World War II, 'Top Gun' aircraft among weekend Westmoreland air show attractions

Forget the movie theaters. The real action will be in the Westmoreland County skies this weekend.

The Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow on Saturday and Sunday will be like a real-life version of “Top Gun: Maverick,” a sequel released last month to the 1980s action flick featuring Tom Cruise. Fighter jets from the U.S. Air Force and Navy will be joined by vintage war planes at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity.

Gates open at 10 a.m. each day, and opening ceremonies are slated to begin between noon and 1 p.m. All of the activities are dependent upon weather and plane conditions. Aircraft will begin arriving Wednesday in preparation for the weekend’s events.

“Rain or shine, it’s going to be a good show,” said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority. “They’ll fly in the rain as long as it’s not storming.”

Two acts both days featuring old and new will catch the attention of airplane aficionados, he said: the USAF Heritage Flight and the USN Legacy Flight. The Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon, or Viper, will be joined in the air after its 3 p.m. demonstration by a P-51 Mustang, a World War II-era fighter plane.

The Navy’s F-18 Super Hornet demonstration at 1:45 p.m. will be followed by a joint flight with an F4U Corsair, another World War II-era aircraft. The F-18 is the same plane used in the new “Top Gun” movie, Monzo said.

Several other acts will have spectators looking skyward, including aerobatic demonstrations, the Lake Erie Warbirds and the Jersey Jerks. Ground displays will include paintings by an Irwin artist of 13 service members killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan last year, photographs in the pilot’s seat of an F-18 and food, activities and vendors.

New this year is a Flight of the Flags, which is meant to honor deceased service members and first responders whose families have received trifold flags. Those flags can take a trip in a World War II-era bomber in a ceremony shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday. Flags will be returned to families after the flight.

Gates will close each day at 4 p.m. Tickets are $25 at the gate or $15 in advance at Shop ‘n Save locations. Children 10 and younger are admitted free. Parking is $5 to benefit local firefighters. For more details, visit palmerairport.com/airshow.