Old Glory To Fly High Over The Greater Binghamton Airport

BINGHAMTON, NY - The American Flag will fly high and proud over the Greater Binghamton Air Show 2004 on July 10th and 11th. This year the Air Show welcomes the Black Daggers, a United States Army Special Forces parachute team who will be making their debut appearance in New York in style. For their initial jump on both Saturday and Sunday, the members of the Black Daggers will be parachuting in during the event's opening ceremonies displaying Old Glory for all in attendance to see.

The Black Daggers are a United States Army Special Operations Command or USASOC Parachute Demonstration Team. They use the military variant of the Ram Air Parachute in their free falling exercises. The team is highly skilled, as they free fall at nearly 120 mph often with little oxygen, high winds, and frigid temperature. Through the use of their hands, arms, legs, and shoulders they will control their flight over the Greater Binghamton Airport bringing the flag safely to the ground during the singing of our National Anthem.

Also joining the Black Daggers during this patriotic event will be a number of war birds from the past including the F4U Corsair, the B-25J Mitchell, and the Lockheed C-60 Lodestar. The F4U Corsair will be flown by Dan Dameo at the Greater Binghamton Air Show 2004. The Corsair was the most outstanding carrier craft in WWII, and it was utilized extensively by both the Navy and the Marines. The Corsair is owned by the American Airpower Museum.

Also on display at the show will be a B-25J Mitchell and the Lockheed C-60 Lodestar. The B-25J Mitchell is a WW II bomber known for its beauty and grace in the sky. Sixteen of these bombers were used by the US in response to Pearl Harbor. In addition, the Lockheed C-60, known as "Old Dominion Squadron" will be at the Greater Binghamton Air Show as well. This aircraft was used in WWII for training and transporting both people and freight.

This year's air show will be highlighted by the high-energy performances of the United States Air Force (USAF) Thunderbirds who will take to the skies on both Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th. This will be the USAF Thunderbirds only performance in New York State. Air Show gates will open at 9:00 a.m. with flying tentatively starting about 11 a.m. The Air Show will conclude at approximately 5:00 p.m. Admission tickets can be purchased at the gate on the day of the event. Prices are $12.00 for adults (17 and older) $8.00 for children (8 to 16 years of age) and children under 8 are free. Discount advance ticket sales will begin on June 21st at all area Giant Markets. There will be a $2 savings on each ticket with an advanced ticket purchase.

For more information, please call 607.763.4455 or visit us online at www.binghamtonairport.com.

CONTACT:
Carl Beardsley
office: 607.763.4471

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