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From Swiss F/A-18 Hornets, F-5 Tigers to the latest Russian Su-30SM

 

From Swiss F/A-18 Hornets, F-5 Tigers to the latest Russian Su-30SM then throw in some AC-130H Spectre and AC-130W Stinger, The Thunderbirds, Blue Angels and what you have? Reviews of events from worldwide.

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We reviewed several important aircraft collections at several Museums from Australia, Canada and the USA.

Read our report The Singapore Air Show and the 2012 Heritage Flight Conference at Davis-Monthan AFB. Enjoy the writings and images submitted by our correspondence about current and past aircraft.

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December’s issue of The Magazine by www.AirShowsReview.com

Download our FREE ecologically friendly electronic publication featuring Air shows from North America and Europe such as the:

• Selfridge Air National Guard Base Air Show
• Canadian International
• Winston-Salem 100^th Anniversary
• Windsor International
• Royal Netherlands AF Open Days at Leeuwarden AFB
• FedEx Memphis
• Ostrava NATO Days 2011 Czech Republic
• Duxford Autumn Air Show

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2011 Windsor International Air Show Review

Location: Windsor International Airport, Ontario, Canada

This was the 3rd annual Windsor air show in recent times, and it is one of the biggest held annually in Ontario.

Group photo of the CF-18 Demo Team, the SkyHawks and the Snowbirds at WIAS. For more images from the show visit us here.

The Windsor International Air Show (WIAS) has a great potential to become one of Canada's premier air shows, if the weather cooperates! This year once again it was hampered by rain and cloudy weather to a large extent, which is of course, out of the hands of the organizers. Regardless, on the weekend the show did go on. It was more than just thunder from the weather that made thunderous noise, it was from the jet aircraft from the Royal Canadian Air Force, from the USAF, USN and from the US Marines.

On Saturday several performances were cut short or were cancelled outright including the OPP Motorcycle demo, due to rain. Still, thousands toured the US KC-135 fuel tankers and US transport aircraft in the static area, and cheered Astronaut and Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield in Hawk One. Sunday too started out with a bit of rain, but it cleared up by opening, and by far it was the best day to attend WIAS.

The Canadian Icons, the Snowbirds, with the help of the Canadian Forces Skyhawks Parachute Team and the CF-18 Demo Team, dazzled the spectators in the sky with their precise maneuverings and flying skills. Additionally, several WWII and warbirds from the collection of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum and the Vintage Wings of Canada performed. They were supplemented by four Harvards from the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association, and a couple of civilian flyers, including Pete McLeod of Red Bull fame.

Compared to the 2010 show, there were less static aircraft. This was due mostly to the date of the show: 9/11! Many American cities and air bases remembered this tragic event's 10th anniversary by staging an air show themselves. Accordingly, this made less aircraft available to perform at WIAS and there were no top tier US performers.

To add additional interest there were performances by FLASH FIRE II a jet truck, and the CBC television comedian Rick Mercer from the Rick Mercer Report was present for a taping of his show. There were antique vehicles again a bit less due to the rain than last year. Click here to see additional images of Rick Mercer at the show.

The attendance was about the same as last year, approximately 43,000. We at AirShowsReview wish to thank all the people who have welcomed us, and who organized the air show. Our gratitude goes out to all of you and especially to Keith and Theresa Baxter. We will be back next year!

Some of the participants were:

Snowbirds

CF-18 Demo Team

Canadian Forces Skyhawks Parachute Team

F-86 Sabre Hawk One

P-51D Mustang

Harvard

Lancaster

Pete McLeod

Air Cadets

MH-53

T-45C

KC-135

C-130

F/A-18

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

3rd annual Waterloo Air Show review by AirShowsReview.com

Location: Waterloo International Airport, Ontario, Canada
Admission: $20 adults, $10 children over 6 at the gate. Online pricing discounted. VIP package $150.00/per day with food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Parking: Free on the airport and nearby grounds with free shuttle buses.
Value: Very Good

This was the 3rd annual Waterloo air show, held at the Region of Waterloo International Airport. For a regional air show it is a very good value and highly recommended. The Waterloo air show is a family oriented, two day event that entertains, educates and inspires anyone who enjoys the thrill of flight. Besides the air display from 1 pm to 4 pm, there were activities for kids in the amusement area, static display of aircraft, lots of food vendors and even a beer garden. Last year there was a public access to the hot ramp in the mornings to see and to take photos of the performing aircraft, however for this year this was NOT the case. Some of the attendees found this a bit disappointing. Even the media only had access to the hot ramp on the designated media day, prior to the actual air show days. Limited parking was available on the airport grounds, but the spectators were encouraged to park nearby using the free shuttle bus service provided. Walking shoes were in order, as there was a lot of walking involved to the flight line that was spread out quite far.

