The Airshow of the Cascades has been thrilling audiences with spectacular displays in the sky for a quarter of a century. This year’s show will feature two new acts. The Patriot Jet Team will have six roaring jets flying in formation, doing loops. Rick Allen, one of the organizers, says the last time a jet team performed in Oregon was when the Thunderbirds were in Redmond in the mid-80s. Allen says the Patriot Jets usually perform at major airshows like San Francisco and Seattle, so getting them to Madras is a coup.
“They were the airplanes that flew in “Top Gun Maverick,” and the public doesn’t understand it, because in the movie you see airplanes doing all this stuff and you’ve got Tom Cruise flying a jet. Well, the other airplanes that are darting in front of them were the Patriots,” Allen says. The Patriot Jet Team will perform both days of the airshow which is August 22-23.
Also new this year is Wingwalker Sam. She’ll stand on the wing of a bi-plane performing a trust walk while the plane does a smoke-on aerobatic sequence. Warbirds from World War II will also be flying, including the B-17 Flying Fortress, P-51 Mustang and a German fighter plane.
The Airshow of the Cascades was born from a longstanding tradition in the 1970s when hobbyist pilots would fly friends and family into Madras for an annual social gathering. It eventually grew into the airshow in the year 2000 which now draws about 10,000 people per day.
The event is an opportunity to get close enough to touch historic planes. Ticket holders will have admission to the Erickson Aircraft Collection which is the largest private collection of ‘flying’ warbirds in the country. For an extra fee, individuals can fly in one of the historic planes.
This year, the air show will be the only opportunity to see the plane collection. The museum closed this spring and will remain closed all summer due to an increased demand for mechanical work on war planes.
“It’s such a specialized deal that other people with war birds in the country were looking for mechanics and so one brought their plane up and said, ‘Here, you guys rehab it.’ They did well, then another plane came. So, what’s happened? They’ve now got a booming repair business of war birds,” Allen explains. The Erickson Collection will be open Aug. 22-23 but will likely close again after that.
Other entertainment will include a Friday night firework show, a motorcycle stunt man from Montana, live music and a classic car show. For those not wanting to drive back and forth, RV and tent campsites can be reserved at $50/$40 per night. There are no electricity or water/sewer hookups. Pets are not allowed.
Allen has been involved in the Airshow of the Cascades since day one. “I think what sticks in my mind is the excitement of those who attend and to see what I call cross generations. It really is something that people of all ages love.”
This article appears in Source Weekly June 12, 2025.
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