The Air Force has canceled its hugely popular summer air show this year, an event that typically draws tens of thousands of spectators annually to the hangars and runways of Elmendorf Air Force Base.
Military spokesmen said Tuesday that with the United States involved in wars in two countries, the Air Force can't afford the event this year. The cancellation is the second major military summer air show to be called off in Alaska in recent weeks.
Elmendorf's two-day display, which is called Arctic Thunder and includes fighter jets streaking across the skies, simulated assaults, parachute drops and aerobatic aircraft, is by far the most popular spectator event in Alaska. Last year it drew more than 150,000 people.
Canceling Arctic Thunder comes after months of agonizing over the decision, said Brig. Gen. Michael Snodgrass, Elmendorf's wing commander. It will save roughly $200,000 of the $15 million the base has been ordered to cut from its budget this fiscal year.
The budget for flying, operations and maintenance on Elmendorf is about $300 million.
The cuts must be made by Oct. 1, when the fiscal year will begin and a new budget will be in place.
Other measures being taken to close the gap include cutting vehicle maintenance costs or putting vehicles aside until fixing them can be paid for, Snodgrass said.
The Air Force is being asked to save $3.7 billion. In March, Gen. John Jumper, the Air Force chief of staff, ordered the cutbacks. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are eating up dollars, forcing all services to cut where they can. Nonmission-essential areas are to be eliminated first.
Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks also canceled the air show it had scheduled for this year. The show, which draws about 15,000 people, is a biennial event. Eielson's decision to cancel was also a factor for Elmendorf, because the two events share some costs of bringing acts to the state, Snodgrass said.
Other air shows at Air Force installations worldwide have been called off, including those planned at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, March Air Reserve Base in California, Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina and Royal Air Force Mildenhall in England.
"We are deeply saddened and disappointed we had to take this drastic step," Snodgrass said.
The show is put on for multiple reasons including bolstering community relations, showing the modern weapon capabilities of the Air Force and recruiting airmen. It has been an annual event in Anchorage since at least 1978, the last recorded date the base could confirm, said a military spokesperson. But the history of Elmendorf events designed to draw civilian visitors may go as far back as 1945.
This year it was scheduled for Aug. 13-14. The headliner was to be the U.S. Army Golden Knights, a parachute team that traces geometric patterns in the sky.
The city contributed $10,000 to the air show's budget last year. This year, Mayor Mark Begich made the same offer and was prepared to help with more, but Air Force rules say certain elements of the show must be funded by the Air Force, including fuel, flying time and military personnel time.
"The mayor wanted to keep it going," said spokesperson Julie Hasquet. "People just love the air show, and the mayor didn't want to see it go away. But ultimately the decision was federal. It was out of our hands."
Nance Larsen, spokeswoman for the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the event is a highlight of the Anchorage summer:
"It is a great way to connect with our military. ... It is great to introduce kids to science and aerospace. It is really spectacular."
"It is sad to hear it is going away," she said.
Snodgrass said he hopes the event will return in 2006.
"I'm not very good at predicting the future," he said. "But it is our intent to plan for another air show next year."
Daily News reporter Megan Holland can be reached at mrholland@adn.com.