The headliners for this year, apart from the Snowbirds, included the USAF F-16 Viper East Demo Team, led by Maj. Ryan "Rider" Corrigan, one of the friendliest pilots one could ever meet! The CF-18 Demo Team was present too, with two jets, which was good thing, as on Saturday the back-up aircraft was used to perform. Unfortunately the back-up CF-18 has the standard air force camouflage, and not the interesting and very colourful paint scheme of the original demo aircraft. The Canadian Heritage Flight consisted of the CF-18 with the F-86 Sabre “Hawk One” and with the WWII warbird the P-40 Kittyhawk, piloted by Paul Kissmann from Vintage Wings of Canada. And lets not forget the Canadian Forces SkyHawks Parachute Team -- celebrating the team's 40th anniversary. The Harvard Aircraft Association based out of Tillsonburg, Kent Pietsch with his Jelly Belly Interstate Cadet aircraft that lands on the top of a truck, Mike Wiskus, a T-33 painted with a shark jaw motif and known as the "Mako Shark" and Wayne Hadath were the additional performers. The static was a bit larger than last year and included among them a C-130 Hercules, a CT-156 Harvard II, and a CT-142 Dash-8.

In conclusion it was a well organized show. We would highly recommend for any one who enjoys watching aircraft perform. We rate it at 8.5 out of 10 with potential for a higher rating if the event brings in more aircraft to perform and for display. Would like to thank Diana Spremo of Spremo Communications and Capt. Indira Thackorie, PA of the SkyHawks for their generous help.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

For additional air show reviews visit www.AirShowsReview.com and download The Magazine by AirShowsReview and enjoy! We cover and rate air shows!

Best air show so far in 2011 AIRPOWER11 – ZELTWEG, AUSTRIA

The biannual Austrian air show was held in Zeltweg, in the beautiful province of Styria, the green heart of Austria, on July 1 and 2. The Friday and Saturday air show draws large crowds every 2 years, but this year a record 290,000 visitors were in attendance. For hardcore enthusiasts the show really starts a few days earlier. One could get a five-day package for 180 Euros and be at the airbase from the arrivals day on Wednesday through Sunday, departure day. There were also other spotter packages: Friday and Saturday for 90 Euros or 1-day package for either airshow day for 60 Euros. For enthusiasts, it is strongly recommended getting one the spotter packages since it has many benefits that only this air show provides. It has no less than 13 spotter zones throughout the air show grounds, affording excellent opportunities to view and photograph the aircraft in action. Transportation to these zones are provided from the Spotter/Media Center, since some of them are not very close to the Spotter center, and at least one is not reachable by foot because it is located on the other side of the runway. There is also excellent food and beverages being served all day at the Spotter’s center, the only problem was that it was very difficult to leave the spotter’s zone to go eat since no one wants to miss any of the flying action.

Being in or around an airbase before an airshow, gives the opportunity to see many aircraft in the air that will not be flying at the airshow. On Wednesday two Saudi Arabian Typhoons came in, still with their British numbers on the fuselage since they were on their way to be delivered to Saudi Arabia and were being piloted by British pilots. The Saudi Hawks had arrived before Wednesday, but unfortunately the 2 supporting Saudi C-130s did not come to Zeltweg until Sunday. They stayed at the base in Hoersching. Other aircraft that arrived on Wednesday and Thursday, but did not fly at the show were: Dornier Do 27, Red Bull Cessna CE 208 Amphibian Caravan, Swiss Air Force Beechcraft 1900, Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) DC-2, Croatian Mil MI-117 , Turkish Air Force Transall C-160 in support of the Turkish Stars Demonstration Team, two Casa C-295M, one from the Polish Air Force and the other from the Czech Republic, Serbian Soko G2 Galeb owed by the Serbian Galeb Flying Club, Belgian SF 260D, French Air Force Mirage 2000, Irish Air Force Pilatus PC-9M, German Air Force 2-seat Eurofighter, USAF C-21 Learjet, USAF C-130, Embraer ERJ-145 from the Belgian Air Force, Antonov An-2, Hungarian Air force 2-seat Saab JAS 39 Gripen fully loaded with Sidewinder and Maverick missiles and LANTIRN pod, Soko G4 Super Galeb from Serbia, German Air Force F-4F Phantom II, Serbian Air Force Antonov An-26, German Luftwaffe Tornado ECR, 2 Royal Air Force Tornado GR.4.

