Sioux Falls, SD -- A KC-135R Stratotanker from the Iowa Air National Guard was featured at the 2023 Sioux Falls Airshow “Power on the Prairie” in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The airshow, held July 29 and 30, was hosted by the South Dakota Air National Guard’s 114th Fighter Wing and featured multiple performers including the United States Air Force’s demonstration team, the Thunderbirds.
The free event offered the public a unique opportunity to tour the KC-135 and talk with aircrew about the aircraft and its mission.
“It gives us an excellent opportunity to tell people what we do and why we do it, our community interactions and relations are extremely important, the support of the community enables us to do the mission day in and day out,” said Lt Col. Dallas Shearer, a pilot assigned to the 185th Air Refueling Wing.
Senior Airman John Bell, a Boom Operator with the unit said that many people were very interested in the aircraft and that as soon as the gates were open folks were in line to take the tour. Bell and the the other aircrew estimated that on Saturday alone approximately 2000 people made their way through the KC-135. The aircrew agreed that Stratotanker was a major attraction at the show and held one the longest lines to any aircraft featured at the airshow.
Captain Kevin Brown, a pilot with the 185th, also got to chat with attendees in the cockpit of the Stratotanker about the capabilities of the aircraft. Brown said that most visitors weren’t very familiar with the aircraft and asked questions about the types of missions the KC-135 preformed.
In addition to the KC-135 from the 185th Air Refueling Wing, the show featured 35 ground displays from multiple units and branches including F-16s, an A-10 Thunderbolt, a C-130 gunship and an F-18 Super Hornet.
According to a press release from the Sioux Falls Airshow, the air show named “Power on the Prairie” started in 1983 and marked the 12th airshow held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.