Airspeed Online: It's Up! Airspeed Posts "Tuskegee 3" to Complete its "Inside Airshows" Series

Check out a classic Airspeed episode like Making Good on a Deal. Visit the Airspeed website at  www.airspeedonline.com. Visit the Acro Camp website at www.acrocamp.com. Share Tweet Forward to Friend Facebook Twitter Tuskegee 3 Hits the Airspeed Feed A note from Steve: It's up! The third and final installment of the Inside Airshows series. It's called Tuskegee 3 and it's the story of a nine-month period during which I began ab initio training in TG-7As and then followed the opportunity all the way into the waivered airspace, performing for airshow crowds. If you know me, you know that I'm a huge airshow fan. Airshows are why I started Airspeed almost eight years and more than 200 episodes ago. But even though you might have stood right next to me at the fence as we cheered for our favorite performers - or even if you're a performer who's taken me up on a media ride - you probably didn't know what was really on my mind. I wanted to do more than just watch. I wanted to climb over that fence and go see for myself what it was like to fly in an airshow. Prior to that time, I was a private pilot, CAP SAR/DR pilot, and aerobatic competitor at the IAC Primary (most basic) level.  Nothing wrong with that mix of general aviation flying but, at the end of the day, it's not airshow flying.  Then, through an unlikely set of circumstances, a huge amount of work, and the trust and efforts of many people, I flew show performances as part of a three-ship demo team.  This two-hour episode contains the story of that journey, complete with cockpit and other audio, music, and lots of commentary.   Epic stuff?  Yes and no.  And the end of the day, you could point out that I'm flying USAF Academy surplus motorgliders that suffer bird strikes from behind, that what my team does in the box isn't that flashy or complicated, and that I'm way too into this. And you'd be right. But that's the point of the story. This is what happens when a fan becomes a player.   For airshow fans: This is two hours of answers to the questions that you probably never thought to ask about heat, humidity, peer pressure, standards, desire, effort, sweat, Nomex, avgas, loneliness, quiet, focus, flow, glory, and excitement - all in good measure. For airshow pilots: This is the story of a guy who admires you so hard it hurts and who understands that perfection is expected and excellence will be accepted. A guy who wanted to demonstrate the most sincere form of flattery by imitating you as best he's able. We each choose our heroes.  A very lucky few of us find ourselves suddenly and unexpectedly walking a ramp or sharing a box with those heroes.  This is an ode to those heroes.  Especially to those who turn out to be as human as any airshow fan, but are all the more heroic because of it.  And for all of the above: This is a story about what every one of us owes to his or her 10-year-old self. The show notes to the episode, complete with pictures and credits, are right here and there's even a direct link to the MP3 audio.  You can listen right there on the Airspeed website or subscribe and download it through iTunes or your favorite other podcatcher. I'm very proud of this episode and of the series.  I think that Tuskegee 3 in particular is the best stuff I've ever put in the feed.  It took more than a year to fully write, edit, and record it and it includes cockpit audio, briefing audio, character voicing, specially-licensed music, and everything else that I thought it would take to tell this story of what it's like to be a first-time airshow pilot.  I hope that you'll listen to it and, if you like it, I hope that you'll pass it along to others. In the meantime, thanks for letting me fly for you and with you.  And for listening when I tell you the stories that you inspire.  I'll fix my safeties and I'm glad to be here. Smoke on! - Steve __________________________________________ You can listen to the entire Inside Airshows series by subscribing to the Airspeed feed or by checking out the show notes page for each episode: Part 1 - Running Away to Join the Circus (Ramp Crew and Pyro) Part 2 - With a Mic in My Hand - (Team Narrator) Part 3 - Tuskegee 3 (Airshow Pilot)

Indy Transponder 13-MAR-2013 0300z

Golden Knights To Light Up Sky Over Homestead - CBS Miami | MIAMI – Homestead residents who wake up early Wednesday may see strange lights over the air reserve base. Don’t panic, it’s not aliens or falling killer meteors. The lights will be from the U.S. Army’s parachute team The Golden Knights which will be...

Cory Bird's Symmetry to attend from Mojave Experimental Fly-In
Wildfire to be on display from Mojave Experimental Fly-In

Detroit Tuskegee Airmen Glider Club on a mission - AOPA | The Detroit Tuskegee Airmen Glider Club, which operates under the auspices of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum, flies three Schweizer SGM 2-37 motorgliders donated by the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2003....

No Air Force Thunderbirds for Air & Water Show - Chicago Tribune | The Air Force Thunderbirds, the "loud and proud" precision team of F-16 fighter jets, have called off plans to appear in Chicago's Air & Water Show in August because of federal budget cuts, military officials said. Because of the cuts, known as ...

