Annual jump starts parade after weekend of festive flying
When Russell Gray releases his parachute 3,000 feet above downtown Columbia, he can hear the roar of the crowd waiting on Broadway.
His scheduled touchdown at 9:55 Monday morning signals the beginning of the annual Salute to Veterans Parade.
“It is very seldom to hear a crowd from that high up,” he said on Thursday after arriving at Columbia Regional Airport for the weekend air show.
Gray has performed combat jumps in all but one of the last seven air shows in Columbia.
He started performing with the Golden Knights, the airborne division of the U.S. Army, but has since switched to the Black Daggers, the U.S. Army Command Special Operations Demonstration Team.
The Daggers will be jumping twice a day at this weekend’s show.
The 17th annual Salute to Veterans Air show begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and ends with a mass jump around 3:30 p.m.
The mass jump will put 26 airborne soldiers into the sky in a matter of seconds.
Annette Sanders, air show spokeswoman, said the tradition of the mass jump began with the Skyhawks, the Canadian Forces parachute team and the Golden Knights as a plan written out on a napkin.
The tradition stuck and will be executed by the Skyhawks and the Black Daggers again this year.
“It is fun when the different teams get together,” Gray said. “It’s competitive, but it’s friendly competition.”
Gray said he does anywhere from 40 to 70 shows a year and jumps for recreation when he gets the chance.
“The reception we get here is outstanding,” Gray said.
Sanders estimates that, weather permitting, 18,000 to 22,000 people will attend the show this year.
Columbia police Capt. Mike Martin said 30 to 50 officers will be stationed at the airport both days. Police will patrol the tarmac and help with traffic and parking.
There is free parking at the airport, but organizers encourage the use of shuttles. Buses will run beginning at 9 a.m. from the MU Hearnes Center to the airport.
There is a $2 round-trip charge, and the shuttle will run until everyone returns home.
There is no seating on the tarmac, so organizers say to bring folding chairs and strollers. Other important items are sunscreen, sturdy shoes, rain gear and binoculars.
Any place on the tarmac will offer a view of the stunts, air show spokesman Jeff Jones said. Many of the aircraft performing will be on display for visitors to get a closer look at the machines.
While coolers and picnic baskets are not allowed on the tarmac, there will be several vendors selling food and souvenirs.
More information is available online at www.salute.org, including a detailed list of aircraft scheduled to perform.