Arctic Thunder Open House returns to JBER this month

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - After spending more than one year planning, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson staff say they are excited to bring back the Thunderbirds’ F-16 Fighting Falcons, among other aerial demonstrations set for their annual Arctic Thunder Open House, July 20 and 21.

“All the intricacies, from bringing all the aircraft in on base, and all of the behind-the-scenes work, making sure everything is where it needs to be,” Capt. John Sadler, Chief of Ground Operations for Arctic Thunder Open House, said on Tuesday. “We’re working with almost every single agency on base, from the civil engineers to set up some of the snow fencing that you’re going to see out there, to security forces making sure the base is all defended, and also external entities that are going to be joining us on base visiting with their aircraft.”

In addition to the Thunderbirds’ F-16 Fighting Falcons, this year’s aerial show will also feature the Golden Knights U.S. Army Parachute Team, who have participated in more than 16,000 shows in all 50 U.S. states and 48 countries, averaging 60,000 spectators a show.

Capt. Sadler says the show will also feature something folks can only see in Alaska.

“The signature event that we have that is unique here to Alaska is our joint forces demonstration,” Sadler said. “So it’s not just an Air Force show.

“We also have our Army 11th Airborne Division partners here and together we go and we show a Joint Force demonstration, where it’s both of us together, showing off what we do together as a singular force.”

The theme for this year’s Arctic Thunder is “Honoring Legacy... Inspiring the Next Generation,” and Sadler hopes young people are motivated to serve their country.

“I actually personally come from a military family, I’ve had family members who have been in every single branch and so honoring legacy is part of that for me, of knowing my family and who have served and also joining them as the first Air Force member,” he said. “So I’m certainly part of that next generation as well. I’m still pretty new to this whole military thing, but it’s very important.”

Sadler says while eyes will be directed to the skies, there is also plenty to check out on the tarmac as well.

“What I’m most looking forward to the airshow is some of our ground displays,” Sadler said. “So we’re gonna have dozens of aircraft — not just from the Air Force, but also Army and some of our foreign allies — they’re all going to be all across the ramp fully there showing what they do.

“It’s not just gonna be, you know, from a distance, stuffy and see it from afar. The actual crews that fly these aircraft are going to be there to show you, tell you about and some of them, even go inside and see what it is to operate that aircraft.”

According to Sadler, roughly 100 vendors will be at Arctic Thunder this year with food and novelties available for purchase. There will also be a beer garden for adults and plenty of activities for children.

There is construction happening on base this year so parking will be somewhat limited. One of the runways that is normally reserved for vehicle parking is not available.

“So what we asked the community is to carpool as much as possible,” Sadler said. “Tell a friend, ask a neighbor, hey, I have space, can we drive together? That way, we can have the best chance possible to bring as many people as we can onto the base and enjoy this show all together.”

The 2024 Arctic Thunder Open House takes place all day on July 20 and 21. For more information on base access and parking, visit the Arctic Thunder Open House website. It’s also recommended those attending the event bring earplugs.

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