Commander of the Skies: Who coordinates the Amigo Airsho?

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The Amigo Airsho has a lot of moving parts. One person is in charge of the airspace and focuses on safety above all: the air boss.

Kellie Hudson joined the U.S. Air Force in 1996 and served for 20 years as the Air Force air traffic controller. Now, she's an air boss.

"We are all very passionate about what we do. Everyone flying those planes, whether they're military or civilians, we're all very passionate," Hudson told ABC-7.

Air boss isn't just a title. She helps produce and develop air shows across the country, literally from the ground up!

Hudson coordinates the air show aircraft movements, and the planning takes months. She's been planning the 2026 Amigo Airsho for 10 months!

This year, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and F-22 Raptor Demo Team will headline the two-day event. Hudson had to plan with area airspace officials to ensure the teams can practice and perform safely at El Paso's altitude.

"I coordinated with six different airline at El Paso International to move almost 45 airlines so that the Blue Angels and the F-22 Raptor demo team can fly in the airspace," Hudson said.

Hudson said unless there's an emergency, nobody can fly into the El Paso or Fort Bliss airports while performers are in the sky.

"Everything that I do is focused around safety. If it's not comfortable, if it doesn't look right, we don't do it, and we don't do anything new," she said.

Just like how an orchestra conductor aligns each instrument and performer to produce a fine, fluid melody timed perfectly, Hudson orchestrates the movements of each aircraft. She times each sequence of flight miles up in the air and on the runways, providing spectacular performances by the best pilots while prioritizing spectator and pilot safety.

Hudson has been the air boss of more than 90 aerial events in 18 states since she retired from the military.

The 2026 Amigo Airsho kicks off Friday morning. Find the event guide here.