Windy conditions, while an added comfort to spectators already soaking in Saturday's mild temperatures and mostly sunny weather, prevented the performance of the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team.
Two jumps are scheduled today when the aerobatic performers take to the air again, Cadle said.
Gates open today at 9 a.m., with opening ceremonies starting about 10:30 a.m.
McKiddy, a Loudoun County, Va., firefighter, was nominated for the orientation flight by her aunt, Nina Fazenbaker of Marlowe, W.Va., as part of a "Hometown Heroes" essay contest.
"She's like my child ... I'm just very proud of her," Fazenbaker said. "She's a good person. She works very hard."
Other than feeling a moment of sickness after hitting some turbulence, McKiddy said the approximately 30-minute flight was "absolutely stellar."
McKiddy said getting ready for her takeoff was similar to going to a fire scene.
"It's like you got to get stoked and excited ... and you do the same thing when you're in a fire engine (in the F-16)," McKiddy said. "I was like, 'Let's go, let's go.'"
Among the display of military aircraft at the air show on Saturday, an eagerness to go took on an entirely different meaning for Brian Heishman.
After touring a C-130 cargo plane, the Kearneysville, W.Va., man's 4-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter tugged at their father, eager to see the C-5 Galaxy, the giant airlifter used by the 167th Airlift Wing.
"We want to get on the big one," Heishman's daughter squealed.
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, who recognized those who organized the event on Saturday, flew his 1981 Piper Saratoga to the show Saturday morning.
"People are coming from all over," Manchin said. "I've met people from three or four states already this morning."
While some spectators shared experiences of extended travel time getting to the show on Saturday, others interviewed indicated they had no problem.
Berkeley County Sheriff Kenneth M. Lemaster Jr. said Interstate 81 was clogged by traffic going to the air show about 10 a.m., but he said traffic conditions otherwise were better than expected overall.
If you go
What: Thunder Over the Blue Ridge Air Show and Open House
When: Sunday, gates open at 9 a.m.; opening ceremonies at 10:30 a.m.; gates close at 4 p.m.
Where: Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport, south of Martinsburg, W.Va.
