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A revived local air show is officially landing as a permanent fixture in Columbus.

Piloting the news: The Columbus Airshow returned for a test run last year after a lengthy hiatus and kicks off again Friday.

Organizers say three days of sellout crowds in 2023 convinced them to bring it back this year and they expect it to remain an annual event.

Why it matters: The show's mix of military aerobatic teams, drag racing prop planes and Maverick and Iceman (of "Top Gun" fame) impersonators make for a pretty unique afternoon of entertainment.

What they're saying: "Columbus was the largest city in the U.S. that did not have a regular air show," says Herb Gillen, a Columbus resident and native who organizes air shows all over the country but, until last year, hadn't yet been able to make one work in his hometown.

"I wanted an air show here for the people," Gillen tells Axios, "and it was amazing the kind of response we got."

What to expect: The Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatics team is headlining the event.

The group flies its F-16 Fighting Falcon jets as close as 18 inches apart and, "in their most extreme maneuvers," at speeds of more than 700 mph.

Other highlights include drag racing bush planes that will compete in the "Columbus Cup," as well as a miniature D-Day reenactment with armored vehicles, tanks and air support to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the allied landing in Normandy, per Gillen.

In addition to the "Top Gun" impersonators, an actor portraying Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker is scheduled to work the crowd.

Gillen hopes this will introduce more people to the Columbus-born WWI fighter pilot for whom Rickenbacker International Airport is named.

🎟️ If you go: The show is June 14-16 at the Rickenbacker airport, 2241 John Circle Drive.

General admission tickets cost $65, but some discounted tickets are still available for $45 Friday and Sunday. Parking costs $25-30.

Kids under 15 are free with a paying adult.

Columbus Air Show returning for good

Six planes in the Air Force Thunderbirds fly in formation. 

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performing a flyover. Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images

A revived <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="local air show" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2023/06/16/columbus-air-show-comeback-rickenbacker-2023" data-vars-content-id="18d5addc-d059-4adc-8397-945597500796" data-vars-headline="Columbus Air Show returning for good" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2023/06/16/columbus-air-show-comeback-rickenbacker-2023" target="_self">local air show</a> is officially landing as a permanent fixture in Columbus.Piloting the news: The Columbus Airshow returned for a test run last year after a lengthy hiatus and kicks off again Friday.

News

Things to Do

High e-book prices are forcing local librarians to make tough choices as the popularity of digital checkouts surge.

Why it matters: Ongoing price disputes between libraries and book publishers threaten to limit patrons' access.

👀 Eye-popping stat: Locally, digital checkouts are on the verge of surpassing physical materials.

Digital materials accounted for 48% of all checkouts at Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) in 2023, the library system tells Axios.

Yes, but: There's a significant price difference between physical books and their digital counterparts.

It costs the library $75 to get a single digital license of Harlan Coben's latest novel, "Think Twice." The e-book can be checked out by one patron at a time and the license expires after two years.

A physical copy costs just $16 and can remain permanently in the collection.

What they're saying: "We have so much interest in digital and the pricing is so high it's a struggle to meet that demand," says Cathy Mason, who is in charge of digital buying for CML.

Between the lines: CML partners with other local libraries to help balance the costs, but maintaining access to the most popular titles can mean not being able to afford as many from independent publishers.

Zoom out: Dayton Metro Library announced earlier this year it will no longer offer access to Hoopla, a leading e-book and streaming provider.

Libraries around the country are making similar decisions, Axios' Jennifer Kingson reports.

The other side: The Association of American Publishers argues it must protect authors' rights to be fairly compensated for their work.

And digital providers like Hoopla and Libby say they're just middlemen with little say on pricing and terms.

What we're watching: The Ohio Library Council is focused on lobbying state lawmakers for funding to cover increased costs, Michelle Francis, who directs the council, tells Axios.

The organization is also advocating for federal copyright reform to bring prices down.

"We're not asking for it for free, we just want it reasonably priced," she says.

