TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
Members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights will perform patriotic parachute demonstrations during the Texarkana Airshow, including precision jumps carrying the American flag.
The airshow is being coordinated with the expertise of David Schultz Airshows, a nationally respected organization celebrating 33 years of service. The company has built its reputation around safety, precision, and professionalism, even earning recognition from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for extraordinary service. They were recognized in June 2013 as the first airshow company to receive the “FAA Regional Administrator’s Award for Extraordinary Service.” At David Schultz Airshows, everything revolves around safety. That same precision is what audiences will witness in the sky. “Many people seeking their pilot’s license struggle to fly around a point in a perfect circle or fly a perfect rectangle, both of which are required by the FAA to award someone a private license,” Sanders explained. “Typically, it takes 60 to 70 hours of practice to be able to do those maneuvers. What you see at the airshow is light-years beyond basic private pilot maneuvers. You have to look at each maneuver as a work of art that took literal years to perfect.” Sanders compares the performances to masterpieces hanging in museums. “Just like someone could be struck by the Mona Lisa or an original Norman Rockwell, a perfectly executed inverted loop happening simultaneously with three other aircraft is just as much a work of art and mastery.” That is what makes an airshow so special. It is patriotism. It is engineering. It is courage, precision, and imagination. It is history roaring overhead while future dreams take shape below. As America celebrates 250 years of independence this July, the Texarkana Airshow will serve as a reminder that our nation’s story has always been written by dreamers willing to look up. On June 27, thousands of eyes in Texarkana will do exactly that!
opportunity to see many of the different niches in aviation to help you envision where you fit in.” Sanders speaks about aviation not simply as a profession but as a lifelong calling. “Aviation matters to me about as much as water matters to a fish,” he said. “It’s not what I do, but very much a part of who I am.” He hopes the airshow will help connect Texarkana to greater opportunities and remind people that the city is ready to grow. “I want my two daughters to grow up in a community that is plugged into limitless opportunities,” he said. “Events like this connect Texarkana to a global network and signal to the rest of aviation that we are open for business.” City leaders agree. “The airshow is a great opportunity to bring people together to showcase Texarkana and, at the same time, create a positive economic and community impact for our region,” said David Orr, City Manager of Texarkana, Texas. Tyler Richards, City Manager for Texarkana, Arkansas, echoed these sentiments. “The 2026 airshow will be a tremendous opportunity for Texarkana to showcase our community as a great place to live, work and invest,” Richards said. “We are excited to show our visitors the pride and hospitality Texarkana offers.” Behind the scenes, the event has required enormous commitment to planning and safety. Sanders noted that the airshow safety and logistics committee has spent two years coordinating emergency response efforts, including on-site medical, law enforcement, airfield firefighters, and city firefighters. The Department of Homeland Security has provided cybersecurity assets to ensure we have a secure event. The airport conducted a mass casualty exercise earlier this year with TC students to stress-test the emergency response, where over 80 people were rendered care and evacuated. This event included every emergency response agency in our area.
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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