By Sedalia Democrat | June 11, 2017
The Trojan Horsemen T-28 Demo Team soars through the air Saturday afternoon at Whiteman Air Force Base’s Wings Over Whitemen event. The base hosted a two-day open house and air show that featured military and civilian air demonstrations along with static aviation displays. Attendance by 1:30 p.m. Saturday was estimated to be at 10,000 to 15,000 people.
Cap. Julie Clark stands atop her Beechcraft T-34 as it taxi’s down the flight line Saturday after her noontime flight demonstration at Wings Over Whiteman. Clark, who had red, white, and blue smoke trailing her plane during the demo, told the crowd she had been flying 41 years. Clark’s demonstration included the Lee Greenwood song, “God Bless the U.S.A.”
A line of people 40 feet long waits to enter a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane Saturday at Wings Over Whiteman. The C-17 can carry a maximum payload of 160,000 pounds. Although large, the C-17 isn’t the largest military cargo plane. Two years ago the WOW event featured the C-5 Galaxy which has a much larger capacity with a maximum payload of 180,000 pounds.
Visitors to WOW are reflected in a restored B-29 named “Doc” Saturday morning on the flight line at WAFB. Josh Wells public relations for Doc’s Friends, Inc., in Wichita, Kansas, said the plane was originally built in 1944, and was one of 1,644 built at the time. Doc was eventually retired to a aircraft “boneyard” at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, California. Restoration of the plane took 16 years and Wells said Doc still retains 95 percent of its original skin.
Saturday morning Kimberly Matthews, of Warrensburg, holds her son Colton, 2, up to see the interior of a vintage 450 Stearman, owned by Outlaw Aviation in Kansas City. The plane was one of many static aircraft displays at WOW this weekend. Matt Robinson, crew chief at Outlaw Aviation, said the plane would do aerobatic demonstrations June 24 and 25 at the Jesse James Outlaw Air Show in Clay County.
Capt. Julie Clark flies her Beechcraft T-34 over the crowd during WOW Saturday at WAFB. Clark’s plane included red, white, and blue trails of smoke as she did aerobatic maneuvers to the Lee Greenwood song “God Bless the U.S.A.”
