Annual Memorial Day Weekend Airshow At Sundance Airport

The Discover Aviation and Airshow Spectacular is this weekend in Yukon. The event is expected to draw thousands of people to Sundance Airport to watch more than a dozen pilots perform in an air show free to the public.

Jon Thocker and Ken Rieder are two of the pilots in town. They’ve been flying together for ten years and invited News 9 to join on Friday.

“We hope to have them go ‘ooo’ and ‘ahh’ with a couple of things that we do,” said Thocker.

The two are preparing a show full of formations and tricks, and as tandem pilots, it requires teamwork unlike any other. Thocker said he has to keep his eyes on Rieder the entire time to make sure they don’t hit each other mid-air.

Rieder said flying is a passion for him. “The feeling of flying for me, and always has been this way, it’s like a therapy. Everything else going on doesn’t matter how small or how big it might be seems to not be a concern of mine at the moment I’m doing all this.”

“Everyone is invited this weekend. Free admission, free parking and a lot going on. Food trucks, static displays, an expo, and the topping on the cake is two days of airshow performances,” said Mark Bravo with Sundance Airport and U.S. Fleet Track.

The goal this weekend is to get people of all ages excited about aviation while educating them. The pilots hope to inspire future pilots of America.