Air Show Coming To Tulsa International Airport In April

By Emory Bryan, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- It has been more than 13 years since the city of Tulsa has seen an air show. 

During a news conference Tuesday morning, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum announced the Tulsa Air and Rocket Racing Show on April 24 at the Tulsa International Airport. 

TASM, along with QuikTrip, will be hosting the event with all proceeds to benefit the museum's educational initiatives. 

One of those initiatives is to acquire a retired NASA space shuttle for permanent display at the museum at the north end of the airport. 

7/23/2009 Related story: Herrington Named To Head Tulsa Shuttle Effort 

Exotic "rocket planes" will fly over Tulsa this April in the first demonstration race of the Rocket Racing League. 

It's a new concept in racing using privately developed, rocket boosted aircraft. 

They have only flown publicly a few times and only with one plane at a time. 

While The News on 6 has learned Tulsa will be the first location for a race, the host, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, would not confirm the report but did say this:

"We're going to unveil a lot of new technology, and we'll have some capability that the Rocket Racing League will show publicly for the first time. We're going to fly rockets, that's what we're going to do," said Jim Bridenstine, Museum Director.

The April show is the biggest event planned so far by The Tulsa Air and Space Museum.

While the QuikTrip Air and Rocket Racing Show will feature more traditional air show acts, like wing walkers and acrobatics, the Rocket Racers are expected to attract people from all over.

"So the economic development opportunity is huge. Getting them here is half the battle and once we have them here, we have a good audience and we can showcase Tulsa and the opportunities that lie right in front of them," said Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett.

The museum's director says depending on the weather, 50,000 people might be expected for the afternoon air show. 

He's planning on it becoming an annual event.

"People don't realize how many people come to an air show," said Jim Bridenstine.

The air show will be on the west side of the airport, by the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, and commercial air traffic, according to the airport, will not be affected.

On April 24, the gates will open at 9:30 a.m. with the first act to get underway at noon. The rocket plane race will start at 3 p.m.

For more information on the air show, visit TASM's web site.