Arctic Thunder air show fills Anchorage skies with military planes this weekend

It will be a noisy weekend in the airspace over Anchorage.

The Arctic Thunder Open House running through Sunday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson will showcase military equipment to residents, including dozens of aircraft flying over town as part of demonstrations.

“The main reason we have these is to be transparent with the public,” said Col. Charles Schuck, commander of the 3rd Wing at JBER. “The public, their taxes go to the (Defense Department) budget, and it’s an opportunity ... for us to show our ability to use our war machines and to show you what we do.”

The event takes place every two years, and hosts thousands of spectators on base to watch several hours of flying demonstrations from a wide range of fighter jets, cargo planes and civilian aircraft.

Ahead of the weekend was a “rehearsal day” for service members and their families to watch a team of four Air Force Thunderbirds zoom and maneuver overhead. Up and down the tarmac were dozens of military planes parked for visitors to get close to, from hulking cargo ships to high-tech F-35s.

A large team from the German Air Force has been training at JBER this summer and is flying several of their PA-200 Tornado fighters over the weekend as part of the air show.

“In Germany you can’t do this, because the terrain is not like here,” said Master Sgt. Tim von Luchow, part of the maintenance crew for the Tornados, speaking of the low-level flight trainings they’ve worked on in Alaska airspace.

In addition to the flight demonstrations, spectators will get a chance to see high-altitude jumps by the Golden Knights, the U.S. Army’s elite parachutists, as well as local airborne units taking part in a simulated airfield assault.

“The Arctic Thunder Open House is our opportunity to open our gates and show the local public what we do,” said Col. Lisa Mabbutt, who recently took over as JBER’s installation commander. “To show (them) what our air power and ground force capability is ... and get to the opportunity to stand side by side and look up and marvel at what we bring to the fight.”

The event also functions as a recruitment tool for the armed services.

“In order to be (an) all-volunteer (force), you have to inspire the new generation to serve,” Schuck said.

Admission to events on base Saturday and Sunday is free, though organizers encourage attendees to carpool.

A full schedule of events and demonstrations is available online at arcticthunderopenhouse.com. Gates open at 9 a.m. both days with opening ceremonies at 11:15 a.m. and demonstrations continuing through the afternoon.