How do you rate an airshow? Some would probably say the aerial acts. What's an airshow without a good show in the air? Some would put forward the food vendors as a gauge of a good show; not necessarily the main gauge, but an important one. A few of you might even say that without ground acts, the show is not as exciting. If you've ever seen the fire breathing Shockwave Jet Truck, you know what I mean.

Recently I attended the America's Freedom Fest in Goshen Indiana (KGSH). They never fail to impress. I arrived early, getting there in time for the Rotors 'n Ribs Fly In event. This was the first year that the airshow and the fly in were combined.

Rotors 'n Ribs is one of the nation's largest helicopter fly ins, and last year it was held the day before the airshow. This year they decided to capitalize on the attraction for the airshow. The helicopter crowd gained a full-on airshow as part of their event. And the airshow crowd got to see exciting displays of helicopter capabilities from a wide variety of rotorcraft. Trainers, passenger carriers, business choppers, troop transports, and attack helicopters were all on display. And not content to be static, the helicopters got up close and personal with battle demonstrations, skydiver drops, aerial firefighting, and even a head to head race with a Porsche 918.

The day started with a quick walk around the airshow grounds in time to see one of Purdue's planes arrive. Then it was off to entertaining and interesting talks from Randy Sharkey, manager of the Goshen Air Center, Chuck Surack, founder and owner of Sweetwater Sound, and Stan Rose, founder of Helicopter Safety Alliance. I can't even imagine the flight experience represented by these three gentlemen. After "learning how to crash a helicopter" from Mr. Rose, it was on to enjoy some ribs from Tony's out of Findlay Ohio. We're already talking of flying over for round two.

Of course, flight is the focus, and this airshow properly puts that on display. From the national anthem and "God Bless America," to the entry of the flag bearing skydivers, the opening ceremony had us spellbound.

It didn't take long for the energy to ramp up with a mix of high energy aerobatic acts and old school barnstorming hijinks from Susan Dacy in Big Red.

Trainers were on display and flying at the airshow. The classics were present in the old yellow Stearmans and the T-6 advanced trainer. A trainer was also there from my alma mater, Purdue University.

The warbird flights included high horsepower new and old, as well as both international and unique. MiG fighters regularly make appearances at airshows, but they can rarely do more than fly past the crowd. This MiG pilot has permission to do aerobatic displays in his Cold War jet, and he thrilled the crowd as he put his "engine with wings" through its paces.

How many of you have seen an actual bombing run? Not too many, I'm sure. Alright, so it was candy bombing, but no less impressive when you know the history behind the C-56 Candy Bomber. Truly a unique display!

Not the sort of crowd to put on a short show, the folks at America's Freedom Fest continue to celebrate our freedoms and salute our service men and women into the evening hours. Several performers, military and civilian, put on dusk shows to keep the action going.

And of course, the pride of the America's Freedom Fest is their fireworks that last for over thirty minutes to a plethora of patriotic and Americana tunes.

So how would I rate an airshow? By the class and caliber of the airshow organizers, staff, and volunteers. As the evening settled in, I witnessed probably the most classy and honoring act ever. These folks had already put on a great show and the fireworks were about to commence. The sun had set, the glow on the horizon was dimming, and the announcer said we'd be just a little delayed on the start of the fireworks. It seems the Raptor demonstration pilot had heard about the amazing fireworks and wanted to see them for himself. Well, for all of its abilities, an F-22 just needs more than Goshen's 6,000 ft of runway. And Battle Creek was too far away to drive back for the fireworks. But never fear, the organizers of this event take it to heart when they say the purpose of the show is to honor those who serve our nation and ensure our freedoms continue. The Agusta that earlier raced a Porsche showed who was the real winner, and quicker than you could get a ticket in the Porsche, the helicopter had gone to KBTL, picked up "Loco" and his teammates, and had them on the ground back at KGSH to see first-hand the spectacle that is the night show at America's Freedom Fest. With no small sacrifice of their own, the show organizers had made sure that some of the folks we were there to honor, folks who sacrifice their time and their lives for our freedoms, were honored indeed. Happy airshow season everybody, may your skies be clear, your winds favorable, and your airshow experiences awe inspiring.