Winston-Salem Air Show Sees Growth Despite Funding Challenges

Thousands of people will visit Winston-Salem this Saturday & Sunday for the largest annual air show in the state. Attendance for the event has grown steadily over the past five years, and that's good news for the region.

Crowds gather ahead of the Winston-Salem Air Show; the runway at the Smith Reynolds airport, where a large B-17 Bomber from World War II is among several other aircrafts on display. Exhibitors are also busy setting up their tents in preparation for this weekend's event.

The scene is a lot different than it was seven years ago, when the show was canceled because of funding issues. This year's budget is around $600k thanks to donations, community support and a small grant from the county airport commission. Steve Flippin, director of the air show, says although the event is growing, it still faces some of those same challenges.

“The air show is not a big money maker, and we are constantly struggling just to keep it going," he says. "To really keep folks interested and coming out to our air show we really have to continually improve our ground activities. We will have close to 100 vendors and exhibitors and we have really tried to increase the appeal.”

Flippin says when weather conditions are right, anywhere from 30-40,000 people attend the two-day event. But more people means more dollars for the Triad.

Richard Geiger, president of Visit Winston-Salem, says people will stay in hotels, eat in local restaurants and shop. He says the event helps showcase the Triad's aerospace roots. “We do have companies like B/E Aerospace and Honda Jet who are major employers in the area, so one would think and hope that we have a dominant air show representing aircraft in the region."

According to estimates from airport officials, the Winston-Salem Air Show has an economic impact of anywhere from $3 to $6-million.