Air Show weekend is here: What you need to know

Kailee Shores
Updated ·4 min read

Anticipation for the Blue Angels' arrival ahead of The Great Tennessee Air Show this weekend could be felt throughout Smyrna Thursday morning.

Spectators set up shop in parking lots all across town with lawn chairs, coolers, and speakers, creating a scene not too unlike that of a tailgate for a football game.

There was one big difference: These tailgaters brought along cameras with massive zoom lenses and binoculars.

Misty Shupe of Knoxville takes photos of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, a flight demonstration squadron as her husband Stephen Shupe stands with her and Nick Stansbury of La Vergne takes pics out of the sunroof of his vehicle on Thursday, June 8, 2023, as the Blue Angels practice for The Great Tennessee Air Show this weekend.
Misty Shupe of Knoxville takes photos of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, a flight demonstration squadron as her husband Stephen Shupe stands with her and Nick Stansbury of La Vergne takes pics out of the sunroof of his vehicle on Thursday, June 8, 2023, as the Blue Angels practice for The Great Tennessee Air Show this weekend.

"Are we still waiting on the F-35s?" asked a gentleman who jogged from his car to a gathering of people looking at the sky. Out of breath, he said, "I heard them from my apartment… I got over here as fast as I could!"

They were all waiting to watch rehearsals and would most likely be back on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

In the airport, the Blue Angles dramatically swooped over the tarmac before coming back in for the landing, as if to proclaim, "We have arrived."

Twins Daphne and Audrey Leonard, 7 sit on top of their vehicle in the parking lot of the Smyrna Event Center as they watch the U.S. Navy Blue Angels practice for The Great Tennessee Air Show at the Smyrna Airport, on Thursday, June 8, 2023. When told that the Lieutenant Amanda Lee the pilot of the #3 jet for the Blue Angels was female, Audrey Leonard said "She is a girl?" and started jumping up and down and clapping.

Cmdr. Alex Armatas, better known as Boss to the crew, said, "There's nothing on this team that can't be done in the fleet and there isn't a single person out there that can't be a part of this team one day. So if somebody is inspired by what we're doing, they want to do it themselves, I would encourage people to chase that dream a little bit and take a hard look at maybe going down that road."

Arriving with them was number five pilot Lt. Cmdr. Julius Bratton, a native to Woodlawn, Tennessee. "We've got one of our many members that are from the Tennessee area coming back to very close to their home towns… so I hope folks can see that not only are we representative of the Navy and Marine Corps but we're representative of the state of Tennessee and the Nashville area," said Cmdr. Armatas.

If you plan to attend the airshow at any point this weekend to see the Blue Angels and the many other extremely talented performers, here is information that might come in handy.

Featured performers

  • Navy Blue Angels - F/A-18 Super Hornet, with "Fat Albert," the C-130T Hercules transport aircraft

  • Air Force Raptor F-22

  • Air Force Heritage Flight

  • Navy F35 Dual Aircraft Performance

  • Navy Legacy Flight

  • SOCOM Para-Commandos

  • CH-53 Super Stallion Helicopter

  • R.J. Gritter

  • Greg Colyer - Ace Maker T33

  • Scott Yoak - P51

  • Jim Tobul - Corsair

  • Michael Goulian - Extra 330

  • Spirit of Detroit - DC3

  • Plus various static displays and military exhibitors

Tickets

Tickets must be purchased on The Great Tennessee Air Show website in advance. One day passes for Saturday are sold out, but premium box seating and Flight Line Club access are still available. Sunday, all ticket levels are still available.

Parking and drop off options

General parking is free and is first come, first serve. Upgraded VIP parking is available and must be purchased from the tickets page on The Great Tennessee Air Show website in advance. If you plan to use a ride-share service, you can be dropped off at the walk-in gate located at Ninth Avenue and Fitzhugh Boulevard.

Schedule

A detailed performance schedule is not available. Gates, static displays, and booths will open at 8 a.m. and close around 4:30 p.m. on both days. Flight Line Club will open at 9 a.m.

Road closures

2:30 - 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, the following roads will be closed:

  • Sam Ridley Parkway, from Lowry Street to G Street.

  • Threet Industrial Road, from Sam Ridley Parkway to Aviation Parkway

  • Thunderbird Drive

  • Doug Warpoole Road

  • Kitty Hawk Drive

  • Fitzhugh Drive, from Sam Ridley Parkway to Ninth Avenue

  • Swan Drive, from Fitzhugh Drive to D Street

  • Nolan Drive, from Sam Ridley Parkway to the roundabout

Weather

The National Weather Service was forecasting warm temperatures and clear skies for Saturday and warm temperatures with a high chance of rain on Sunday. The tarmac in the airport enhances the already heavy Tennessee heat, so be prepared to attempt to stay cool. Umbrellas are not permitted in the air show area as to not obstruct anyone's view, so if you plan to attend on Sunday, ponchos might not be a bad idea.

More information can be found on The Great Tennessee Air Show website.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Air Show weekend is here: What you need to know