Tuesday, February 3, 2026–9:20 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
We are just two months away from the 2026 Wings Over North Georgia Air Show.
The event is on Friday, April 3, and Saturday, April 4, at Rome’s Richard B. Russell Regional Airport, and will feature the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
According to John Cowman with JLC Airshow Management, the show is being held earlier this year after he got a phone call from a representative from the Thunderbirds.
“They said they would like to bring the Thunderbirds to Rome in April because they had a hole in their schedule, and they would like to fill it with Rome,” Cowman said. “I told them if they let me go ahead and announce the show as soon as possible, I’ll say yes to that. That’s kind of the way it came about.”
The Thunderbirds have performed at Wings Over North Georgia before, but unlike in years past, they will be able to land at the airport due to a recently completed runway extension.
“That is going to be a big plus for the community,” Cowman said. “Number one, from a visibility standpoint, and number two, it will be great for the airport because all of the operations with them will be out of Russell, so there will be a lot of fuel sales.”
Cowman explained why the Blue Angels were able to land in Rome and why the Thunderbirds, in the past, have not.
“The Navy builds their aircraft, if you could think about it this way, big wheels and big brakes to land on aircraft carriers,” he said. “The Air Force has little wheels and little brakes, so they have to have a longer runway.”
You can get more information and purchase tickets at wingsovernorthgeorgia.com.
