Tacomas Freedom Fair air show next week will fill the skies over Commencement Bay with aerobatic planes just not Raptors, Hornets and anything called Stealth.

Federal budget cuts resulting from sequestration and imposed by the Department of Defense have done what enemy forces only wish they could do: ground U.S. air power. The Defense Department has canceled military aircraft participation at air shows and other public events across the country and even at the recent Paris Air Show.

The Blue Angels, a staple at Seattles Seafair, will be a no-show at the August event for the same reason.

Nationwide, theres no military participation whatsoever (in air shows), said Doug Fratoni, Freedom Fairs air show coordinator.

It hasnt been easy, but Fratoni was able to keep the show at the usual two hours by increasing the number of civilian acts.

Crowds at Thursdays Freedom Fair still might see a C-17 over Commencement Bay but only if one of the giant planes is making a final approach to McChord Field as they do on most days.

Usually, one of the Globemasters can be counted on to thrill Freedom Fair crowds with a low flyby along the Ruston Way waterfront.

But not this year.

Last year, crowds were enthralled by the aerobatics of the nations most advanced jet fighter, the

F-22 Raptor. At one point, the stealth fighter joined up with a vintage P-51 Mustang for an intergenerational flyby. Thousands of cameras up and down the waterfront recorded the moment.

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Budget cuts keep military from Freedom Fair air show