Boeing666 wrote:
So 3 different F-18s went up Friday? I had been too busy to check the tail numbers to confirm, but that is awesome since I haven't even really looked at my photos yet.
Xray - that F-14 that buzzed you had to have been flown by Dale "Snort" Snodgrass who flew F-14 demos for years into the 90s at air shows before he started flying the air show circuit retired in various aircraft such as the P-51, F-86 and various other birds, he was also part of a civilian jet team based out of Lakeland Florida known as the Black Diamond Jet Team made up of a few ex Blue Angel and Thunderbirds pilots that flew a mix of L39s, T-33s and Mig-17s, which Snort flew each of as a solo pilot before the team disbanded and they went on to form Draken Intl based out of Lakeland, a gvt contractor with A-4s, Mig 21s, MB-339s and I think some F-5s.
Could have been Snort who knows, these buzz jobs happened at Selfridge when they used to host Wolverine Flag, sort of like a mini Red Flag type operation that lasted a few days.
Incredible, far, far better than any airshow. Last one was probably 15/20 years ago, I went to 2 of them and they had dozens of fighters, everything in the inventory at the time including Phantoms, F-14's, F-15's, A-6, F-111's, Harriers, AWACS, Tornados from Europe and more. Just non stop action from dawn to dusk, and many would buzz the field and do multiple approaches before landing.
The F-14 was doing a touch and go, was watching him head towards me and I was thinking, Ok, pull up ,,, Nose up a bit, C,mon, pull up .... After a certain point I knew he was going to very very low over my head, he was pouring it on but just didn't seem to want to get his nose up until he passed me, whereupon he did much the same as the F-18 and pitched straight up.
I estimate he was 25ft or less over my head, Phantom even less. Also saw [heard] an F-15 mess up and go supersonic, only the 2nd time in my life that I had the pleasure of hearing a sonic boom.