Welcome to Airshow Traveler Magazine's Newsletter, Air Show Weekly, where we take a look at upcoming airshows and showcase current aviation topics. All air show information listed is accurate as we know it. Still, it is best to check with the individual air show to see if there are any changes. Even then, scheduled aircraft may not appear due to bad weather en route, or because of mechanical breakdown. | | Fond Farewell to a Great Man | Family and friends gathered in Northport, NY this past weekend to bid farewell to Robert C. Baranaskas, who was tragically killed on April 5 while practicing in his P-40 Warhawk. Bob was a successful businessman and founder of Warbirds Over Long Island. He was a loving husband to Cynthia, loving son to Dorothy, loving brother to Rich, and loving father to Chris, Brian, Erik, and Dana. When his oldest son Chris married Jen, he beamed. When they had his first grandchild, Christopher Joseph, better known as 'CJ', he beamed. Bob loved his family.
The viewing (closed casket) was held on Thursday and Friday at the Nolan Taylor Howe Funeral Home. We attended the Friday evening visitation and were not surprised that the line to get in was out the door and down the street. Once inside, the viewing room was adorned with photos galore. I confess to getting misty-eyed seeing some of my photos on display. And I choked up when I saw the framed featured article on Bob and Chris from our August 2007 issue. Bob was on the cover in his Warhawk. Saturday morning saw the heavens open up with a cold drenching rain, but it did not deter the memorial service at St. Philip Neri Church from being packed. Everybody loved Bob. The placement of the Pall was performed by the four children, while the Christian Symbol was placed by Bob's Mother and brother. First Reading was given by daughter-in-law, Jen, wife of Chris, while Eulogies were read by son Brian and friend Dan Mazziota.
The long funeral procession left the church and took Bob passed his home in Northport one last time en route to burial at Northport Rural Cemetery. Bob's legacy will not be his piloting skills or business success. His legacy is one of kindness and generosity. In a world where people push and shove to get the best seat, Bob Baranaskas was the man at the back of the line making sure everyone else got a seat before he did.
In Bob's memory, donations can be made to:
Bob Baranaskas Scholarship Fund
PO Box 398
Northport, NY 11768 | | Cecil Field Air Show, April 18-19
Alan Henley Benefit | Location: Jacksonville, FL Admission, Adults: $10
Admission, Active Military w/ID: $8
Admission, Children 6-12: $5
Admission, Children Under Age 6: Free In July 2008, Alan Henley was paralyzed from the waist down while playing with his children. Alan is lead pilot for the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team. The Cecil Field Air Show is being held this year as a benefit to Alan. The performer list reads like a who's who of airshow performers with the likes of Sean Tucker, Patty Wagstaff, and Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass, as well as our good friends wingwalker Carol Pilon and Jerry 'Jive' Kerby in the vintage Thunderbird T-33. And if you're having a benefit airshow with this many headline performers, you better get the best announcer in the business, Rob Reider. Chuck Vincent, pictured below, will bring his Extra 300L (1269, N43CV) to Florida for the air show at Cecil Field. 
| Performers | | Aeroshell Aerobatic Team | | Legacy Flight | | F-15E Strike Eagle Demo | | USAF Heritage Flight: F-15E, F-86 | | Patty Wagstaff and her Extra 300 | | Red Eagle Air Sports | | Sean Tucker and his Pitts | | Fowler 'Big Dog' Cary, Jr's Vintage T-33 in Thunderbird Markings | | John Mohr and his Stearman | | Steve and Suzie Oliver | | Super Chipmunk Demo | | Greg Koontz | | Greg Poe and his MX-2 | | Jimmy Fordham and his Yak-52 | | Iron Eagle Demo Team | | Lee Lauderback and his P-51 Mustang | | Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass and his F-86 | | Carol Pilon and Third Strike Wingwalking | | Red Thunder | | Jim Pietz | | Gary Ward and his MX-2 | | Corkey Fornoff | | Gary Rower and his Stearman | | Chuck Vincent and his Extra 300 | | Fred Cabanas | | Christine 'CC' Gerner and her Extra 300 | | Manfred Radius and his Sailplane | | Julie Clark and her Mentor | | E-team Skydivers | | The Alabama Boys | | Herb and Ditto | | | Beale AFB Air Show, April 18-19 | Beale AFB is located just north of Sacramento, CA. It is home to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing comprised of three squadrons flying the U-2 Dragon Lady, T-38A Talon, and RQ-4A Global Hawk. The U-2 spy plane is scheduled to be retired by the year 2014. Beale is also home to the 940th Air Refueling Wing (Air Force Reserve) flying the KC-135T Stratotanker. This reserve wing is scheduled to be disbanded by the year 2011. Though there are no major jet teams here this year, the Patriots jet team put on a heck of a show as shown in the photo below taken by Horace Sagnor at the 2006 MCAS Miramar show. This is also a show worth going to because you get to see a U-2 Dragon Lady perform. | Performers | Static | | F-16 Fighting Falcon Demo | HH-65 Dolphin | | A-10 Thunderbolt II Demo | P-3 Orion | | USAF Heritage Flight: F-16, A-10, P-38 | C-23 Sherpa | | U-2 Dragon Lady | U-2 Dragon Lady | | T-38 Talon Four-Ship Flight | RQ-4 Global Hawk | | C-17 Globemaster III Demo | KC-135 Stratotanker | | Tim Weber and his Extra 300 | KC-10 Extender | | Tim Decker and his Pitts | A-10 Thunderbolt | | Eddie Andreini and his Yak-9 | C-5 Galaxy | | Kent Pietsch and his Cadet | B-52 Stratofortress | | Warren Pietsch and his Taylorcraft | C-21 Learjet | | Patriots Jet Team | T-33 Shooting Star | | | T-6 Texan II | | | F-16 Fighting Falcon | | | T-1 Jayhawk | | | T-37 Tweet | | | T-38 Talon | | South Texas Shootout, April 18-19 | Location: NAS Corpus Christie, TX Admission: Free
NAS Corpus Christi is home to Training Air Wing Four which is comprised of four training squadrons. The base produces 400 newly qualified aviators a year, but the graduates are not only Naval aviators, but Air Force, Marine, and Coast Guard pilots as well. Two squadrons, VT-27 and VT-28, use the T-34C Mentor as a primary trainer. Advanced flight training is provided by VT-31 flying the T-44 Pegasus, or VT-35 flying the TC-12B Huron, depending on which aircraft the pilot ultimately wants to fly in an active squadron.