In total there were 222 aircraft representing 22 nations at the show and 8 flying display teams. The organizers did a terrific job in keeping the action moving in the air and on the ground there plenty of aircraft to see. Food vendors were distributed around the grounds and there were plenty of bathroom facilities.

The base is also home of the Fliegermuseum, which is located in Hangar 8, housing two specially marked Drakens, a Saab Tunnan and a Shorts Skyvan among other historically important Austrian aircraft.

The event cost about 3 million Euros and it was sponsored by the energy drink producer Red Bull. This has been the best airshows so far in 2011 seen by the AirshowsReview staff that was present in Zeltweg. It truly deserves a 10/10 rating.

AirShowsReview would like to thank Vzlt. Gross in getting the spotters and media accreditation for the AirshowsReview staff members that were able to attend the airshow. Also a special thank you for the organizers who put together this memorable air show.

Report & photography by Ricardo von Puttkammer for AIRSHOWSREVIEW LLC. For a complete review of the event, please visit http://airshowsreview.com

100th Anniversary of the Turkish Air Force, Izmir, Turkey

The Turkish Air Force (“Turk Hava Kuvvetleri“), one of the oldest military aviation organizations in the world, celebrated their centennial on the first weekend of June.

If one entered the base by the main gate, they saw four gate guard aircraft; Bell UH-1H Iroquois, Lockheed T-33A, North American F-100F Super Sabre, and Beech T-34A Mentor.
The gate guards were positioned on manicured lawns, with several Turkish flags in the background and one statue of an airman.

Heading away from the main gate toward the flight line ramp, between flowers and wonderful palm trees, one could see additional aircraft: McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II, Cessna T-37C Tweety Bird, Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star and a Northrop F-5B Freedom Fighter. The F-5B was positioned on a pedestal to give the impression that it was taking off and climbing towards the sky.

If one entered by the public entrance to the Base, on the ramp leading to the flight line along the way, one could see many different types of aircraft from the Turkish Air Force inventory. Some are rarely seen, such as the SIAI Marchetti SF 260D, Socata TB-20 Trinidad from the Turkish Navy, Northrop T-38A Talon, Cessna T-41D Mescalero or the Bell AH-1P Huey Cobra. The static aircraft from the Turkish Air Force were not roped off. The visitors to the Base had free access to speak with the crewmembers and enter the transports and the helicopters, including the latest Boeing 737-7ES Peace Eagle. This made photographing the static a challenge, as photographers are interested in the aircraft and not necessarily of the crowds. Additional static displays from the Turkish Air Force included: the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, Lockheed C-130E Hercules, Transall C-160D, CASA-IPTN 235-100, McDonnell Douglas RF-4E Phantom II, McDonnell Douglas F-4E Terminator 2020, Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter, General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon and the brand new Lockheed Martin F-16D-52 from the Peace Onyx IV program. The Northrop T-38M Talon, which is an upgraded version, and the new training aircraft from the Korea Aerospace, KT-1T Wong Bee. One out of the ten ordered, IAI Heron UAV, was also in the static line up. The helicopter line up consisted of the Eurocopter AS-532 UL Cougar, Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk, Agusta-Bell 412EP and the dinosaur Bell UH-1H Iroquois.

Apart from the Turkish Stars display team present, many countries and their display teams were invited for the 100th anniversary event. One could see the USAF Thunderbirds, Red Arrows from the UK, Italian Frecce Tricolori, the French Patrouille de France, Team Iskry from Poland, Patrulla Aguila (Eagle Patrol) from Spain, Krila Oluje (Wings of Storm) from Croatia. However, the Pakistani display team Sherdils, cancelled a short time before the show.

