Video: As Recession Takes Grip, Air Show Industry Takes Off

Air shows launch 2009 season preparing for record attendance as families seeks
low-cost, exciting entertainment.

LEESBURG, Va., March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- With each day delivering more news of
economic despair, the air show industry begins its 2009 season this month
under a sky of optimism, with all indicators pointing to an attendance surge
as families search for low-cost, high-value, local entertainment.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/icas/37520/

Initial reports on spectator attendance at the season's earliest air shows
suggest the optimism is well-founded. "The numbers are still coming in, but we
think it was the largest attendance in our 29-year history," said Fred
Buckingham, chairman of the Florida International Show, held March 21-22 in
Punta Gorda. Buckingham estimated 2009 attendance at 65,000, a substantial
increase of more than 18 percent over the previous record of 55,000.

"Families are cutting costs, but they're still looking for quality
entertainment," said John Cudahy, president of the International Council of
Air Shows. "That's why air show attendance spikes in a bad economy. Ticket
prices are low, but the entertainment value is high." Cudahy reported a 12 to
15 percent increase in air show attendance during 2008, which followed
patterns witnessed during 1980-1982 and 1990-1991 recessions.

Fueling the attendance increase are ticket prices that are a fraction of the
cost of other entertainment venues, such as amusement parks and professional
sporting events. "An air show ticket is closer in price to a movie ticket than
to a theme park or baseball game," said Cudahy. "Now, with gasoline prices
down and recessionary concerns putting other leisure options on hold, air
shows are an increasingly attractive option."

Once spectators arrive at air shows, they find a level of entertainment that
exceeds what they can get anywhere else, at any price: military demonstration
teams such as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds,
aerobatic performances by the world's most talented pilots, and a collection
of museum-quality, vintage aircraft that can only be seen flying at air shows.

"What's great about air shows is they showcase all that is good about our
country," said Bill Roach, who runs the Wings over Houston Airshow. "They're
exciting, patriotic, and educational. The variety of jets, vintage airplanes,
parachute acts, sailplanes, and ground acts ensures that there's something of
interest for everyone."

The Houston show was held in late October. Organizers expected an attendance
drop based both on the economy and the effects of Hurricane Ike, which had
decimated Texas weeks earlier. Instead, the show saw attendance climb to
record levels, a phenomenon reported across the nation, most noticeably in the
fall, after news of the economic downturn became particularly grim.

Between early April and mid-November, more than 10 million spectators will
attend more than 400 air shows from San Diego to New York City to British
Columbia to Miami.

SOURCE International Council of Air Shows

Jim Cudahy, Green Monster Marketing & Communications, +1-434-882-4736,
jim@greenmonstermarketing.com