Go deeper: Inside libraries' battle for better e-book access

Libraries reckon with high e-book costs

Digital checkouts are nearly as popular as physical materials.

Illustration of a library card with a cutout of a cursor arrow in the middle.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="High e-book prices" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/06/library-librarians-e-books-license-policies" data-vars-content-id="1d76d44c-7baa-4483-998a-a8992a8002ce" data-vars-headline="Libraries reckon with high e-book costs" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/06/library-librarians-e-books-license-policies" target="_self">High e-book prices</a> are forcing local librarians to make tough choices as the popularity of digital checkouts surge.Why it matters: Ongoing price disputes between libraries and book publishers threaten to limit patrons&#x27; access.

Data: Trust for Public Land; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

Columbus' parks system just keeps getting better, per the latest public parks index from the nonprofit Trust for Public Land.

The big picture: The city's ranking among large cities jumped 10 slots this year, moving from the 56th to 46th best in the country.

Why it matters: New research by the nonprofit shows cities with higher scores have residents who are on average more socially connected with their neighbors, more likely to volunteer and more likely to form friendships across socioeconomic groups.

Zoom in: Columbus' ranking saw the greatest improvement in the access category, which measures the percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park.

The city also scored high for investment as well as equity, which measures distribution of parks among neighborhoods of varying socioeconomic backgrounds.

What we're watching: The Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks system is in the process of building two major new parks, both expected to open by the end of the year.

Great Southern Metro Park is a 50-acre strip of land between a quarry and shopping center off of South High Street that will include water recreation and new trail connections to downtown.

Bank Run Metro Park is on the site of the YMCA's former Hoover Y Park and is envisioned primarily as a private event site and cross-country course.

Zoom out: While we're looking better this year on a national scale, Columbus still doesn't compare particularly well to its Ohio peers, all of which were once again ranked higher this year.

Cleveland came in 31st, Toledo was 27th and Cincinnati came in eighth.

Columbus' parks are getting better

The city scores well on park accessibility, or those living a 10-minute walk away.

A chart showing the 2024 ParkScore for Columbus with rankings for Overall, Access, Acreage, Amenities, Equity and Investment. 

Columbus&#x27; parks system just keeps getting better, per the latest <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="public parks index" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tpl.org/parkscore" data-vars-content-id="2b5a330e-0b28-4cdb-9add-a9f54d96532e" data-vars-headline="Columbus&#x27; parks are getting better" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tpl.org/parkscore" target="_blank">public parks index</a> from the nonprofit Trust for Public Land.The big picture: The city&#x27;s ranking among large cities jumped 10 slots this year, moving from the 56th to 46th <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="best in the country" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/05/22/minneapolis-st-paul-best-park-system-ranking-equity" data-vars-content-id="2b5a330e-0b28-4cdb-9add-a9f54d96532e" data-vars-headline="Columbus&#x27; parks are getting better" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/05/22/minneapolis-st-paul-best-park-system-ranking-equity" target="_self">best in the country</a>.

Data: MLS Players Association; Note: Guaranteed compensation includes a player's base salary, agent's fees, and all signing, marketing and guaranteed bonuses annualized over the term of the player's contract, including option years; Table: Axios Visuals

The Columbus Crew is slated to pay its players a combined $15.2 million this season, per figures released by the MLS Players Association.

Context: The number is on the low-end for MLS teams, coming in 21st out of 29 squads.

Yes, but: The Crew's front office apparently knows how to get the best bang for its buck.

Columbus has won two of the past four MLS Cup titles and is headed to Mexico for the CONCACAF Champions Cup final this Saturday.

Zoom in: The team's highest paid player is Diego Rossi, a 26-year-old left wing from Uruguay, with $3.4 million in total compensation.

He's the 19th-highest paid player in the league.

Follow the money: Two other Crew players are above the million-dollar mark: Cucho Hernández ($2.9 million) and Darlington Nagbe ($1.5 million).

Most players earn salaries in the six-figure range.

The lowest compensation package reported for a player is $73,000.

