Show becomes largest aviation event in Missouri History
The second bi-annual Spirit of St. Louis Airshow & S.T.E.M. Expo was held May 14th and 15th at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield. MOAVHIST historian Gary Liming has done the research, and this year’s show looks to have been the largest aviation event in the state’s history- although we await complete confirmation. In addition to the United States Navy’s Blue Angels and Canadian Air Forces Snowbirds, other crowd favorite such as the F-22, P-51, and twin F-4’s (F-4U Corsair and F-4 Phantom II) were also in attendance. The attending McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is one of the last air frames within the United States Air force Inventory. The remaining twenty one air-frames will be retired by the end of 2016- marking an end of another Missouri aviation era.
MOAVHIST was pleased to have representation both on the show grounds and behind the scenes to capture the action. In addition, we are excited to announce our second collaboration with HEC-TV- this time showcasing the world’s first and last McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II pilots together. The entire story will be premiered later this summer. 2014 saw the society’s first HEC collaboration, where WWII veteran Tom Mohan was flown in an SBD Dauntless aircraft.
The society would like to formally thank the Boeing Company, TACAIR, MasterCard, and the entire Spirit of St. Louis Airshow team for their hard work and dedication. Another round of applause to the Boeing Company for celebrating 100 years of aviation innovation.
You can view a small preview of photos here. All photographs are thanks to the 2016 Spirit of St. Louis Airshow & S.T.E.M. Expo.
