T-28 Warbirds and Golden Knights' plane on display at local airport

SHELBY, NC – July 24, 2023 – The pilots of three T-28 warbirds will have their vintage aircraft on display at the Shelby-Cleveland County Regional Airport, 830 College Avenue, 9-11 AM Saturday, Aug. 12, as part of their participation in the 2023 American Legion World Series (ALWS). The pilots will perform flyovers at Keeter Stadium every day of the ALWS, scheduled for Aug. 10-15.

At the airport, the pilots and their planes will be joined by the members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team and their plane. The Golden Knights are scheduled for a 35-minute performance at Keeter Stadium at 6:00 PM Saturday, USAA Military Appreciation Day.

Also meeting the public at the airport will be the 10 members of the Blaze Battalion JROTC, an award-winning unit from Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Blaze Battalion will be making its third consecutive ALWS visit and will post the colors at all games Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

“In 2022, the Blaze Battalion members rubbed down the planes to make them shine before people arrived,” says Eddie Holbrook, chairman of the local ALWS committee. “It was impressive. The pilots of the T-28s treated children to a few minutes in the pilot’s seat of one of the planes. The kids loved it. I’m looking forward to everyone’s reaction to the Golden Knights and their plane this year.”

The U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps used various models of the T-28 as trainers beginning in the 1950s; the military took the planes out of service as trainers in the 1980s. The planes also were used as counter-insurgency aircraft, primarily during the Vietnam War. The T-28s are among the fastest propeller-driven airplanes ever built.

The Golden Knights may make the trip from Fort Liberty in a Fokker C-31A Troopship jump aircraft or a UV-18C Twin Otter Series 400 made by Viking.