Blue Angels pick Duluth, grounding Mankato's planned airshow

Mark Fischenich, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
·3 min read

Dec. 7—MANKATO — Mankato city officials had made their proposal, picked the dates (June 17-18, 2023) and even settled on a top choice for the wedding party (the Para-Commandos of the U.S. Special Operations Command).

But on Tuesday, those dashing Navy pilots who make up the Blue Angels left Mankato's Minnesota Air Spectacular standing at the apron, opting instead for the Duluth Airshow for their Upper Midwest performance in 2023.

"We're disappointed and we hope to host it again in the future," said Mankato City Manager Susan Arntz.

Both Arntz and Public Works Director Jeff Johnson, who oversees the local airport, had been reading the writing on the terminal wall in recent weeks. The schedule for the elite precision flying teams are announced in December each year for the season beginning 13 months later during the convention of the International Council of Air Shows in Las Vegas. If a city is going to be selected, it's typically given a heads-up so a sizable contingent can be on hand at the convention, Johnson said.

The city also knew it was facing tough competition for the Blue Angels, which were the city's preference because the Air Force Thunderbirds had been the featured performers at the previous two Minnesota Air Spectacular shows at the Mankato Regional Airport in 2019 and 2015. The Thunderbirds were also the headliners for shows in 1999 and 2003. The Blue Angels last performed locally in 2012.

Those teams are critical in drawing big crowds to an airshow. So without a headliner, there will be no show in 2023.

Arntz said the city might make another request to the Blue Angels for a show in 2024.

"I would anticipate we will, but it's just too early to speak," she said.

A decision, which will need to be made in the first half of 2022, depends partly on the willingness of airshow committee members to commit to the time-consuming organizational tasks involved. Two men in particular could be critical. Mark Knoff of MRK Consulting has served as the paid airshow director for the last several shows, and retired businessman and aviation enthusiast Fred Lutz has been instrumental in coordinating donations and sponsorships.

Another potential complicating factor is Mankato's effort to build an air traffic control tower at the increasingly busy airport, something the Federal Aviation Administration appears likely to approve.

"If we're sitting with a pile of construction at the airport, that's something we'd have to consider as well," Arntz said of the timing of the next show.

Because gaining authorization and funding for a control tower is a multi-step process, the city's consultant and the FAA have both indicated construction is not likely before 2026, she said.

Although the City Council appeared enthusiastic last summer about pursuing a 2023 airshow, council members received notice from the Mankato Airport Commission last month that they were only one of a slew of suitors for the Blue Angels.

"It was noted that Sioux Falls, Duluth, Fargo, La Crosse and Mankato are all looking at hosting the Blue Angels for a jet team anchor for a potential airshow in 2023," the commission reported in meeting minutes forwarded to the council.

Only Duluth was ultimately selected among those cities for its two-day airshow starting July 15, 2023. The Blue Angels will be performing next summer in Eau Claire (June 4-5), and the Thunderbirds will be in Duluth on July 16-17.