Crowds packed DeKalb-Peachtree Airport on Saturday for the return of the Good Neighbor Day Airshow and Aviation Expo, a free event now in its fifth decade that came back after skipping 2025 entirely. Attendees braved rising temperatures throughout the day, seeking out shade between flying demonstrations and educational activities spread across the airfield.
The show's absence last year wasn't by choice. According to DeKalb County Government, airport director Hunter Hines confirmed that extensive airport construction forced organizers to cancel the 2025 edition, making Saturday's comeback something of a local milestone. As Atlanta News First reported, organizers used the relaunch to expand the show with hands-on STEM activities covering the science, technology, engineering and math concepts behind flight.
Vintage aircraft were a centerpiece of the display, with decades-old planes performing overhead throughout the day. Attendee Cody Harris told the outlet, “I'm more impressed than I thought I'd be, honestly,” while Jennie Palmer said, “This has just been awesome. It's a really cool event.” Another attendee, Hermes Herreras, was captivated by the aircraft on display, with organizers noting he loves airplanes and is fascinated by them.
Vintage Warbirds Take the Sky
The aerial lineup leaned heavily on aviation history. Per the PDK Airshow Official Facebook Page, vintage warbirds and historic aircraft were part of the show. Aviation journalist Moreno Aguiari captured the appeal of the older aircraft, saying some of the airplanes are old but super professionally maintained, safe to fly, and are really a piece of history flying.
Civilian jet demonstration pilot Randy Ball was also slated to perform in a MiG-17F, according to the PDK Air Show Official Site. The site describes Ball as North America's premier civilian jet demo pilot and the only pilot holding FAA unlimited aerobatic ratings for both day and night jet fighter operations, having logged more than 20,000 flight hours across a four-decade career.
A First-Ever Night Show and a Patriotic Tribute
For the first time in the event's four-decade history, organizers extended programming into the evening. Rough Draft Atlanta reports that the night airshow included a drone light show, fireworks, and a night parachute jump by the U.S. Army Golden Knights, a departure from the strictly daytime format of past open houses.
The 2026 edition also carried a patriotic theme tied to the nation's 250th anniversary. Earlier in the day, the Golden Knights jumped, while a 50-by-30-foot flag was suspended between two DeKalb County Fire Rescue ladder trucks on the tarmac, according to the same Rough Draft Atlanta report.
Roots Dating Back to a World War I Army Base
The airfield hosting the show carries deep military history. DeKalb County Government notes that the site originated a century ago as Camp Gordon, a World War I U.S. Army training base, before becoming Naval Air Station Atlanta from 1941 to 1959. PDK opened in 1941 and returned to civilian control in 1959.
Airshows have a long lineage at the field as well. The county says the U.S. Navy Blue Angels performed there in Grumman F8F Bearcats as far back as 1947, and the formal annual Good Neighbor Day Airshow and Open House began in the early 1980s, growing from a modest community fly-in into a major regional festival.
An Airport With Regional Weight
DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, known as PDK, is Georgia's second-busiest airport behind Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, generating an estimated $819 million in annual economic impact for DeKalb County and housing 125 aviation-related businesses, according to DeKalb County Government. The airport averages 170,000 aircraft operations annually.
That level of activity has drawn recent state investment. In August, the Georgia Department of Transportation awarded DeKalb County $3.5 million through its FY27 aviation program for taxiway and upper parking lot rehabilitation at PDK, backed by matching county funds, as reported by DCTV Channel 23.
The airshow combines community engagement with educational activities. PDK's status as Georgia's second-busiest airport means substantial corporate jet traffic and flight training operations, and residents have raised noise complaints. Hoodline previously reported that Plane Noise® offers residents an online webform, mobile app, and hotline for noise complaints.
By blending STEM activities, historical military exhibits, patriotic tributes and nighttime entertainment, organizers aimed to showcase the airport's educational and economic contributions while reinforcing its role as a valued community asset. The warbird demonstrations that anchored Saturday's crowd draw are themselves a nod to the airfield's own past as a World War I Army training ground and a World War II naval air station.
