Those describing the show as lackluster are spot on. Not much going on in the air at Thunder Over Michigan today. The flying portion of the show could only be described as sparse. Of the five airshows I've attended this year, this was the most expensive daily ticket for both the least interesting and shortest flying program I've seen this summer. When you factor in all the lulls with nothing in the air, I doubt there was an hour and a half of actual flying before the Blues took the air. Other than the pass to check the wind and the pass where the C-47s would have dropped paratroopers if the wind hadn't been an issue, the C-47s made one fly-by. One. For the "theme" aircraft. Perhaps there were more planned and that couldn't be done with the re-enactors still on board, in which case there's not much that could have been done about that. I hope there were more fly-by's Saturday or will be for those attending tomorrow.
The P-40 didn't fly due to a mechanical issue today, so that may have contributed a bit to the lulls, but it honestly wouldn't have changed my thoughts on the flying program this year. It left a lot to be desired, especially for the price. The C-46 also had to turn back from its flight to a mechanical issue - not the show's fault, those things just happen. There was plenty on the field for a fuller flying program though. The same F-86 flew a nice solo demo at Selfridge two weeks ago, or any airshow passes from the Yankee B-17 or C-47 would have been appreciated (i.e. not just returning from a ride flight). For those who like to argue with the baseball game/cost analogy, this was like paying for nine innings and getting five with a star player or two sitting on the bench.
On the bright side, seeing the P-40B was fantastic. I never thought I'd get to see one in person. The fact that it didn't fly wasn't a huge disappointment- old airplanes break sometimes, and that's just the way it goes. The P-51D "Cripes A'Mighty" was a nice surprise on static. I had forgotten just how authentic of a restoration that was. Major credit to the Skyraider pilot as well - I think that was the first time I've ever seen a prop-driven warbird pulling wingtip vapor. The P-51C demo by Doug Rozendaal was also a nice display. The YAM Connie was impressive to see on static display. Will be great to see indoors and repainted in the future.
I'll throw a few of my static shots here since there hasn't been much posted yet. I'm sure those who take aerial photos will have better shots to contribute.
IMG_0033 by
Matthew Vader, on Flickr
IMG_0037 by
Matthew Vader, on Flickr
IMG_0040 by
Matthew Vader, on Flickr
IMG_0047 by
Matthew Vader, on Flickr
IMG_0077 by
Matthew Vader, on Flickr
IMG_0102 by
Matthew Vader, on Flickr
IMG_0134 by
Matthew Vader, on Flickr
IMG_0145 by
Matthew Vader, on Flickr
IMG_0156 by
Matthew Vader, on Flickr
The highlight of the re-enactment was this rare appearance by the period Nissankampfwagen. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a pic of the rare Golfkartenkraftrad.
IMG_0181 by
Matthew Vader, on Flickr