Thunderbirds cancelled for academy graduation - Our Colorado News | There will be no Air Force Thunderbird flyover at this year's United States Air Force Academy graduation. The long-standing tradition has been axed this year thanks to sequestration. Because of the federal cuts active duty, reserve and guard units have ...

Thunderbirds cancel Burlington appearance - Burlington Free Press | Update to be announced today after Air Force Thunderbirds cancel | ...Show organizers for the Aug. 10-11 “Wings Over Vermont” event are expected to announce updated plans today, said Kelly Goudy of Essex Junction-based Revision Military, which is the air show’s chief sponsor...

AIRSHOW NEWS: Red ​Arrows to Headline W​ings & Wheels Weeken​d​ from Flightline UK - UK Airshow News by admin | The unmissable, sensational summer event for the whole family, Wings & Wheels, is thrilled to announce the Red Arrows will be headlining both Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th August 2013 when the Show returns to Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey (home to BBC’s Top Gear). Currently undertaking winter training in...

And The Collier Goes To -- Curiosity from AVwebFlash Current Issue | The NASA/JPL Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Project Team will receive the 2012 Robert J. Collier Trophy, the National Aeronautic Association announced on Tuesday. In choosing the project from a field of seven nominees, the committee cited the"extraordinary achievements of successfully landing Curiosity on Mars, advancing the nation’s technological and engineering capabilities, and significantly improving humanity's understanding of ancient Martian habitable environments."

HDR Pictures (Aviation) from FenceCheck Forums | Three from Reno....

See Clare upside down - Northern Argus | ...Pilot Robert Parsonage has been with the Adelaide Warbirds for nine months and is a huge fan of anything aerobatic. “I love anything aerobatic, it’s a lot of fun and out of the ordinary,” Mr Parsonage said. When he’s not flying a Warbird, he drives one of Clare local Peter Eaton’s rusty Whippet cars which have made three trips across outback Australia to raise funds for the Make a Wish Foundation....

AIN Blog: Aviation Welcomes Young Women - Aviation International News (blog) | It was created to showcase women in aviation and encourage young girls and women to consider careers in aviation. Mireille Goyer, founder and international team leader of the celebration, says, “The women of the past cracked the doors open; we intend ...

Double lung transplant survivor earns Private from General Aviation News by Ben Sclair | “Well, I am now a real private pilot, as of yesterday,” noted an email I received this morning from Jennifer Julian. If you don’t recall, I wrote about Jennifer last May. She survived a double lung transplant, earned her 3rd class medical, and was an active student pilot. She’s now a certificated pilot...

Amelia Earhart experts push for CNMI Cultural Center - Saipan Tribune | A team of researchers doing investigative work in the Northern Marianas on the mystery surrounding famed American aviatrix Amelia Earhart's disappearance is reviving efforts to have a CNMI Cultural Center built on Saipan. Capt. Paul H. Cooper, one of ...

Locals Ride WWII Model Planes Over Hattiesburg - WHLT22 | A B-17, B-24 and a P-51C were delayed because of rain in Hattiesburg and from their departure city of Pensacola, Fla. Louis George, Vietnam War veteran road in one of the planes. He says this gave him a chance to see first hand what it was like to be...

Bill Yoak has Gone West from Photorecon by Mark Hrutkay | Earlier this morning on March 12, 2013, WIlliam Yoak of Lewisburg, West Virginia went west to join generations of aviators. Bill
wasn’t someone who’s name popped up in magazines everyday, but he made some significant contributions in his time. His P-51D N51HY “Quicksilver” set some standards that have yet to be matched. Bill was a master A&P, pilot, and...

Vietnam Memories and History at CAF 03/12/2013 - KOSA | March 12, 2013. Midland - A new exhibit at the Commemorative Air Force Museum brings back memories for those who served during the Vietnam War. The exhibit also brings perspective to young people who don't know much about that era in our history.

New Wings for Forrest Lovley's Waco QDC N11470 from Antique Airfield News  | Forrest Lovley sent us this update on his Waco QDC:...

Tiger Six from Apron 6 | Not really my best shot. But one of the best that I’ve made of a Mirage F1. Simply because I haven’t had many opportunities to photograph this jet. And it’s worth the share because it’s another French beauty (together with the Rafale and Mirage 2000). Tomorrow some Swiss planes. No tigers, but they were flying [...]

Wetumpka Municipal Airport Listed as Historical Landmark from Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | The Wetumpka Municipal Airport, formerly known as Elmore Auxiliary Training Field #2, is now listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage by the Alabama Historical Commission.