The foreign static display included the support aircraft for the Wings of Storm from Croatia, an Antonov 32B. Only two of this aircraft are in service by the Croatian Air Force. Bulgaria sent a Mig-29UB, a PC-9M and one Alenia C-27J Spartan. The Antonov was present from Serbia, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary. The Polish Air Force sent an IPTN-CASA C-295M. Several C-130 Hercules were present from Italy, Denmark, Pakistan, Algeria and of course, Turkey. Other aircraft in the static area included two Saab 105 OE from Austria, two Eurofighters from Germany, an AMX, a C-27J Spartan and also one Eurofighter from Italy, two IAR 99 Soim from Romania, and several F-16 from Belgium, Netherlands, Jordan and Pakistan.

On Friday, Airbus Military sent the new Transporter Airbus A-400M “Grizzly,” that departed on Saturday in the evening. By the way, the Turkish Air Force has ordered ten (10) A-400M. The Royal Air Force sent one Tornado GR4 and the Hungarian Air Force had one JAS-39 Gripen.

Three JF-17 Thunder were there from Pakistan; one flew in the display, with one spare, and one as static. For the JF-17 “Thunder” it was only their third appearance at an air show, after Farnborough, UK and Zhuhai, China. The JF-17 was parked next to the German Eurofighters and the Bulgarian Mig-29UB. A very nice contrast.

The eight hour flying display on Saturday and Sunday were similar, accept for the flypast from the Turkish Air Force, which was only on Saturday. The spectacular 31 aircraft flypast included most of the aircraft types used by the Turkish Air Force. The flypast started with three Eurocopter AS 532 Cougars. The Cougars towed two sets of flags; on top were the Turkish and below it the 100 year anniversary ones. The next echelon was made up with three examples each: Cessna T-41D, SF 260D, T-37 Tweety Bird, KT-1T Wong Bee, and T-38 Talon. They were followed by the transport aircraft: one Casa 235, Transall C-160D and Lockheed C-130E Hercules and a KC-135R Stratotanker with the boom down. They were followed by three examples each, F-16s, the F-4E-2020s. The flypast ended with the Northrop F-5A-2000s.

The spectators could see the Turkish Air Force’s 100th year anniversary F-16, in a wonderful black and gold paint scheme. Other F-16s from the Netherlands, Belgium and from Pakistan performed over the skies of Izmir. The best F-16 display was the “Solo Turk” flown by Major Murat KELES from 141 Filo. His display was very dynamic and presented his F-16 perfectly for photographers. The Pakistani JF-17 “Thunder,”had a good display too, showing off the maneuverability of this powerful fighter. The flying display was a good mixture of different jets from several countries including the rarely seen IAR-99 “Soim” from Romania. The other impressive display was from the Italian Air Force’s C-27 “Spartan” and Eurofighter. Interestingly enough, only the Thunderbirds represented the United States as there were no other aircraft from USAF.

Monday, the departure day, was a perfect day to photograph the aircraft leaving the airbase. Several of the aircraft taxied slowly alongside of the photographers to give them ample time to take images as they taxied. A special thank you goes to the Phantom pilots for providing this great opportunity. One of the most interesting aircraft to see after most of the others left the base was the Ilyushin Il-78 (NATO reporting name Midas) a four-engined aerial refueling tanker based on the Il-76, from the Pakistan Air Force, that had just arrived. Additionally the Pakistan Air Force sent four Lockheed C-130 Hercules on Monday to Izmir, who arrived late in the evening.

In summary, the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Air Force was not only a very well organized airshow, but was a huge success. Congratulations goes to General Hasan Aksay, Commander of the Turkish Air Force and Base Commander from Cigli, for their great organization skills.

We would like to thank the Public Affairs Media officer Mr. Hüsamettin Harmanci, from Ankara for his assistance, who listened to our requests/needs and was very helpful to us.

By: The staff of AirShowsReview, we review airshows!

Visit us for other air show repoerts and reviews, including from

• 
  
  GREAT LAKES INTERNATIONAL AIR SHOW, St. Thomas


• 
  
  Rhode Island National Gurad Open House,


• 
  
  and many more!

NATO Tiger Meet and airshows we been too...

Hamilton Airshow June 18-19 review. With many other recent air shows from: Festival of Flight, Good Neighbor, WWII Weekend, Jones Beach, 2011 Fleet Week NYC, check them out.

NATO Tiger Meet 2011 coverage with Meeting at Aerien Cambrai France check it out on our site AirShowsReview.com

In the upcoming issue of The Magazine, see and read about our KC-135R air-to-air refueling of F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson AFB! What a ride!

