Air Force cancels Langley air show

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (WAVY) - The 2013 Air Power Over Hampton Roads Open House and Air Show scheduled for May has been canceled.

Scheduled for May 3 – 5, the show at Langley Air Force Base is being canceled due to the threat of sequestration.

“The Air Force has to consider the fiscal challenges affecting the Department of Defense and the nation,” Col. Korvin Auch, 633rd Air Base Wing commander said. “We’re taking prudent steps now in order to be good stewards of taxpayer resources while focusing on maintaining readiness.”

The Air Force said the decision to cancel the show was hard because the show is popular in the Hampton Roads area.

"The airmen and soldiers really looked forward to bringing it to the community," Capt. Matt Miller said. "You know it was a tough decision for the commander to make the decision to cut air power over Hampton Roads this year."

No future dates for the show have been scheduled. 

Officials with NAS Oceana have not made a final decision about third and fourth quarter performances for the Blue Angels. 

Seymore Johnson Air Force base in North Carolina canceled its air show as well.

Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, and Representatives Rob Wittman (VA-1), Scott Rigell (VA-2), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-3), J. Randy Forbes (VA-4), Jim Moran (VA-8), Frank Wolf (VA-10), and Gerry Connolly (VA-11) addressed the oncoming sequestration cuts in the following joint statement:

“As a bipartisan delegation of Virginia lawmakers representing wide-ranging interests and viewpoints, we write to show unified support for immediate action to avert the devastating impacts of sequestration. The Commonwealth of Virginia, with its long history of contribution to our national defense and to the federal government, will bear a disproportionate amount of the pain imposed by these arbitrary cuts should they come to pass.”