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The Sky's The Limit At AirFest

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By VALERIE KALFRIN

vkalfrin@tampatrib.com

Published: March 29, 2009

TAMPA - Alexis Ngo of New Port Richey marveled at how she and a friend squeezed into the gun compartment on a B-25 Mitchell bomber named Panchito at MacDill Air Force Base on Saturday.

"It's very small," said Ngo, 21. "We were imagining sitting 12 hours in that space. I don't know how they did it."

Panchito's pilot, Larry Kelley of the nonprofit organization Disabled American Veterans, told her how the World War II-era aircraft was used in ground attacks. A Lockheed AC-130 gunship parked nearby "flies three times my speed and probably 100 times the firepower," said Kelley, who lives in Maryland.

Aviation history, military might and impressive stunts wowed hundreds of thousands of visitors to the base Saturday during AirFest, MacDill's annual air show.

Staff at the gates estimated about 450,000 people attended, based on vehicle parking, pedestrians and riders using the HART bus line, which had a temporary stop on the base.

The free event continues today.

Wind kept the U.S. Special Operations Command Parachute Team from performing Saturday, but other fliers took to the skies without trouble. Among them were a two-seated jet called the Red Knight T-33, which can reach speeds of 580 mph, and the T-6 Texan, another World War II aircraft that performed loops and rolls.

Although visitors were eager to see the aerial formations of the Air Force Thunderbirds, the large aircraft open for tours proved fascinating as well.

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