DAYTON — An estimated 44,000 people attended the 43rd annual Vectren Dayton Air Show Presented by Kroger held at Dayton International Airport this weekend.

Attendance was down approximately 30 percent due to the cancellation of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. The team canceled after experiencing a mishap with one of their F-16 Fighting Falcon jets on Friday.

Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Cindy also impacted the show leaving its parking lots unusable. Alternate paved parking was developed but was further away requiring shuttling which slowed down ingress and egress for some spectators.

Despite the Thunderbirds cancellation and parking lot problems, the weekend weather was beautiful and thousands came out to see the lineup of the top aerobatic performers including the Air Force F-35 Lightning II and Navy F-18 Super Hornet. The show also had an impressive display of aircraft and other activities on the ground.

“The 2017 show lineup was simply awesome even with the loss of the Thunderbirds. We were pleased with the number of people that attended,” stated Michael Emoff, Chairman of the United States Air & Trade Show Board of Trustees producers of the event. “Our thanks to the dedicated spectators, sponsors and volunteers for their support of the show.”

Plans are already underway for the 2018 show on June 23 and 24 featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Information on the 2018 show will be available soon at daytonairshow.com.