Lifelong aviation enthusiast Ibrahim Minhas enjoyed looking from every angle at different-style planes on display at the Northern Illinois Airshow at the Waukegan National Airport Saturday.
In theory, the 7-year-old from Gurnee can already fly a large commercial airliner like the Boeing 747, he said.
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“He’s flown many times in simulations,” said Ibrahim’s father, Omer.
The private pilot and his son were one of many families who made it out to the show to watch stunts in the sky and on land, performed by professionals.
One of the aerobatic presentations by pilot Susan Dacy was performed in her Big Red Sterman, and had the audience moving their heads round and round as the plane flew across the sky in a straight line, elevated and spun in a variety of loops, leaving white-smoke tentacles in its wake.
Other performances included planes and jets soaring in group formations of four or five.
Not only did the audience get to see exciting displays in the sky, they also learned about the history of some of the aerobic flights, which are based on military tactical maneuvers used to evade or eliminate enemy combatants.
Formation flight, as was explained over a megaphone, is used to create a more defensible unit, with tactical starting points for attack or to patrol.
“This is a really cool show,” said Beach Park resident Andy Guzman, who was there with his family, including children ranging in age from 1 to 9.
It was Guzman’s third time at the airshow, but Saturday was the first time he got to spend it with his 18-month-old son Neo Guzman, so it was even more special, he said.
“Every time there’s a plane in the sky, he’s the first one to catch it,” Guzman said. “He loves spotting them.”
The Guzman family added that the whole show was fun because they get to eat, watch and do.
At a dining area, food booths and trucks offered a variety of meals like tacos, corn on the cob, hot dogs, pizza, freshly squeezed lemonade and funnel cake.
On the runway, just inches away from aircraft on display, people posed for pictures.
A few even allowed little kids to hop on a wing for a more interactive photo.
Brittney Ort, who was there with her kids and adult siblings, traveled from Oswego to see the show for the first time. The family said they thought it was well-organized.
The airshow ran from noon to 3 p.m., but the entire event, including the opportunity to be flown in a helicopter for a fee, ran from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The helicopter rides are always a popular attraction, with a line that remained long throughout the event.
Some of the non-aircraft fun included a truck that generated fire, and a Jeep manufactured in 1943 in which people could sit.
Performing at the beginning and end of the show, the Dragon’s Fire is billed as the only early Ford jet pickup truck in the world.
The 1940 pickup is powered by a General Electric J-85, after-burning, turbojet engine. It roared across the runway with fire bursting out, and had people on their feet to get a better look.
For those who fell in love with flight that day, though, instructor Daniel Gonzalez was there to explain what it takes to learn to fly with flight-training classes at the Waukegan National Airport through the Skill Aviation flight school.
“It’s like learning a new language,” Gonzalez said, about the time it takes to learn how to fly, depending on how much time and effort you put in.
Many of the aircraft flown and on display at the show are assets of the Warbird Heritage Foundation, which preserves and maintains the historic aircraft at the airport.
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The Waukegan National Airport is owned and operated by the Waukegan Port District. As a public airport, various organizations, such as law enforcement, health providers, first responders, military, flight schools and local businesses use it everyday.
The 2023 Northern Illinois Airshow went as planned, and attendees enjoyed sunny weather with a light breeze, white clouds and a blue sky.