LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Langley Air Force Base wrapped up its annual AirPower over Hampton Roads April 26, after six months of planning and the efforts of more than 1,100 military personnel, vendors and performers.
Starting April 18, Langley has hosted events throughout the Hampton Roads community that included free access to military personnel and displays. Some of the events included the Air Force Honor Guard performing at the opening ceremonies, an expo at the Virginia Air and Space Center, and a tribute to veterans.
This weekend also marked the final time the F-15 West Coast Demonstration team would perform for the public. This demonstration team has been wowing audiences for the last 26 years.
"The final flight was dedicated to all those who have worked on, flown or given their lives on the F-15 over the last 35 years," said Capt. Sam Joplin, F-15 West Coast demonstration pilot. "It's a humbling experience to be able to represent thousands of people who have done such great work and made this airplane such a historical figure in our military history."
With the combination of the weather and fantastic pilots making their aircraft do unbelievable maneuvers with airplanes, "it's been a lot fun," said Maj. Brian Biebel, director of AirPower over Hampton Roads.
The open house featured air demonstration teams, which included the Thunderbirds, F-22A Raptor, Navy F/A 18 as well as many others. There were more than 20 static displays that included the F-16, F-15C, and B-5C Galaxy.
"I never knew they would let me on a C-5 Galaxy," said Cameron Goodman, a 10-year-old spectator at the open house.
He was also amazed by the F-22A Raptor because of its high speed fly by's and split "S" maneuver.
"Even though I only made the tail-end of the show, the turning radius of the Raptor is amazing," said Daniel Duncan, a visitor to the open house. "I was really excited to see the F-22. I wasn't expecting to see it at the air show because of how new it is."
Major Biebel, thanked Langley community members for all of their hard work and effort into making Air Force Week and the open house a success.
"Overall, we were able to reach a lot of people in the area this week in a lot of different venues, and this is the capstone," he said. "We have met our objective and it's been an overall success for what we were trying to accomplish."