Huge crowds for 1st day of NE Air Show

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - More than 110,000  visitors made their way into Chicopee Saturday for day 1 of the Great New England Air Show.

The beautiful sunrise over Westover Air Reserve Base was just the calm before an exciting storm Saturday.

The gates opened at 8:30 and the crowds poured in for the Great New England Air Show. Many spectators have never seen aircraft like these up close. Others know Westover quite well.

“I worked out here at Westover for 34 years and I retired two years ago. This guy here I take him all the time on the base just to see the airplanes,” said Bill Fagan of Chicopee.

There are more aircraft here this weekend than in years passed, which means the crowd at this year’s Great New England Air Show won’t see the same things twice.

The Great New England Air Show holds a lot of history, and many of the most passionate spectators are our country’s proud veterans.

“I was interested to see how far they came from 1950 to today. It’s been a long time. I’ve got a lot of fond memories,” said Leon Chisholm of Chicopee.

And while there’s no doubt everyone comes to see the planes, the show is also a special chance to get to know the people who fly them.

“Admiring our young men and women in uniform. We’ve got a lot of great people out there serving our country and it’s nice to appreciate them,” said Dave Gessert of Wellingford, CT.

And with crowds this huge, it’s pretty clear just how appreciated our servicemen and women really are.