Excellent coverage of the event on the site, and will be in the next issue of The Magazine, by AirShowsReview

Wings over Wayne Airshow: Seymour Johnson AFB Open House, April 16-17, 2011

Location: Symour Johson AFB, Goldsboro, North Carolina
Admission: Free
Parking: Free
Value: Excellent

WOW! What an event, as in many ways it felt like being on a roller coaster ride! Several highs and lows, mostly due to weather! Friday’s media day was sunny with pleasant temperatures, Saturday it was overcast, very windy, and quite cold, then the show was cancelled, then rain, thunder, and tornados in the area followed by Sunday’s bright blue skies and pleasant temperatures. The AFB did a great job, with their safety first attitude!

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is the home of the 4th Fighter Wing. The 4th Fighter Wing is a direct descendant of the World War II 4th Fighter Group, the United States Army Air Force VIII Fighter Command unit formed from the members of the Royal Air Force Eagle Squadrons. The fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force were formed prior to the United States entry into World War II with volunteer pilots from the United States.

The wing consists of four squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagles:
333rd Fighter Squadron Lancers "Red Fin Flash"
334th Fighter Squadron Eagles "Blue Fin Flash"
335th Fighter Squadron Chiefs "Green Fin Flash"
336th Fighter Squadron Rocketeers "Yellow Fin Flash"

SJ AFB is also home to the F-15E Strike Eagle Demo Team. One of the favorite teams of this reviewer due to the F-15E's capabilities apart from the dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions; it is large, fast and loud! Thrilling to watch if one likes fast jets.

The two day event usually draws large crowds, but due to Saturday’s inclement weather, the organizers announced a briefer schedule with many acts that were moved up. Four F-15’s in formation roared across the sky as the National Anthem was song followed by the Golden Knights, but it became quickly obvious that the high winds would jeopardize the safety of the flyers as well as the public and Saturday’s event was cancelled at 11:30 a.m. It was a good call as a tornado touched down just near the AFB later on.

Sunday’s event was excellent, and according to the announcer, with “record breaking crowds.” The spectators were thrilled by many acts such as the Sky Soldiers AH-1G Cobra helicopters, Tora, Tora, Tora from the Commemorative Air Force WWII re-enactment of the 1942 Pearl Harbor attack, A-10 East Demo Team, F-4 Phantom East Demo, the Strike Eagle Team, and the ACC Heritage Flight with several civilian performers. Interestingly enough, Jacquie Warda and her beautiful Red Eagle Pitts S-1T Biplane while present, was not on the performers’ list, and many could not understand why she was not a performer and only as static? A feeling shared by Jacquie, when I asked her. There was a special ceremony honoring the Tuskegee Airmen during both days. The closing flying act was the awesome performance of the Thunderbirds! There were several civilian aircraft, WWI and WWII and modern warbirds on display including: the B-17F Memphis Belle, Hawker Hurricane, P-40 Warhawk, and the F-22 Raptor. There was a large Kid’s Zone, Flight simulator, several demonstrations such as the military working dog demo, and even some hot cars. Sunday concluded with a free concert by country star Tracy Lawrence.

There were plenty of food and refreshment vendors at typical pricing, water or soda at $3.00 each, burgers $6.00, etc. Portable sanitary facilities were grouped in three areas, which required considerable time to reach for the spectators near the flight line. For the future, dispersing them in more areas would be more suitable.

Over all, it was a great air show to attend, despite the weather situation. I wish to thank all who helped our team of photographers and for their warm hospitality, especially thanks to: Robin DeMark ACC 4 FW/PA, TSgt Tammie Moore ACC 4 FW/PA, and their wonderfully helpful staff; Major Mike "CASH" Maeder, Captain Steven "BUDA" Bofferding, Master Sgt. Michael E. Pate of the F-15E Strike Eagle Team; Major Dylan “HABU” Thorpe and his A-10 Team. You, are all great examples of the professionalism of the USAF!

Review by http://www.airshowsreview.com/ with photos as noted.

Planes of Fame Does it Again

The Planes of Fame Airshow gets better every year. Each year we turn to each other at the end and say, “That was the best ever, how will they ever outdo THAT!” But, the following year, they do.

