Air Force Raptor joins 2021 Westmoreland air show lineup
The Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jet demonstration team is slated to return to Unity for next year’s air show at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.
Headquartered at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Va., the Raptor previously participated in the Shop ’n Save Westmoreland County Airshow in 2016.
The Raptor provides “an awesome tactical demonstration,” said Gabe Monzo, airport authority executive director.
According to its website, the team has appeared in more than 250 aerial demonstrations around the world since 2007.
Equipped with stealth technology, the jet has “supercruise” capability, allowing it to reach speeds in excess of Mach 1.5 — about 1 1/2 times the speed of sound — without using an afterburner.
Measuring 62 feet long and having a wingspan of more than 44 feet, the F-22 can soar up to an altitude of 60,000 feet and can travel for more than 1,850 miles with its pair of external-wing fuel tanks. Each of its two engines can generate 35,000 pounds of thrust.
The Raptor will join the Navy’s Blue Angels jet team to headline the show at Arnold Palmer, set for Memorial Day weekend, May 29-30.
The inability to schedule such a top act caused the airport authority to cancel this year’s show, even before the covid-19 pandemic placed restrictions on such large gatherings.
Monzo said the authority is planning to hold a “full-fledged air show” in May but will be ready to pivot if pandemic precautions are still in effect.
“We are moving full speed ahead,” he said. “We’ll build this around every contingency we can possibly think of.”
A pass for VIP seating at the air show can be purchased in advance at palmerairport.com. The cost is $150 for adults, $50 for ages 6-12, and includes free parking, cart or limousine service to the seating area — outdoors or under a tent, food and soft drinks, cash wine and beer, a commemorative program and use of an air-conditioned restroom trailer.
Advance tickets for regular admission are expected to go on sale in early March at local Shop ’n Save supermarkets. Those tickets will be offered at a discounted price of $12.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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