Boshears Skyfest facts for kids
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Central Savannah River Area |
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The Boshears Skyfest is an exciting yearly event. It used to be called the Boshears Memorial Fly-In. This festival celebrates brave people who flew planes a long time ago. It also shows off amazing flying tricks, just like a regular air show! Over the years, the Skyfest has added other cool things too. For example, in 2009, it featured NASCAR racing. In 2010, it showed off popular Sprint Kart racing.
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About the Boshears Skyfest
The Boshears Skyfest has been a yearly event in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) since 1991. There were a few times it didn't happen or was moved. For example, it was canceled in 2001 because of the 9/11 attacks. In 2013, it was moved to spring 2014 because of a government shutdown.
The Skyfest started to celebrate general aviation and honor Forrest and Buster Boshears. It happens every year on the third weekend of October. You can find it at Daniel Field in Augusta, Georgia.
The Boshears Skyfest has become a favorite October event in Augusta. It's as popular as the county fairs and Halloween! This is partly because the event really tries to reach kids. Brad Kyzer, who is the chairman of the Skyfest, once said, "Every kid in Augusta ought to get a chance to see it."
Helping Young Pilots
Each year, the people who organize the Skyfest give out special aviation scholarships. These scholarships help young people aged 16 to 18 who are interested in flying planes. In 2010, they started letting 15-year-olds apply too! This helps more young people learn about planes and flying.
Honoring the Tuskegee Airmen
In 2007, six of the original Tuskegee Airmen were honored at the Boshears Skyfest. These brave pilots were very important in history. Having them there made the event even more special for everyone.
Keeping Air Shows Safe
Air shows are exciting, but they also need to be very safe. The Boshears Skyfest faces some extra challenges. Daniel Field, where the show takes place, is very close to the Augusta Mall. This means there are strict rules about where planes can fly.
Past Incidents
Sometimes, small accidents can happen at air shows. In 2005, a helicopter was pretending to do a search and rescue mission. It fired flares, which landed on the ground and started a small grass fire. In the same year, a parachute didn't open correctly during a demonstration with the Shockwave jet truck. This damaged about 12 feet (3.7 meters) of fence. Luckily, no one was hurt in either of these incidents, but some property was damaged.
See also
- List of airshows
