ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The planes continue to arrive for the Rochester Air Show this weekend.
The teams here at the airport have been planning for more than a year to welcome not only the Thunderbirds but more than a dozen other planes.
While the crowds will be excited by the roar overhead, there will be legions of folks on the ground working to ensure those planes and the people on them are safe.
“We meet with each individual performer and go over their specific aircraft and any specialized hazards that we might see during the air show,” said Jason Klein, chief of the Rochester Airport Fire Department.
The Rochester Airport firefighters will have all hands on deck this weekend.
“We have 22 at the Rochester airport staff and then we rely on the City of Rochester for additional resources from the Gates Fire District, Chili Fire Department, Mumford, Penfield, Fairport, a lot of our mutual aid partners help so our overall staffing levels are more than 50 members on site,” Klein said.
Air traffic control and the air boss for the air show coordinate who flies when.
“We have everyone on site so they’re engaged around the airfield, we also maintain our normal FAA required index so that the commercial traffic can operate as normal,” Klein said.
Then there are the thousands of spectators on and around the tarmac. There is little shelter in the area so crews have to keep a close eye on the weather.
“We have members assigned to the crowd and we also work with our local medical team to make sure that we have ambulances on site,” Klein said.
The air show kicks off Saturday. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. and flying begins at 10:30 a.m. General admission is $45 for adults and kids under 13 are free.
For tickets to the airshow, click here.
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