06/14/2026
Airport Day is also what you don't see behind the scenes. A true community effort to ensure safety for the performers and our guests. For months we have been working on safety and emergency plans with SkyCommand Air Boss (Trey Brown), City of Norwich Fire Department, Chenango County Office of Emergency Services and the Civil Air Patrol New York Wing, among others.
Did you know we had an airboat on the Chenango River and another boat on Mead's Pond? (Thanks Oliver's Campers!) There were also fire personnel with emergency vehicles on the east side of the river on County Road 32. All just in case...
Everyone, including other aircraft organizations, took part in a safety briefing at 8:00am with SkyCommand, the FAA and Warbird Thunder Airshows to go over what was expected. Personnel were also asked to look at the aircrafts to ask questions about where fuel shut offs were, how to get the pilots out in case of emergency, and ask ANY questions they had about the aircrafts.
The fire trucks and ambulances hauling down the taxiway across the field to get to Matt from the Chenango County Planning Department in the Gator? That was a planned exercise where we had to respond within 60 seconds to an "emergency". (Matt was unharmed during this exercise, we promise!)
The Civil Air Patrol New York Wing was out on the apron helping us ensure our guests stayed away from any moving aircraft and the crowd line. They also were the color bearers for the National Anthem. If you have kids looking to get into aviation or the US Armed Forces, check them out!
We thank you and recognize you all for your service to not only Airport Day, but for your day-to-day contributions to our communities.
