Sebastion Sanchez, 10, gets an autograph from NAvy Pilot Mitch Lopes during CampV's 3rd Annual Rose City Airfest, on Friday June 30, 2023, in Tyler. (Michael Cavazos/News-Journal Photo)

The fourth annual Rose City Airfest will fly into Tyler Pounds Regional Airport on Saturday, giving East Texans a chance to watch planes engage in tricks, flips, dips and more high-flying action.

The annual event benefits CampV, a nonprofit organization in Tyler that provides East Texas veterans with counseling, support groups and assistance applying for federal benefits, among other services.

Show-goers will get to look at roughly 30 aircraft, said Mark Shaw, community engagement manager for CampV. Twenty-four food vendors will be on site as well. This year’s event will feature one of the rarest warbirds left in existence: a Messerschmitt 262, the first turbojet to see combat in World War II. The Nazis developed the craft, and few remain, Shaw said.

“If you’re a history buff and you want to see one up close, it’s going to be right there,” Shaw said. “You’re going to be able to look back to 1945 and look it straight in the face.”

The U.S. Air Force will bring an F-35 virtual reality flight simulator, which children and adults can have a shot at flying. The U.S. Navy also will bring an underwater robotics drone, which people will have a chance to operate as well.

The event will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, which took place June 6, 1944. Members of the Liberty Jump Team, a paratrooper reenactment squadron, will parachute from a Douglas C-47.

“If you’ve ever seen an episode of ‘Band of Brothers,’ it’s going to look just like that,” Shaw said.

Greg Koontz, an aerial acrobat, will fly, flip, dive, spin and more in his Xtreme Decathalon aircraft — “things that airplanes aren’t supposed to do,” Shaw said.

Also in the stunt performance realm will be Franklin’s Flying Circus, a show that’ll make the audience crack up, Shaw said. The routine begins on the ground, when the pilot jumps the airfield fence and pretends he’s stealing a plane. The humor takes wings from there.

A nine-plane acrobatic team will perform as well. In all, 14 acts will lift the crowd’s eyes skyward. Some acts and the appearance of some aircraft, however, are subject to change, Shaw said.

People can go online to purchase a ride in three historic retired U.S. Air Force planes: a B-25 named “Devil Dog,” a C-45 named “Little Raider” and an SNJ-5.

“The weather looks like it’s going to be exemplary,” Shaw said. “I think everybody’s going to enjoy themselves, and it’s a family-oriented event that’s just a great way to get out.”

The air show will take place at the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum, 150 Airport Blvd. at the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. Parking will open at 9 am., and gates open at 10 a.m. The air show begins at 3 p.m.

Tickets for adults cost $35 if purchased before the show, and they cost $5 for children ages 12 to 5. Children ages 5 and under get in for free.

To purchase tickets for the show and tickets to ride in a historic plane, visit https://tinyurl.com/rosecityairfest2024.

Shaw said CampV continues to serve record-breaking numbers of veterans. The organization has been serving an average of 650 veterans per month but served 720 in August. All of the organization’s money goes toward helping veterans, Shaw said.