Skyfest – a tremendous success Published Aug. 18, 2008 By Col. Thomas Sharpy 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- I would first like to start by thanking the men and women of Team Fairchild, I could not be more proud of all the effort in making Skyfest 2008 an outstanding event. There were high expectations for the show, but they were exceeded in every way. I am eternally grateful for all the hard work and professionalism portrayed throughout the entire air show process, you rock! Skyfest success also demonstrated partnership between 141st Air Refueling Wing and the 92nd Air Refueling Wing. The dedication to the success of the air show by the men and women of the 141st was apparent. To that, thank you. The performances by the Blue Angels, The Golden Knights, F-22 Raptor, C-17 Globemaster, F-15 Eagle, KC-135 Stratotanker, among many other civilian performers was a sight to see. Team Fairchild would like to extend a genuine appreciation to all the Skyfest performers. This event was an opportunity to give the community a first-hand look at their military's forces and capabilities used to defend freedom. I can confidently say Team Fairchild demonstrated just that. Skyfest also could not be possible without the support from the public and our partners in the community. The Spokane community is legendary for its support of Fairchild, which is instrumental to our success. We truly live in a community of patriots here in the Inland Northwest. We hope that your Skyfest experience was unforgettable. A sincere "thank you" to Mayor Mary Verner, Congress woman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, the City and County of Spokane and to all those who shared in the Skyfest weekend with us. The two-day attendance was over 200,000. This exceeded our estimated total of 150,000, and shattered our previous record of 125,000. AWESOME!