Eielson airshow returns this weekend, with brief highway stops for the flyovers

The Arctic Lightning Airshow is back at Eielson Air Force Base this weekend, and the price of the show for drivers is a few short stops on the Richardson Highway while jets are overhead.

The 354th Fighter Wing hosts the free open house Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 2, with a DoD ID cardholder preview Friday. Gates open at 10 a.m., demonstrations start at noon, and the flying wraps around 4 p.m. The base expects around 10,000 people. Billed performers include the F-35A Lightning II demo team and the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, with static aircraft displays on the ground.

For everyone else, the highway is the thing to plan around. Alaska 511 lists traffic stops between mile 341 and mile 338, in effect from Thursday evening through 5 p.m. Sunday. Expect a stop around 3 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, and on Saturday and Sunday near 12:30 and again around 3:30 p.m., timed to the aerobatic passes. The 354th's airshow coordinator, Lt. Col. Derek Wright, and Alaska State Troopers say the closures are intermittent, a local detour is available, and emergency services aren't affected.