Quonset air show returning in 2020 after one-year hiatus


Spectators on the north end of Conanicut Island watch the U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform stunts during the 2014 air show at Quonset Point. PHOTO BY ANDREA VON HOHENLEITEN

Spectators on the north end of Conanicut Island watch the U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform stunts during the 2014 air show at Quonset Point. PHOTO BY ANDREA VON HOHENLEITEN

After a flightless 2019, the Rhode Island National Guard will host its 27th air show in Quonset during the final weekend of June.

The show will include a demo of the F-22 Raptor, a fifth-generation stealth tactical fighter developed by Lockheed Martin. Also featured will be a C-17 Globemaster, the U.S. Air Force Academy jump team, a World War II heritage flight, a Shockwave Jet Truck, the Geico Skytypers and Michael Goulian, a national-champion aerobic aviator.

In keeping with the show’s emphasis on military air capabilities, the event will feature the Rhode Island National Guard’s C-130J Super Hercules and UH-60 Blackhawks.

Since making its first appearance in 1992, the show has been canceled twice: in 2013 because of the budget sequestration and in 2019 due to the high number of deployments within the Rhode Island Air National Guard.

“This will be a particularly special occasion as our airmen have returned home from deployment,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Callahan, adjutant-general.

“We are thankful for their success overseas this past year and look forward to welcoming our community back to a beloved Rhode Island event.”