coolest airshow moment

[Dudley Henriques]

Dudley, YOU WIN !! I would have loved to have seen that ! What a great story, thanks for sharing it.

It was indeed a fun day! The Marines were great sports and everyone enjoyed the gag. I think the Marines might have gotten even however, as the last time I talked to the guys down at Strike, they were REAL nervous about a comeback...............and that was 10 years later!!
))
Dudley

[jet1]

the northern lights flew into Reno several days before the races. It was dark and we were helping them get situated. they had just flown from Michigan to Nevada...i'm sure they all felt like they were sitting on a concrete block after that long. The woman that was on the team (i'll call her Oh laa laa 8^)) was walking along and a little kid came up and started asking her questions. Now me, after a long fighter flight would want to talk to a kid about as much as I would want to stick hot knitting needles in my eyes but she was overly gracious and spent 15 minutes or so with this kid telling him how he and his buddies could practice formation on their bikes and how good a training tool it was.
At first I was taken with her beauty, charm and skills....after that I simply fell in love as she was one of the nicest pilot types I have ever seen. I was very impressed and if we were all like her the world might be a better place.
This was back in the days of their extra 300 aerobatics and I often wonder how she is doing to this day!

[b29flteng]

The "Trash Can" margarita party under Sentimental Journey's wing at Harlingen in the late 70s or early 80s. After the last act the AZ wing pulled about 10 blenders out and started to fill two or three trash cans up with margaritas, you just walked along and scooped some up in a glass.

[Tim Adams]

They have done it a few times at OSH, but the first I remember was a few years back, about a dozen P-51's on the runway, they had them all turn toward the crowd and run them up at the same time. What a freakin' sound.

Second favorite, night engine tests at Reno, flames, noise, it's all good.

[Zachary]

They have done it a few times at OSH, but the first I remember was a few years back, about a dozen P-51's on the runway, they had them all turn toward the crowd and run them up at the same time. What a freakin' sound.

Second favorite, night engine tests at Reno, flames, noise, it's all good.

Easily one of the coolest photos I've EVER seen!

[aerojock]

I don't remember the year but in the late 80s and F-16 accidently broke the sound barrier at the Reno Air Races. It was my first and so far only sonic boom.


Jim

[Tinker51]

Sacramento International Airshow when it was held at Rancho Murieta. This would have been the mid 80's or so. While standing on the ramp looking out to the runway there is a row of trees on the other side of the runway. A B-52 came by for several passes and the last pass was low, fast and loud. Our intrepid aviator had a ton of power on and was probably injecting them because the sound and black smoke was amazing. Even more amazing was that the aircraft was so low I could see the tops of the trees over the top of the aircraft.
20 years later I am chatting with a co-worker and describing the event. His eyes go wide and he exclaims "I was there, I remember that!"

[captain.confusion]

It was in 2005. The first time I heard the sound of a DB 605 Engine (the best engine sound ever) and I saw the "rote 7" flying.

[Obergrafeter]

Zane you were asking about the "other" B-25 in the formation..........I think it is Big Ole Brew. Time period is right and if you look close you can see where the nose art would match.

[Scott Rose]

Definately the arrivals on friday night at my first Geneseo show in 2005. Everyone was eating their chicken dinner in the crew tent when off in the distance I could see a Corsair banking towards the field. He came in from the direction of the hangers, head on towards the tent at a high speed. Nobody seemed to notice him except myself, but they sure noticed when he buzzed over top of the tent with about 15 feet to spare!

LOL, that was what I was going to say was one of mine! I was in the tent when it happened.

Another one at Geneseo was getting straffed by an slightly errant Hurricane!

And one of the most memorable ones was at Dayton in 92? Three Hercs passing in formation, suddenly they each dropped a platoon or so of paratroops, never seen so many parachutes in my life!

And the combined arms display that day was amazing as well, with recon, air strikes, A-10 and AH-64 support of a SF insertion and extraction, covering attacks from the A-10s followed by more airstrikes and a BDA run from a Rf-4, all with squibs and pyro. Was intense. Never seen one better.

Man....what a list! There are definitely some greatest hits in this thread!

