Oregon International Air Show

History

The air show began as part of the annual Portland Rose Festival in 1988. Early names of the event included the Maxwell House Rose Festival Airshow and the U.S. Bank Rose Festival Airshow, and the event was held in June or July. The 1989 event, held in June, drew 296,000 spectators. In 1991, during a performance an aircraft wing walker had to be lowered into a speeding truck on the runway as the plane flew just above the ground after the performer had become entangled. The 1992 show included both the Blue Angels and a flight team from Russia flying SU-27s. This show marked the first time in post Cold War history that a former Soviet flight team performed in the U.S. The show had a three-day total of 122,000 visitors. The 1993 show was the first show that had rain during the event, and had a fly-over by an F-117A stealth fighter.

In 2002 the Rose Festival and the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce ceased their association with the annual event and organizers formed a non-profit group to continue the show as the Oregon International Airshow. In 2004 the United States Navy’s aerial demonstration team, the Blue Angels performed at the show, and 88,000 people attended the three-day show. The next year 77,000 were in attendance when the headline act was the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

The 2006 event drew 58,000 spectators. On the last day after the show ended, Sunday, July 16, 2006, a Hawker Hunter jet (N58MX) flown by pilot Robert "Bob" Guilford, crashed after takeoff. After the plane was airborne, Guilford climbed about 1500 feet into the air and made a right turn. He came back around towards the Hillsboro Airport, and after his turn and passed by the airport losing altitude and speed quickly. Soon after, the Mk.58 Hunter stalled and impacted the ground in a fireball. Four houses were damaged and the pilot died on impact, but there were no casualties on the ground. After the crash, the rest of the air show was canceled. The jet had been on static display at the show, and was not an aerial performer. The pilot had taken off to return to his home in California near the end of the show when the crash occurred.

The 2007, event featuring the Blue Angels drew 93,000 spectators. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds were the headline act at the 2009 show. The show also featured a B-25 World War II bomber, biplanes, the U.S. Army Golden Knights, Robosaurus, and drew 87,000 spectators. The Thunderbirds returned in 2012, with the Blue Angels scheduled for the 2013 show, but due to the sequester resulting in the cancellation of Blue Angels performances for 2013, the Patriots Jet Team served as the replacement headliner for the 2013 show.

Displays

Displays at the air show include aerobatic demonstrations and static displays on the ground. Static displays in the past have included items such as Robosaurus in 1999 and 2009, as well as classic and modern aircraft. Aircraft on display in previous shows include an F-86 Sabre, an F-15 Eagle, a MiG-17 and MiG-21, an F-104G, an A-26 Invader, an UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, a T-1A Jayhawk, and a HC-130 Hercules among others.

Aerobatic displays have included on multiple occasions the U.S. Army Golden Knights, the Air Force's Thunderbirds, the Navy's Blue Angels, Patty Wagstaff, and the Patriots Jet Demonstration Team. Other performances have come from the Oregon Air National Guard, the Red Bull MiG, the Experimental Aircraft Association, Hammerhead Aerobatics, drag-races between jet cars and aircraft, and a man pulling a C-130 cargo plane.