcat,
Tigercat, and Panther.

Nathan, if you have pictures from here please post for us to see.

Thanks,
Bill

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 744

OOh. Thats nice. I have a bunch of pics from the 1997 show.

In 1998. that was the first place in the US we landed after our 70 day European Tour commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Airlift. I belive we landed on July 11th.

We were supposed to go home first and have 2 days to relax before the show, but bad weather over the North Atlantic forced us to spend some extra time in Iceland. (There aint much to do there, let me tell you)

I believe the T-birds were there in 97.

Anyone know if Latrobe is ever going to do another show? That one was great as well.

CH2Tdriver · **Posted:** Tue May 15, 2007 8:28 pm

Hello All,

Here are some from Scranton 8/1995. It was the BEST weather I ever experienced there. No matter that the wx elsewhere was CAVU, it would TStorm at AVP b/c it was up on the hill and that upslope action created cells right over the airport on my previous three shows there. But '95 was a great show.

Planenutti, there's you're Lodestar in the background. My wife (fiance at the time) and I flew in with the Cardinal.

It was nice to see Sentimental Journey this far east, and.........

Eric, maybe this was the cheap Gooney?

Sadly this Hunter was lost on takeoff from AVP a few years back.

Pete

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