TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
A Precision Exotics McLaren takes on a stunt plane in a high-speed “car vs. plane” runway race similar to what audiences will experience at the TXK Airshow on June 27.
B efore the first jet ever streaks across the Texarkana sky on June 27, there will be a feeling in the air, sparked by excitement, the kind that stirs memories and makes people stop and look up. For one day, the rumble of engines and the sight of aircraft soaring overhead will transform Texarkana. It will become a celebration of the American spirit, hometown pride, and the wonder that can still make a child dream bigger than the horizon. As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, few events capture the heart of patriotism quite like watching an airshow. For Brandon Sanders, Director of Aviation at Texarkana College (TC), the return of the airshow feels like a homecoming for a city that once stood proudly on the aviation map. “Texarkana has a long and proud aviation history that has largely been forgotten since the 1990s,” Sanders said. “Local pilots have set world records, including Dr. Bookout’s speed records in his Cherokee Six. Ross Perot Jr. also became the first person to circumnavigate the world in a helicopter, adding to Texarkana’s impressive list of aviation achievements.” For decades, Texarkana was known as a premier aviation destination. In the 1970s and ‘80s, crowds gathered to watch the Blue Angels and Army Golden Knights perform dazzling routines overhead. Then storms, airport damage, and setbacks slowly silenced the tradition. “After that, there was little appetite to try again,” Sanders said. “Until now.”
Brandon Sanders, Director of Aviation at Texarkana College, stands inside the TC aviation hangar, home to the college’s growing aviation program.
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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