EL PASO, Texas — After a one-year absence, the Amigo Airsho was back over El Paso, Texas, this weekend, drawing crowds to Biggs Army Airfield on Fort Bliss for two days of flying on Oct. 24 and 25.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels headlined the lineup, and the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team also performed. Gates opened at 9 a.m. on Sunday, and the flying ran between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Fort Bliss garrison commander Col. Michael V. Soyka said the weekend capped two years of planning by his team, and that the aim was to give families memories that last a lifetime. Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, who commands the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss, welcomed the community onto the post and noted this was the 33rd time the event has been held.
Overhead, the program mixed modern fighters and helicopters with aircraft from decades past. The Commemorative Air Force flew its C-47, the aircraft that led the main airborne assault into Normandy on D-Day, while a Black Hawk carried a giant birthday cake display marking the country’s 250th birthday, a theme that ran through the weekend.
The return was a big deal for the post and the city. The 2025 edition was scrapped when a federal government shutdown and furloughs hit, leaving the region without its signature fall air show for a year.
Civilian pilots Stephen Christopher and Todd Rudberg of Undaunted Airshows flew a two-plane aerobatic routine.
On the ground, visitors walked among aircraft and military vehicles, posed for pictures with a fighter jet and saw soldiers from the post show off their tanks. During one pass, the Undaunted pilots drew three smoke lines across the sky to help a local family announce that a baby boy is on the way.