BLUE ANGELS TO SOAR AT THUNDER OVER LOUISVILLE
2006-02-09T17:12:49
The Kentucky Derby Festival is pleased to announce that the 2006 Opening Ceremonies – Thunder Over Louisville – will feature the most impressive Air Show in the event’s history. After several years of attempting to secure their participation, the world-famous U.S. Navy Blue Angels will take part in the April 22 show for the first time. In addition, Thunder will also be the venue for the first major public appearance of the U.S.A.F. F-22A Raptor, a state-of-the-art stealth aircraft. The sponsors of the 2006 show are Caesars Indiana, Chase, E.ON U.S. and UPS.
The Blue Angels, who are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year, are the U.S. Naval Flight Demonstration Team. Since their inception in 1946, the Blue Angels have performed for more than 414 million spectators around the world. A Blue Angels flight demonstration exhibits choreographed refinements of skills possessed by all naval aviators. It includes the graceful aerobatic maneuvers of its two Solo Pilots, as well as the pinnacle of precision flying - performing maneuvers locked as a unit in the renowned, six-jet Delta Formation.
“The Blue Angels are fired up for a safe and exciting show at Thunder Over Louisville this year,” said Navy Lt. Garrett Kasper, spokesman for the Blue Angels. “We’re looking forward to celebrating our 60th anniversary with several hundred thousand people in Louisville and an amazing fireworks show.”
Said Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO Mike Berry: “This really is a dream come true for us – we’ve wanted the Blue Angels here for many years but never have been able to work it out. Their squadron pilots are considered “the best of the best” and we’re confident they will put on a show that will be remembered for years to come.”
The F-22 Raptor can attain speeds in excess of 1,600 miles per hour and its combat computer systems and power are unmatched by any other fighter planned to be developed by 2020. As the world’s only fifth-generation fighter, the F-22 Raptor is, and will remain, unprecedented in its total integration of stealth and advanced avionics. It quite simply is a revolutionary leap in lethality and survivability over any aircraft in production or design anywhere in the world. The Air Show will also include numerous civilian and military acts, including Lima Lima, Trojan Horseman, Bill Leff Nightshow, Apache Helicopters, the F-15 and F-16 Demo Teams, among others.
Thunder Over Louisville - the Derby Festival's Opening Ceremonies - is one of the more than seventy events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The 2006 Thunder Over Louisville, themed “Thunder Country,” is set for Saturday, April 22 and will be the will be the seventeenth annual production. The show is sponsored by Caesars Indiana, Chase, E.ON U.S and UPS.
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 350 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people in a two-week period and has a local economic impact of more than $93 million. Thunder alone contributes $31 million of that estimate to both sides of the Ohio River. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single-attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
