Military Pulls the Plug on Airshows

Stephen Pope

Friday, February 22, 2013 at 10:24 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The Air Force has canceled several upcoming airshows, including those at Luke, Langley, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Bases, due to looming sequestration budget cuts set to begin on March 1.
The Defense Department is preparing to halt all "non-essential" military flying, including performances by the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds, starting April 1 if budget cuts are not resolved.
These cancellations are a proactive measure to manage anticipated deep cuts in aviation, which could also lead to furloughs for civilian personnel and defense contractors.

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Facing looming sequestration budget cuts that are due to take effect on March 1, the Air Force has decided to cancel a number of popular upcoming airshows. At the same time, the Defense Department says it is prepared to put a halt to all “non-essential” military flying on April 1, including performances this year by the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds.

The upcoming airshows at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona (March 16-17), Langley Air Force Base in Virginia (May 3-5) and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina (May 18-19) all have been canceled due to the threat of sequestration cuts, the Air Force said.