Lionel's coin bank: The league's highest-paid player is Lionel Messi, an international superstar who captains Inter Miami and the Argentinian national team.

He's slated to earn $20.4 million playing in the U.S. this year and has more Instagram followers than you.

Resale tickets to see Messi play at Lower.com Field in October start at $275.

The Columbus Crew’s $15.2 million payroll

The team's payroll is ranked 21st out of 29 teams.

Soccer

Table showing MLS teams' total guaranteed compensation as an annualized average for the 2024 season.

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Columbus Crew" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/02/23/crew-soccer-mls-2024-season-preview" data-vars-content-id="63a7a196-ba78-40a7-b52e-da2a06c0f466" data-vars-headline="The Columbus Crew’s $15.2 million payroll" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2024/02/23/crew-soccer-mls-2024-season-preview" target="_self">Columbus Crew</a> is slated to pay its players a combined $15.2 million this season, per figures released by the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="MLS Players Association" data-vars-click-url="https://mlsplayers.org/resources/salary-guide" data-vars-content-id="63a7a196-ba78-40a7-b52e-da2a06c0f466" data-vars-headline="The Columbus Crew’s $15.2 million payroll" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://mlsplayers.org/resources/salary-guide" target="_blank">MLS Players Association</a>.Context: The number is on the low-end for MLS teams, coming in 21st out of 29 squads.

Sports

Money

Concert prices are down this summer from last year's heights, according to new data from SeatGeek.

Why it matters: It's great news for music fans as a handful of top touring acts have Columbus stops planned.

By the numbers: The national average resale ticket price to attend a summer concert is $224, down from $269 around this time last year, per SeatGeek.

That comes alongside an 11% increase in the total number of U.S. concerts this summer compared to last year.

Between the lines: Experts say that last year's prices were likely due to historic demand to see Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

The big picture: Four of the summer's top-10 selling acts, per a SeatGeek analysis of tickets sold, have upcoming dates in Columbus.

🦅 Singer-songwriter Zach Bryan (No. 3) is playing two nights at the Buckeye Country Superfest at Ohio Stadium June 22-23.

🎸 Irish indie soft rocker Hozier (No. 8) is playing the Schottenstein Center on Aug. 7.

🪕 Country musician Chris Stapleton (No. 9) is playing the Schott on July 19.

🎤 And Justin Timberlake (No. 10) plays Nationwide Arena on Oct. 23.

If you go: Zach Bryan's June 23 festival appearance is currently the best deal going, with single tickets starting at $65.

Stapleton's start at $70 and Timberlake's at $80.

Sadly, none of those prices include Ticketmaster's infamous fees.

Of note: Hozier's show is sold out and the artist, who has been outspoken against high resale prices, has set terms that prevent selling tickets on the secondary market.

But fans who bought tickets and can't make the show can return them to Ticketmaster for resale at face value, so keep an eye out there for any seats that may open up.

Don't forget: Blink-182 and New Kids on the Block also have local shows in August.

Columbus enjoys a cheaper summer for concerts

Many of the country's top acts are coming to town this year, including Justin Timberlake and Zach Bryan.

Justin Timberlake raises his hands on stage holding a microphone. 

Justin Timberlake is headed to Nationwide Arena in October. Photo: GP Images/Getty Images

Concert prices are down this summer from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="last year&#x27;s heights" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/06/why-concerts-expensive-tickets" data-vars-content-id="f564171b-0f39-4d86-84ad-94e9d16deb7a" data-vars-headline="Columbus enjoys a cheaper summer for concerts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/06/why-concerts-expensive-tickets" target="_self">last year&#x27;s heights</a>, according to new data from SeatGeek.Why it matters: It&#x27;s great news for music fans as a handful of top touring acts have Columbus stops planned.

Ned Oliver

Featured stories

Columbus Air Show returning for good

Watch out for poison hemlock, the deadly plant blooming across Virginia

Columbus' parks are getting better

Columbus enjoys a cheaper summer for concerts

The Columbus Crew’s $15.2 million payroll