The National Defense Authorization Act being finalized in Congress includes language about the use of military aircraft in air shows. Congress wants a report from DOD on the impact the shows have on recruitment and readiness, according to Military.com.
The bill, which has passed the House and is pending in the Senate, would also establish a one-year pilot program to participate in at least five air shows “in rural or small market areas across the country for the purpose of providing the public with positive exposure to the armed forces,” according to the bill language.
The International Council of Air Shows helped push for the language to bring demonstration teams to rural areas.
“The people of South Dakota or eastern Washington State or southwest Virginia have just as much of a right to see those assets and remind them of what our military is about as anybody that lives in a more urban location,” John Cudahy, the council’s president, told Military.com.
Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Gavin Hameed