Ellsworth Air and Space Show; Go early and have fun

Lt Col Tony Nishimura, Director, 2022 Ellsworth Air and Space Show

It has been three or four years in the making, and it’s finally here. The Ellsworth Air and Space Show is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15, 2022.

Lt Col Tony Nishimura, Director, 2022 Ellsworth Air and Space Show explains what to expect for the Ellsworth Air Show.

“All the gates are going to open at 9 a.m. on each day, Saturday and Sunday. We’ll start our aerial acts right around 11 a.m., and then we’ll have civilian air acts, we will have military air acts, we will have the F-22 Raptor demonstration team, we will have the SOCOM paracommandos jumping out of a C-130 and we’ll have our headliners and U.S. Navy Blue Angels finalizing our show.”

 If you plan on attending, Lt Col Nishimura has some advice on how to maneuver entering and parking.

“We’ll have the general public coming in through our commercial gate. That’s going to be on Hwy 14/16 out of Box Elder. They’re going to be directed where to go. Once they get in there, there’ll be signage. And then all D.O.D. ID card holders, they’ll go through what’s called our school gate, the Patriot Gate, and we’ll make sure that they’re parking in the right places.”

It has been seven years since the last Ellsworth Air and Space Show. Nishimura is expecting record breaking attendance. 

“With the population growth, with the excitement about it, with the delay since due to COVID and the anticipation leading into the show and everything else, and South Dakota now becoming the hot spot, we are expecting some some huge numbers. Get there early, get your spot set up and, you know, enjoy the show.”

Other things to know before you head out to the show. No coolers are allowed. Small umbrellas are allowed for shade. You might also find some shade under the wings of the larger aircraft. Large backpacks or camera bags are also not allowed. There will be water refill stations throughout the airfield, so don’t forget your water bottle. There will also be multiple concession vendors throughout the area. Nishimura also recommends bringing ear protection for protection against the loud noise.

If you are looking for things for the kids to do, Pride Hangar is a historic hanger that will have 60 different displays on hand. ‘t there some kind of a kid friendly demonstration or something? Oh, yeah. So we have what’s called our pride hangar. That’s our historic hangar out there. Within and around that, we have about 60 different displays are getting the hands on displays. There will also be a kids zone that has some amazing folks from the community helping out.

If you would like more information, visit Ellsworth Air Show.com or find the schedule on Ellsworth Air And Space Show Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pages.

Nishimura encourages,

“Everyone, be excited. Come on out. Enjoy the time. It’s looking to be a pretty amazing show. We can’t wait.”