Abilene, Dyess partner for Big Country Air Fest

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Carolyn Viss
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A free Dyess/Big Country Air Fest was held Aug. 18 at the Abilene Regional Airport.

The Experimental Aircraft Association and Dyess Air Force Base cooperated to feature acrobatic performances from the EAA and static aircraft displays, fly-bys and demos from B-1s, C-130s, B-52s, F-117s, and F-18s.

Major Chad Rubino, 7th Operations Support Squadron, was the designated coordinator for Dyess' annual open house, and said the decision was made to turn the annual event into a bi-annual one to come in line with what the rest of the Air Force is doing.

"We still provided Abilene with a great show and a lot of information on what Dyess is doing in the Global War on Terror," he said. "The 7th Mission Support (and Medical Groups) played big roles in ground operations, with displays and demonstrations on how we conduct ground convoy attack response, explosive ordnance disposal, military working dogs and more."

Chief Master Sgt. Cathleen Hooks, 7th MSG plans and programs, said the original idea for the Air Fest - with a few aircraft and demonstrations - turned into a much bigger event that the public and military communities will both appreciate seeing.

"The vision is to show the community our combat capabilities," Chief Hooks said. "We had a wonderful team from Abilene and Dyess working hand-in hand ... they really acted like one big committee, and seamlessly planned an event that had the same flavor as the Open House, on a slightly smaller scale."