Local aviator notches up 9000 hours' flying - South Coast Register | MILESTONE: 723 Squadron pilot instructor, Lieutenant Commander Tony Reyne (right) recently passed 9000 flying hours while instructing the Army's Lieutenant Shaun Ruedin, who was undergoing a Squirrel helicopter conversion with 723 Squadron.

St Patty's Weekend Alabama Aviation Events from Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | A bit ‘o the green is coming with spring and weekend flying looks great. Celebrate with a trip to the airport and take an aerial overview. Moontown's monthly EAA Young Eagles and Fly In Breakfast begins at 7:30am for old fashion grass field fun. Cullman Regional Airport is hosting a 5K and 10K race that includes family activities and airplane rides starting at 9:30am...

Indy Transponder 10-FEB-2013 2330z

Aerobatic display marks the conclusion of Aero India 2013 - Daily News & Analysis | Aerobatic display by metal birds enthralled tens of thousands of aviation enthusiasts at Yelahanka airbase here today as the curtains came down on the five-day Aero India 2013, Asia's premier airshow. 'Sarang', the helicopter display team of Indian Air ...

Crowds brave hot sun to catch magic in the sky - Deccan Herald | ...While the crowd was enthralled by the air display by mean machines, the static display area too attracted many. On the first public day of the air show on Saturday, the Rafale on static display drew in many who posed for pictures with the aircraft while Israeli, Russian and French pavilions drew aviation enthusiasts...

Sarang Display Mesmerizes Spectators - Press Information Bureau | “For just 12 minutes of aerobatic display, our preparations and practice start almost four hours before because safety of aircraft and men is of utmost important for us”, said Wg Cdr Vinod Negi, deputy team leader of Sarang. Sarang begins with entry in ...

Wright-Patt officials to discuss possible cuts today - Dayton Daily News | Brenda Kerfoot, Dayton Air Show general manager, said the Air Force hasn't given any indication to her the Thunderbirds might not take flight at the air show in June. “If the Thunderbirds are cut, it's a drastic cut and I think that would be a shock ...

Team Tuskegee Ramps Up Training from Airspeed Online by Steve Tupper | Team Tuskegee has begun to ramp up its training. Element takeoffs and landings yesterday deep in the Bravo. Echelon. Tail chase. Overhead break back at Detroit City (KDET). It’s still less than a year since I first flew a TG-7A. Last march, it was all about giggles and having fun. It’s still a lot of [...]

Daughter of Tuskegee Airmen carries on father's legacy - WREX-TV | "My dad was in a B-17, part the group they had flown and defended, and I might not be here today if it wasn't for some of these gentlemen," says Scott Haugh, who attended the presentation. James bass recently retired after more than 3 decades in the ...

Colorized Photos of Women Building War Planes in the 1940s by ORPO1 | ...The photos from this archive feature plenty of 1940′s women putting a little elbow grease into their vocational work. Instead of our expected vision of the vintage mother and wife primping, nursing, and cleaning, we’re given a taste of some hard laboring technicians that were vital in building aircraft during World War II. By exhibiting a polychromatic set of photos, the images are no longer just recorded pieces of history that we feel a disconnect from. They appear to be a more life-like, relatable series of photos....

Omaha man recalls life as WWII radar pioneer - Ct Post | They flew to a base in Ohio to outfit their B17 and meet their flight crew. "We had one of the last enlisted crews to come from the courts who had given them the choice of the Air Force or jail," he wrote. "One of this flight crew's adventures was ...

Oregon WWII Memorial Honor Day at the Capitol - Tillamook Headlight Herald | Scheduled guest speakers at the ceremony include Gov. John Kitzhaber and three World War II veterans: Medal of Honor recipient Bob Maxwell of Bend, Lt. Col. (ret.) Leonard DeWitt from McMinnville, and former state legislator and World War II B-17 pilot...

Bronco #2 from Apron 6 | Let’s start a new album today. It’s quite an old album from the arrival of the second Bronco of the Bronco Demoteam. In may 2012 the Bronco arrived at...

DVD Review: British Airshows 2012 from Flightline UK - UK Airshow News | For their ‘British Airshows’ productions, Planes TV proudly boast ‘If You buy one Airshow DVD this year, buy this one!’ The British Airshows DVDs have always been superb retrospectives on the airshow season covering a number of major events and pretty well all of the different acts you encounter during a season. Though the...

He has found nirvana ... from Bonjour BlueSky

Air Force outlines sequester cuts - Dayton Daily News | Ohio Air National Guard F-16 Falcon from the Springfield Air National Guard Base arrives at the Dayton Air Show. View Larger · AirForceCuts photo. The Air Force has asked Congress to lift the across-the-board cuts and allow it to choose where the ...

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