WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: Southern Heritage Air Show

Southern Heritage Air Show

It's called the Southern Heritage air show. It was organized by Dan Fordice, son of former governor Kirk Fordice.

Dan Fordice is part owner, with his brother Hunter Fordice of a construction company in Vicksburg. Both are aviation enthusiasts. Dan Fordice is building an aviation museum here.

The air show will feature a lot of North American T-6 Texan aircraft, which were used as trainers in World War II and a popular airplane for aerobatic maneuvers. The aeroshell aerobatic team, which was practicing Friday afternoon, is based out of Birmingham, Alabama, but used to fly out of Pocahuntas, Mississippi when it was known as the North American team, that performed many times at sky parade and other Mississippi airshows.

The airplanes will race a truck out of Springfield, Missouri, which is powered by a 12,000 horsepower jet engine. Admission is $10.00 for adults, $5.00 ages five to 15, under five free. Steve Gustafson of Tallulah, Louisiana is one of the pilots for the team.

"We have some really hard corps aerobatic pilots, some new up and coming guys that are just phenomenal, just awesome. Basically what we do is the same thing as the blue angels and the thunderbirds, except in propeller driven airplanes," says Steve Gustafson. 

The air show is from noon to four p.m. At the Vicksburg-Tallulah Regional Airport, which is in Mound, Louisiana, the second exit off of Interstate 20 westbound when you cross the Mississippi River bridge.