DESPITE CLOUDY and constantly threatening skies it appears the debut of the Wings Over North Georgia Air Show drew 35,000 spectators to Richard B. Russell Airport and Adm. John Towers Field. They were treated to a very well organized event with the promoters vowing to be back: “We are excited to make the next show even better,” said show director Rob Skelton. Sunny skies alone would make that come true.

Air shows have been a here-today, gone-next-year sort of happening in Northwest Georgia and if this one makes good on the promise of consistency and quality that it displayed then that will be a very, very big addition to putting Greater Rome “on the map” — aviation and road. And, perhaps most of all, remind area residents about how big an asset they own that has not yet reached anywhere near its full potential and could greatly benefit from more public investment.

As for the air show, just the whooshes of jets passing over Rome proper ahead of the activities may have provided all the advertising needed but the really smart move was turning the parking lots at State Mutual Stadium as a “staging area” for shuttle service. This was plainly another benefit of the new Armuchee Connector created with SPLOST funding. Using it, and back streets, it was possible for many of the shuttles to never touch state/federal paving to reach the airfield.

This was, overall, very well thought out and it is that — as much or more than any acts that draw exclamations of “Wow!” — that makes events pulling large crowds fly.