Enjoy these 30 Photos of Historical Planes at Rose City Airfest

We are back from a long weekend full of barbecues, sunshine and fireworks. All of it was to celebrate the birthday of our country's independence. Our country is in a weird spot right now but that doesn't mean we can't look back and celebrate the great things about our nation. One Tyler event kicked off the holiday weekend by celebrating some aircraft that has dominated the air for several decades.

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Rose City Airfest took place on Friday, July 1, at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport in Tyler. This event started in 2021 and is a precursor to Thunder Over Cedar Creek Lake which is the largest airshow over the water in the country. Rose City Airfest is also the primary fundraiser for Camp V, an organization in Tyler designed to help military veterans in East Texas with VA Benefits, mental health and more.

The airshow featured the opportunity to ride in a couple of the aircraft on display including a B-29 Superfortress bomber. All of the aircraft that were part of the airshow were on display beforehand. This was the perfect time to get some pictures of the aircraft and get some "ohh's" and "ahh's" from kids and adults alike. Some of the planes were set up with their pilots to answer questions or get their autographs.

For me, I loved getting to see the two A-10 Warthogs on display. I have always loved those planes because of their unique design and the variety of weaponry available to them. Any mention of Russia will raise an eyebrow nowadays but it was cool having a couple of Russian Mig-17's flying in this airshow. One of those Migs is flown by Tylerite Randy Ball.

The airshow presented not only some great aerobatics but we learned some history of the different aircraft as they were flying during the show. Many in the crowd, including myself, were surprised to see that a plane could even do a NASCAR style burnout on the runway.

Rose City Airfest will be making a return next year around the 4th of July holiday. Make plans now to come out and kick off your holiday weekend.