EDITORIAL: Return flight for Thunderbirds

Politics hurt Southern Nevada’s fragile economic recovery in the fall, thanks to the brief shutdown of Red Rock Canyon and Lake Mead and the cancellation of Nellis Air Force Base’s big Veterans Day weekend air show. This year, all could be normal in autumn. The Review-Journal’s Keith Rogers reported the good news Jan. 11 that the Thunderbirds are expected to perform at their home base Nov. 8 and 9, and that with a little more good fortune, the elite air squad will be part of a full Aviation Nation weekend at Nellis.

Last November’s Thunderbirds peformance and accompanying show were shelved because of inflexible sequester budget cuts and the rejection of viable solutions that would have allowed the shows to go on, here and elsewhere. Ventures were made to privately fund the events, but because of archaic regulations and politics, it didn’t happen. That cost the local economy an estimated $19 million, the projected impact of the weekend. The 2012 Aviation Nation show attracted 135,000 attendees, making it the largest free-admission event in the state.

For now, the base’s only commitment is to the hourlong Thunderbirds performances Nov. 8 and 9. “We are on schedule for an air show performance in November by the Thunderbirds,” Master Sgt. Jason Edwards, a Nellis spokesman, told Mr. Rogers. “We’re not 100 percent certain yet if it will be an open house like Aviation Nation. We are in the very early planning stages, and we’re hopeful for that.”

Now is as good a time as any for the Department of Defense to reach out to the private sector to help fund these shows. Last May, after the cancellation of the Thunderbirds and Aviation Nation shows, Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., proposed that the Air Force relax its rules restricting private contributions and corporate sponsorships of base events. That would allow base commanders to continue putting on public events such as air shows and open houses amid tighter military spending. So far, the idea hasn’t gone anywhere, but it should.

Such changes would save taxpayer money while providing a boost to the local economy. It’s a plan that can’t take flight soon enough — perhaps in time to guarantee a full weekend of activities at Nellis in November.