Award-winning airshow coming back to St. Joseph this fall
By Kyle Schmidt
The Sound of Speed Airshow will make its return to St. Joseph on Sept. 14 and 15 at Rosecrans Memorial Airport.
The show will have many acts, with a highly anticipated United States Air Force Thunderbirds appearance.
“The F-16 that the Thunderbirds are currently flying, they are going to take it up a little over 700 miles per hour and fly down about 100 feet from the ground and they are going to be pulling about 9 Gs,” Capt. Owen Compton said. “We are going to have nine jets here, it is going to be a really great show.”
Compton expects the show to run for a little over two hours. He was the director of the show in 2018 and 2021, and has big goals set for this year’s show after winning an award in 2021.
“We got the United States Air Force Thunderbirds Military Airshow of the Year. Really pleased with that award and it’s a fantastic team to work with,” Compton said. “We are striving for that. Those awards are a really big deal for our airshows. It’s one of the main ways we can draw in the bigger acts you may not normally see in St. Joseph, Missouri.”
He said he strongly believes everyone will enjoy the show.
“Regardless if you are really into aviation, it is something you really need to see,” Compton said. “The reason why the United States Air Force is so big on doing airshows is because we want to interact with the people we support and take care of every day.”
Compton highlighted the importance of community and giving back.
“For the 139th Airlift Wing, really proud members of the city and in the local community, we want to make sure we are putting all that iron on display that you guys are paying for and that you have us training in,” Compton said. “This airshow is really a unique one in St. Joseph because it’s a partnership. We are really proud of that unique community partnership that we have here in the Midwest.”
