The 2023 Moses Lake Air Show had all the traditional elements of an air show: Snarling warbirds, modern jets, and vintage aircraft adorning the ramp at Grant County International Airport (KMWH) in Washington.
But the show, held June 17-18, also had a decided eye to the future, featuring electric aircraft and elements designed to attract a younger crowd, including a display of radio-controlled aircraft that fascinated the kids at the show.
Young families are among the new patrons the air show organizers are hoping to attract to this growing aviation event, according to Terry Quick, air show director.
He’s also seeking patrons who are willing to travel for more than 50 miles for an air show.
Of course, traditional air show viewers from Moses Lake and the surrounding agricultural bastion of central Washington are welcome, but organizers want to keep the show’s annual growth climbing.
The statistics Quick shares are encouraging: Starting in 2019, the Moses Lake event has grown in attendance by about 20% each year it has been held, with 2023 coming in at about 16% above last year’s show.
According to preliminary number crunching, 80% of the online ticket purchasers this year came from zip codes at least 50 miles away, he says. And from final 2022 show statistics, he says 32% of the tickets last year were for attendees coming from at least 100 miles away.
Quick is adamant about the need to attract new demographics as the traditional attendee contingent for air shows grows ever older.
“You know the air show crowd is aging out in general,” he says. “We are trying to reverse that trend. You saw we had lots of young families and we are hoping to increase that with more activities around STEAM.”
A STEAM Camp — Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math — was buzzing with activity during the two days of the air show.
Also new this year was a 1,250-foot mat runway for radio-controlled aircraft in front of the show line, not far from the STEAM activities. In the morning, before piloted aircraft events started, a host of intriguing and colorful sub-scale radio control machines leapt off the mat runway and performed for an audience that Quick observed included many fascinated children.
The ambience at the Moses Lake Air Show is an interesting blend of experiences. Set in the agricultural heart of Washington state, the bucolic scene is overlayed by the vast paved runways and taxiways of the former Larson Air Force Base, a successful civilian conversion that hosts many Boeing jetliners before delivery to customers.
Flight test activity, by Boeing as well as other aviation developers, brings its own brand of nerdiness along with a work ethic that seems quite at home beside the generations-old farms of the region.
The air show reflects this diverse activity, as Boeing jets, sometimes still in green protective wrap, take off for check flights during pauses in the show schedule.
Other vital interruptions saw the launch of four firefighting air tankers from Moses Lake to combat a blaze far off.
The 2023 show also featured the U.S. air show debut of Jerry Conley’s vintage deHavilland Vampire jet fighter in Swiss markings over silver paint.
On Saturday, four Marine F-35s thrilled the air show crowds when they roared in for several high-speed passes above the airport before continuing on their way.
A ramp that included classics like the replica 1931 Bellanca “Miss Veedol” also hosted the debut of the futuristic prototype Eviation electric commuter aircraft.
It was the first look at the electric aircraft for many at the show. After its eight-minute first flight in September 2022 at Moses Lake, the Eviation Alice prototype has been hangared while company designers incorporate evolved features in the next airframe. Things learned from the prototype will lead to further drag reduction of the already sleek airframe, according to company officials.
“Every opportunity to reduce drag is great to increase range,” Eviation flight test operations manager James Maxwell said during the show.
For example, the twin pusher engines’ cooling inlets can be smaller on the next aircraft.
The prototype Alice was wrapped in DHL colors, as the air freight company is an enthusiastic launch customer for Eviation aircraft that could be used on 250-mile deliveries.
What does the future hold for the Moses Lake Air Show?
Quick relishes the possibilities the site’s new RC runway offers: “2024 will be our first effort at a stand-alone honest-to-goodness RC air show each morning before the main event.”
And he will be happy to compute how many people of what ages travel how far to see the up-and-coming Moses Lake Air Show’s offerings next year.
Next year’s show is slated for June 15-16, with Quick noting the show is always held over Father’s Day weekend.
More Photos From the 2023 Moses Lake Air Show
We’re hoping for a camping area for trailers and motorhomes .
Also part of the Moses Lake Air Show is the General Aviation Fly-In. We are working on growing this portion of the event. There is on-site camping available near the air field, a flyers breakfast is provided and we host a VIP dinner where you can meet the performers of the Air Show.