Northern Illinois Airshow 2023
Every year when I attend this show, I know it's going to be great. From the amazing volunteers, local police, pilots, crew, and organizers, I can sit back with family and friends, relax, and be assured of a fantastic airshow. I attended the Northern Illinois Airshow back on September 9th in Waukegan, Illinois. Usually, this show is smaller, with most of the static displays and performers including P51s, T33, T2, T6, F86, A4, A1 Skyraider, Corsair, etc. But this year, the A10 Demonstration Team, along with the F18 Growler Demonstration Team, attended the show.
When you arrive at the gate, you are welcomed by the many wonderful volunteers who keep this show running year after year. They have a good static display layout, with performers parking right in front of the runway, offering great startup and taxi views. The rest of the static displays, including this year's A10s and Growlers, are parked in front of the signature area. From the beginning of the show to the end, you are just blown away by the acts. This is a smaller show, so everyone knows everyone, which makes it very personal. I was warmly welcomed by my good friend Bruce Hillyer, who maintains a T33 Shooting Star known as Pearl 1, as well as Lindsey "Mad" Johnson and the rest of the A10 Demo Team.
Since this show is so small, you are able to spend countless hours talking to pilots who flew in Vietnam, the Cold War, and who have retired from active duty. Not many shows allow you to be up close and physically interact with the jets. This makes the show one of the top on my list each year. I got to spend about 20 minutes talking to a former F86 pilot who flew the Sabre throughout the Cold War. He talked about how he defended the Iron Curtain for 6 years. That interaction right there made the show 100% worth it for me. If you have a chance to attend the show in the future, please do! You won't be disappointed.
Check out more photos below!
