Vintage planes save "Salute from the Shore" from sequestration

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Flyovers on the Fourth of July are an American tradition. But organizers of one military tribute this year had to scramble when sequestration forced them into a crunch.

Jill Armbruster, Andy Folsom, and the other "Salute from the Shore" organizers had to scramble to avoid breaking that tradition when the budget cuts came from Capitol Hill.

"Sequestration came, and all military air show flights were canceled," said Folsom.

For several years, F-16s courtesy of Shaw Air Force Base have paraded down the entire South Carolina coast on the Fourth of July.

With those flights canceled, that meant their efforts to salute our military on the coast remained up in the air.

"The armed forces have to protect us anyway, so we felt we needed to salute to continue," said Folsom.

So they called for reinforcements from another era.

This year, you'll see a C-47 flown by Barry Avent from Bennettsville, an Air Force C-45 flown by Hal Ewing from Sumter, a Navy C-45 flown by Wendell Hall, and a Cessna 421 flown by Fred Price of Columbia.

The old beauties are coming to the rescue just like they did in the past.

It's a change of plans, making for a more intimate "Salute from the Shore" and maybe that blessing in disguise is an opportunity to show our aging veterans that their sacrifices were not in vain.

Copyright 2013 WIS. All rights reserved.