For a bit of Presidential trivia, the youngest pilot to graduate from the base was George H.W. Bush in 1943. And for some Blue Angel trivia, the jet team was based here from 1951-1954. US Army personnel are also located at NAS Corpus Christi. The base is home to the world's largest helicopter repair facility, the CCAD (Corpus Christi Army Depot). We have been to the NAS Corpus Christi show before and I highly recommend it. The usual headliner for this show is the Blue Angels and this year is no exception. Photography is mostly sidelit at this show, so here's a tip. Shoot on the base one day, and for the other day, go out to Ocean Drive on Oso Bay. Park along the road or at Texas A&M University. Aircraft will fly right over your head and you'll avoid a traffic jam. And here's another tip. While you're in town, visit the USS Lexington aircraft carrier. Say 'Hi' to Rusty while you're there. Here is their website: http://www.usslexington.com/. Rob Holland is slated to perform at Corpus Christi with his MX-2 (2, N540RH). Rob is the current Advanced Aerobatic Chamion. Photo taken by Bob and Wendy Dodrill at the 2008 Martinsburg air show.
 | Performers & Static | Static | | Blue Angels | F/A-18C Hornet | | Golden Knights | F-15 Eagle | | Randy Ball and his Mig-17F | F-16 Fighting Falcon | | Rob Holland and his MX-2 | C-130 Hercules | | Gene Soucy and wingwalker Teresa Stokes | KC-135R Stratotanker | | F/A-18E Super Hornet Demo | EA-6B Prowler | | F-15C Eagle Demo | T-6 Texan II | | Bill and Jason Sugarek with two P-64 Kate Torpedo Planes | T-1 Jayhawk | | Noel Rather and his L-29 Delphin | T-45C Goshawk | | A-10 Thunderbolt II Demo | T-37 Tweet | | E-2 Hawkeye Demo | T-38 Talon | | USAF Heritage Flight: F-15, P-51, P-47 | P-3 Orion | | | P-47 Thunderbolt | | | BT-15 | | | AT-6 Texan | | | PT-13 Kaydet | | | L-17 Navion | | | P-26 Peashooter | | | L-39 Albatross |
| | Museum News | | Note: Clicking on the Museum Name will take you to their website On Saturday, April 26th, from 8AM to 1PM, the MAPS Museum is hosting a pancake breakfast. Cost is $6 for adults and $4 for children age 12 and under. Included in the cost is a tour of the Canton-Akron control tower, but you must be at least 10 years of age to take the tour, which will be available from 9-11AM. Also on hand will be an Ohio National Guard Chinook helicopter. The museum is located on the west side of the airport at 2260 International Parkway off Massillon Road, and their telephone number is 330-896-6332. The MAPS Museum is one of our favorite places to visit. They have two of our favorite aircraft - the Phantom and Tomcat. And the people there are wonderful and very knowledgeable. Ken and Sharon Ramsay took the time to show us around and they are always keeping us up to date on what's going on. March 31-May 6: Berlin Airlift Exhibit The museum will host a traveling exhibit honoring the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. When a blockade of Berlin was imposed by the Soviet Union from June 1948 to May 1949, the US and Great Britain began an airdrop of much needed food and supplies to the city's residents. US aircraft included the C-47 and C-54. The two countries managed to fly 278,228 missions delivering 326,406 tons of food and supplies. Though the blockade ended in May, flights continued through September 1949. | | Photo of the Week | While the Baranaskas family decides on the future of Warbirds Over Long Island, the P-51D Mustang 'Glamorous Gal' (44-13903, N740RB) will be taken care of by Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass. Snort will be flying the Mustang in various USAF Heritage Flights. Photo below was taken by Howard German at last year's Andrews AFB air show with Snort at the controls of Glamorous Gal. This is the pass that sent the Blue Angels crew to the deck. 
| | Looking Ahead | April 25-26: Seymour Johnson AFB, NC
April 25-26: Langley AFB, VA April 18-19: NAS Corpus Christi, TX April 25-26: Seymour Johnson AFB, Goldsboro, NC May 2-3: NAS New Orleans, LA
May 9-10: Barksdale AFB, LA April 18-19: Ceiba, Puerto Rico April 25-26: Langley AFB, Hampton, VA May 2-3: Robins AFB, GA
May 9-10: Branson, MO | | Thank You | Thank you for reading the latest issue of our newsletter. God Bless Us Everyone, Wayne Matusiak, Publisher
Airshow Traveler Magazine | | | | | Visit Our Sponsors | | American Airpower Museum: Republic Airport, Farmingdale, NY. Great aircraft and warm, friendly people. Very knowledgeable staff. A great place to visit any time of year. We thank them for their support over the years. Warbirds Over Long Island: With the passing of Bob Baranaskas we are uncertain of the future of this top notch outfit. Hopefully, Bob's oldest son Chris will continue his Dad's vision, but whatever he and his family decide, we support them 100%. These are trying times for the Baranaskas family so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. | | See Your Sidebar Ad Here for as Little as $12.50/Issue | | | |
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