I was not there personally, but at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, on 26 May 1958 there was an airshow/airpower demo for the Aviation Writers Association. At one point, several VX-5 aircraft were demonstrating delivery of simulated nuclear weapons on a PBY hulk. One of the VX-5 aircraft, A4D-2 buno 142727, piloted by then-LCDR Larry Cauble (my Dad) had a flameout at 7000 ft AGL just after releasing his bomb. He rolled upright, tried to restart to no avail and punched out at 3000 feet. Parachute was visible from the grandstand. He landed in knee-deep Gulf of Mexico water and was immediately picked up by the helo and brought to the grandstand. The A4D augured in on San Padre Island.

Post-accident investigation revealed that an oil pump shaft for the J65 engine had sheared, thereby causing the engine failure.

My personal favorite memory would be 1963 or 1964 on a dependents' cruise aboard USS Coral Sea as the air group showed off. Two events stand out: Flight of several F-8D Crusaders of VF-154 strafe the Pacific perhaps 1/2 mile from ship. (Sound of many 20mm firing!) And F-4B Phantom of VF-151 passes over the ship at perhaps 1000 feet and Mach 1.0+. Wow!

[Robbie Stuart]

The "Trash Can" margarita party under Sentimental Journey's wing at Harlingen in the late 70s or early 80s. After the last act the AZ wing pulled about 10 blenders out and started to fill two or three trash cans up with margaritas, you just walked along and scooped some up in a glass.

He11 Yes! Thats what I'm talkin about. Them was the good ole days.
Robbie

[Speedy]

I saw The Dwarf do an aerobatic routine in Miss America at Abbottsford many moons ago set to the music from Chariots of Fire. I still get goosebumps thinking about that.

But as far as best airshow memories? Wow. Where do you start? Any air display where the RAF Vulcan was flown. The CAF 409 Squadron from Comox in the old Voodoo's 'opening' a show. FiFi & Diamond Lil 'racing' around the pylons after hours at Reno. R.A. Bob during his glory days either in the Mustang or the Shrike. Rick Brickert performing in the Red Knight to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA". Chuck Lyford in Larry Blumer's old P-38. Lefty in White Lightnin, for that matter. The Blues & Birds in the Phantom...all that smoke and noise, and how the diamond formation just looked so 'full' with all that wing. Cheesy & corny, but the Jimmy Franklin/Elliot Cross "Dueling Waco's" was always a lot of fun...mostly for Johnny K's announcing...."Ooooooh, yeah!"

But I think my epitome 'airshow moment' was at the 86 Abbottsford show that had the Blue Angels, Snowbirds, the Brazilians, the French, the Frecci Tri Colori, and a few others. Good thing the Blues OPENED the show, because darn, by the time those crazy Italians CLOSED the show, the crowd was shock and awed into a frenzy. I think Hacker Haskin will agree as to how funny it was to watch the Tri Colori solo pilot do a tail slide back through the formation, hearing the crowd go absolutely wild, and have the narrator, in broken English say "No, no....is not all..."

[Myles]

I think for me the coolest moment at an airshow was when I was in the right seat in a PBY-5A (N9521C) at the Gathering of Warbirds Airshow in Madera, CA in 1992. We were back taxiing down the runway to a run up area on the east end of the field. We were going to do a flying routine in honor of Ens. George Gay, the sole survivor of VT-8. Years later he became a pilot for TWA. The owner of the PBY at that time, Gus Vincent, had also flown for TWA and had often flown with George Gay. As we were taxiing out Gary Meerman was flying his Corsair and Elmer Ward was flying his Gulfhawk Bearcat. The two started making low passes down the runway. During the second pass the Gulfhawk was to the left side of the runway and the Corsair came screaming over the top of us. What an awesome sight to see that dead ahead. The propane machine guns were blazing away on the Corsair as Gary made a pass over the top of us. I'll never forget that sight.

Jim

[John-Curtiss Paul]

I don't know the year but it was the first year that the new F-117 stealth Fighters began making their public appearances.....so there was very much anticipation on the Ramp.

It was the Reno Air Races and Lefty was up in White Lightning for his acro act when he was told to climb and orbit the field..........that was the first time I'd ever seen the F-117. That was pretty cool in itself, but as one F-117 was making low passes to the awe of the crowd I looked up and saw the coolest sight I've still ever seen hands down.....It was Lefty and the P-38 orbiting with the second F-117 above the field. It was an incredible experience and sight to see the very latest and greatest, with only a difference of mere decades in technological advancement orbiting above with the P-38.

On a scale of 1 -10 .......it was 11 to me.

The other coolest would be Fifi and Diamond Lil going around the pylons at Reno.