Breckenridge Texan

By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

This coming weekend, the skies over the Stephens County Airport will be filled with vintage aircraft for the 2024 Breckenridge Airshow, the first airshow here since 2018.

Rhonda Rogers Crawford, director of the Breckenridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that one of the big changes between this year’s airshow and those of the past is that this year both Saturday and Sunday will feature the same show, including the pyrotechnics. In the past, Saturday was often considered a practice day for many of the planes. But, no matter which day you attend this year, you’ll get the full show, Crawford said.

The headliner act this year will be “Tora! Tora! Tora!” with its pyrotechnics show simulating the bomb bursts and gun fire effects as the Commemorative Air Force recreates the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that signaled the beginning of the American involvement in World War II. The show also incorporates the Curtiss P-40N Warhawk to simulate one of the few American fighters that managed to get off the ground to meet the Japanese attackers.

As Crawford promotes the airshow, her enthusiasm is obvious to everyone within earshot. She grew up on Airport Road and her dad, the late Jeff Rogers, was a pilot.

“Having the exposure to the airplanes and the aviation community, even from the ground, really showed me a different culture,” she said. “Back then, you didn’t have the Internet, so maybe it was a little different, but all of these people from all around the world were coming into our small community and were exposing me to things that I had never heard of never seen…dialects, personalities…that I was exposed to as a child, and it really opened up my view of possibilities. And, even though aviation wasn’t something that I went into, I can contribute a lot of the experiences that I’ve had because of that foundation.”

It’s that type of experience, in addition to the entertainment element, that Crawford wants to bring to Breckenridge with the airshow. “That’s the whole reason why I fight every time we do an airshow to provide a free ticket to every student in BISD, which is a $30,000-plus investment. And I fight for that, personally, because I want those kids to come out, to have the opportunity to talk to a pilot, to hear (about their experiences).”

Some of the other activities happening with the airshow include a “Nerf Ball Bombing” by the B-25 Yellow Rose on both Saturday and Sunday. The Nerf balls will be dropped, and after it’s safe to do so, spectators will be allowed out onto the runway to collect (and keep) the balls.

On Saturday night, there will be a Twilight Photo Tour featuring the NextGen Eagles team, who will be firing up their engines for a few minutes so photographers in attendance can capture some vivid nighttime shots. There will be an extra fee for that experience.

Additionally, Dalton Swan, a Breckenridge High School graduate, is organizing a skydiving team to perform in the show, Crawford said. Other featured performers for the airshow include David Martin in his Breitling CAP 232 and a P-51 Mustang, Happy Jack’s Go-Buggy; Julia Wood with JT Airshows in her Pitts S-2B; Aarron Deliu, a professional Australian aerobatic pilot, international air show pilot, and a commercial business jet pilot; Stewart Dawson with his piston-engined warbird flying; Mark Mastren and his Super Stearman Biplane; the Commemorative Air Force Central Texas Wing’s B-25 Mitchell “Yellow Rose”; and more. For a more detailed list of the scheduled performers, click here.

There will be a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) area where attendees, especially kids, can talk to the pilots and even get a chance to watch the skydivers repack their gear.

The airshow will take place at the Stephens County Airport, located at, 622 County Road 150, south of Breckenridge, off of U.S. Highway 183.

Ticket prices to the event start with a $21 for a one-day general admission ticket per person, ages 6 years old and older, plus an additional $5 parking fee per vehicle. The general admission tickets do not include a seating area, and attendees are encouraged to bring folding chairs, blankets, etc., for their family to sit on. Children under age 6 will be admitted free. Additionally, U.S. Military veterans and active military members will be admitted for free.

There also are weekend passes ($36) for entrance on both days, and premium seating packages ($75 per day, per person age 13 and older), which offer a reserved seating area, access to shaded hanger seating, convenient restroom access and more.

To purchase tickets online, including additional ticket options not listed here, visit the Breckenridge Airshow ticket webpage. Tickets may also be purchased at the gate for an additional fee.

Attending the Breckenridge Airshow comes with some responsibilities, and there is a list of things that attendees can and cannot bring:

• Do not bring food, drinks, coolers (unless a documented medical condition for any of those three items can be shown). Also not allowed: weapons, drones, laser pointers, large umbrellas, portable awnings/tents, alcohol, pets (certified service animals are permitted), bicycles, skateboards, scooters, inline skates, personal golf carts, side-by-sides, ATVs and more. Click here for a complete list.
• Items that are allowed: lawn/folding chairs, blankets, small bags (for sunscreen, money, etc.), small umbrella, wagon, backpack, camera, ear protection, and portable phone chargers (there will be no charging stations at the air show). Care items for infants will be allowed, including strollers and baby food.
• Attendees are also encouraged to bring sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, as well as cash or credit cards to make purchases at the concession stands.

All carry-in items and persons are subject to search, and all unattended bags and items will be removed from the premises.

The basic schedule for the Breckenridge Airshow will be:

Saturday, May 25

• 7:30 a.m. – Parking lots open
• 9:00 a.m. – Gates open to general public
• 12 – 4 p.m. – Aerial performances (The show does not release specific times for each performer because they can change.)
• 5:00 p.m. – Gates closed
• 7:45 p.m. – Twilight photo tour begins

Sunday, May 26

• 7:30 a.m. – Parking lots open
• 9:00 a.m. – Gates open to general public
• 12 – 4 p.m. – Aerial performances (The show does not release specific times for each performer because they can change.)
• 5:00 p.m. – Gates closed

The Breckenridge Airshow was originally put on in Stephens County from 1977 to 1996. Then, after a 21-year break, it was resurrected in 2017 and 2018. After the COVID-19 pandemic led to another delay, the airshow is back on schedule to take place every two years, Crawford said.

For more information about the 2024 Breckenridge Airshow, visit the website or Facebook page.

Cutline, top photo: Planes race across the sky at the 2018 Breckenridge Airshow. This year’s airshow will be May 25-26. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)