Operation Thanks From Above Airshow to take on drive-in style this year

GENESEO, N.Y. (WHEC) — The Operation Thanks From Above Airshow is ready for takeoff this weekend in Geneseo, but the event will be run very differently this year due to COVID-19 precautions.

The National Warplane Museum is adopting a drive-in theater style model for the airshow this Saturday and Sunday.

Attendees will park in rows at the flight line. Each vehicle will be assigned a private 20’ x 20’ viewing area with a 5-foot safe zone between each viewing area.

That safe zone is intended to help guests access the portable restrooms and larger driving rows.

The airshow says masks are no longer required at outdoor venues for guests who are fully vaccinated, and it recommends that unvaccinated guests wear a mask whenever they’re outside their private viewing area.

It’s also asking that guests wear masks in the restrooms while buying food and while inside the National Warplane Museum and the gift shop in Swanson Hall.

Spaces will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis with different sections broken down into red, blue, green or teal areas. The teal area is for vehicles with handicap parking permits and oversized vehicles, defined as more than 84” tall and more than 20 feet in length.

The airshow says each pass only buys one spot, so groups arriving in separate vehicles will need to be in line with each other when they arrive in order to park next to one another.

The airshow is also allowing limited on grounds camping in a specified area only. It’s away from the drive-in viewing area but the museum says it still has a great view of the airshow.

The National Warplane Museum has a list of answers to frequently asked questions available here.

Tickets are being sold online only this year. Click here to buy them.