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Gen. Mike Minihan, Commander of Air Mobility Command, visits the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station June 8, 2024.

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Niagara aircraft and Airmen participate in Czech air show

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Buff Hoffman
  • 914th Airlift Wing
NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION, N.Y. --  From September 22-23, 2012 the 914th Airlift Wing represented the U.S. Air Force Reserve in conjunction with the 307th Bomber Wing, Barksdale AFB, La, during the international NATO Days Air Show in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

This two day air show was attended by approximately 210,000 spectators, with an estimated 35,000 spectators being shown the inside of a Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station C-130 Hercules aircraft.

The NATO Days Air Show first began in 2001 with attendance less than 10,000.  It has grown steadily over the past eleven years to present day six digit figures.

The Air Force Reserve B-52 and C-130 aircraft were the center piece displays during the two day event.  Long lines of eager aviation enthusiasts waited upwards of two hours just to get a view of each cockpit.

Language barriers were not enough to deter communication between the air crews and the appreciative European crowds. The Niagara crew took a crash course in Czech, which was just enough to convey our good intentions and greet the people in their own tongue.

1st Lieutenant Chris Pike and Chief Master Sergeant Jack Webster attended a question and answer session at a nearby library, answering questions from local Czech's about  their experiences in the Air Force Reserve.