JBLM airshow is back after 7 years and will feature Thunderbirds, B-17, car show
The Joint Base Lewis-McChord Airshow & Warrior Expo is back this month with over a dozen performances.
The airshow returns after a seven-year hiatus that partly was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After not having an airshow for seven years, we felt it was very important to bring the airshow back in 2023,” the JBLM Public Affairs Department said in an email to The News Tribune. “The JBLM Airshow & Warrior Expo is a great way to thank the Puget Sound community for their support of Service members and military families.“
The airshow will be held on Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the JBLM McChord Field. Flying will begin at 11:30 a.m.
The event will feature aerial acts from the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Army helicopters, a B-17 Flying Fortress as well as a live historical reenactment of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. There will be more than 60 Air Force, Army and civilian aircraft and ground vehicles on static display.
The airshow will celebrate “50 years of women in modern military aviation and 30 years of women in combat aviation,” according to the JBLM Airshow and Warrior Expo website.
Female service members will be flying many of the aircraft in the show, and they will be present at many of the static displays to talk about the military equipment on display.
Unlike past shows, this year’s event will have a car show, a kid’s zone and the U.S. Army Corps Band.
Seating Upgrades
Entrance to the airshow is free, but upgrades to the Air Show Network VIP experience are available for purchase.
The premium box seats are $50 each and include seating directly on the flight line, dedicated portable toilets and concessions.
Premium box seats will not be under shade, but shade tents will be available at the back of the seating area.
The Flight Line Club seats are $300 for a reserved table for two people and $600 for a reserved table for four people. Tickets include front-line seating in an exclusive viewing area, catered lunch, unlimited refreshments and private restrooms.
Parking
There will be three off-base parking lots with bus shuttles people can use to get to JBLM. The shuttles are free and start running at 9 a.m.
Bus Shuttle locations:
JBLM DuPont Gate, I-5 Exit 119, Kaufman Ave.
Sound Transit Lakewood Station, 11424 Pacific Highway SW
State Route 512 park-and-ride, 10617 S. Tacoma Way
People also can drive to JBLM, but parking is limited. Entrance to the on-site parking will be at the McChord Field Gate.
There will be two on-base bus shuttles for Department of Defense ID holders to use to get to the airshow. The buses are free and will start running at 9 a.m.
Bus shuttle locations:
Madigan Army Medical Center, 9040 Jackson Ave.
Logistics Center, Rainier Drive, Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
DOD ID holders will be able to park at the on-site parking at JBLM. Access to the on-site parking will be at the McChord Field Barnes Gate from Perimeter Road. Additional on-site parking will be in any open parking lot on McChord Field south of Colonel Joe Jackson Boulevard. A shuttle bus will be available on Colonel Joe Jackson Boulevard that will go to the airshow entrance.
Gates will close at 2:30 p.m. for inbound traffic into the JBLM McChord Field.
Anyone 16 and older will need a valid photo ID to enter the event.
This story was originally published July 10, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