This year was the salute to “The Greatest Generation” and it was quite a salute. Jonna Doolittle Hoppes led panel discussions with the following veterans: Maj. General John "Johnny" Alison (the 'father' of Air Force Special Operations, WWII ace, and Korean War veteran); Clarence "Bud" Anderson (P-51 'Old Crow' triple ace in WWII); Col. John Doolittle (WWII and Korean War veteran); Bill Holloman (Tuskegee Airman P-51 pilot); Huie Lamb (P-47 and P-51 pilot); Wilbur Richardson (B-17 ball turret gunner, Purple Heart recipient); William "Bill" Spengler (P-51 "Buzzin Cuzzin"). This panel discussion was broadcast over the speaker system while many of the visitors walked the Airshow grounds to see the aircraft.

Then, sixteen P-51 Mustangs took to the air to open the show. There are people in this world who have never seen a P-51, nor seen one fly. And we were treated to the sight and sound of 16 of them singing to us from the air.



Credit: Victor Archer
Caption: Horsemen, doing what they do best

Later the Horsemen did their three-ship Mustang formation aerobatic sequence. Their act is a show stopper and truly breathtaking! The way Jim Beasley leads Ed Shipley and Dan Freidkin through the routine, the closeness, the precision and the gracefulness is wonderful.



Credit: Jason Fisher
Caption: Mustangs and more Mustangs

A first for me was seeing the N9BM, more commonly known as the Northrop Flying Wing, take to the skies.

A little history lesson… In the early 1940’s Northrop Aircraft built four 1/3 scale N-9M flying wing prototypes to prove the feasibility of the YB-35 long range bomber. Once the YB-35 program was canceled, every N-9M test model was scrapped – except the final N-9MB which sat out in the Edwards Air Force Base boneyard until Ed Maloney, founder of the Planes of Fame Museum, “liberated” it.



Credit: Victor Archer
Caption: Northrop Flying Wing – the only one in the world

Ron Hackworth then led a 13 year reconstruction of the mostly wood aircraft. In April 2006, the N-9MB suffered an in-flight engine fire. The aircraft was landed safely with limited damage. Donations to the museum were solicited for its repair and the aircraft has been fully repaired. Hackworth piloted the N-9MB for the Airshow. “I've never flown it anywhere where the reaction was anything less than complete amazement,” he says.

And, we were entertained by Clay Lacy doing an aerobatic sequence in his Lear 24. No kidding – I’m serious! It was a very enjoyable show. Clay is still an innovator in aviation and I can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve next.



Credit: Mike Brewer
Caption: Clay Lacy in his Lear 24

It takes over 250 PoF volunteers and the sponsorship of the County of San Bernardino and the vision of Ed Maloney to make this show work each year. A record number of attendees, over 40,000, enjoyed the aviation history, inspirational and educational experience.

Please visit the Planes of Fame Museum and consider making it to the Airshow next year.

Airshows Review: Rhode Island National Guard Open House June 27-28

Rhode Island National Guard Open House June 27-28


Location: Air National Guard Base, Quonset, Rhode Island

Admission: FREE

Parking: A $10 donation is requested to benefit the Hasbro Children’s Hospital

Value: Very Good

One of the best organized shows we have been to in some time. Traffic flows were well managed. Gallery location on the flight line provided excellent photo opportunities with take off from north to south and landing south to north as there was a 10 knot quartering wind. The taxi way was between the gallery and the runway so there were excellent close up opportunities as the aircraft taxied by. 400mm was more than enough lens although there were photographers around with 500mm. Heat haze was a problem at this focal length.

Static displays were numerous and varied included the B-1 Lancer and CV-22A Osprey. All performers seemed fired up and on their game. We have seen the Blue Angels perform many times but they were particularly fired up at this show. Sadly, there was no JATO for Fat Albert.

The Canadian Snowbirds gave a wonderfully graceful performance. The show also included the Oracle Challenger flying acrobatics around the Black Dagger Team as it descended. The show provides an excellent outing for the family as there are many amusements on the site to keep the young ones entertained. Food service was plentiful and not overly expensive. Sanitation facilities were plentiful, clean and well dispersed.

Over all I would definitely put this show on your calendar for next year!

Aircraft/Performers Presented:
Blue Angels
Snowbirds from Canada
F-16 Demo Team
F-22 Raptor Demo Team
Black Daggers U.S. Army Special Operations Command Parachute Team
P-51 Mustangs of the The Horsemen
Michael Gullian
John Klatt
Ed Hamill
East Coast L-39C DEmo Team
Static included the B-1 Lancer
and many others.


Rating: 9.0 out of 10

Review and photos: by Andrew.J. Warren of http://www.airshowsreview.com/