Warbird Information Exchange

the Texan II was originally on the site but disappeared in the more recent update. Just one of each modern? usually Texan IIs come in pairs or more

All,

Additional static military aircraft will be added in the next few days.

Cheers,

Tom Walsh.

I always love the static military aircraft for arrivals day especially if it is a big one - like last year with the P-3s, and year before I missed the KC-135 and KC-10 arrival - I was at the ATM on Michigan Ave and Belleville Rd when the KC-10 flew over

Hope there will be some "interesting" ones to see come in on Taxiway Photography/Arrival Day on August 3!

Maybe the V-22s will show up again. Like to see a couple of the big ones come in but something that hasn't been here before like an E-3 with the old JTD3 engines.

What are V-22s and E-3s?

Mudge the uneducated

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Land of the free because of the brave

Something Mudge wouldn't like because they are modern, but they had V-22s last year.

V-22 Osprey




E-3 Sentry




We had the E-6 last year, which is the Navy version without the big dome on top and it also had the new CFM quiet engines - I like the old smokey screaming engines that the E-3 has.

I hate to be that nit-picker-guy...but as any self-respecting Naval Aviator will tell you--regardless of their personal opinions of the bus-drivers that fly them--the E-6 is not a Navy version of an E-3 Sentry/AWACS. The E-6 Mercury/Hermes is a TACAMO aircraft--designed to communicate with Navy ballistic missile subs using long VLF radio antennaes reeled out for miles behind the plane. Other versions have been adapted to take on the old Air Force "Looking Glass" program.

But it's not an E-3 without the dome and better engines.

Just sayin.

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Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives, and I decline......

I could be a commercial aviation snob and say that both are military versions of the Boeing 707

Wrong...Mudge likes modern. I just don't care for the noise and smell of the kerosene burners. They just don't have, for me, the "character" that the WWII types do.

Mudge the geezer

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Land of the free because of the brave

You wouldn't smell or hear them on Saturday because they would be on static. I agree with the Mudge on character though. However the V-22 has its own unique sound that seperates it from any helicopter or plane. The E-3 with the old smokey engines has more character than the E-6 that came last year with the modern CFM engines (sounded like a 737 with 4 engines), while the E-3 has that high pitched shreik similar to that of the B-52.

Diamond Lil is flying again after the landing mishap at CLT. It often tours with Fifi, any chance that Diamond Lil will make a last minute appearance at Thunder? I would love to get pictures of it with the Diamond Lil colors since it was still Ol 927 when it was last here - just wish it would go back to those desert pinkish colors it used to have as Diamond Lil.

The young pups just don't understand us geezers

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Steve Turner, USAF aircraft refueler 54+ years ago.

I like it all, but it is always nice to see something new that never been there before.

I like some of the older jet engines too. But I would hardly say that the turbofan engines on the E-3 are the "old smoky engines." The old smoky engines are really the turbojet engines that preceeded the turbofans. Like the KC-135A's when they had the old J-57 turbojets and the B-52G's and earlier models with the J-57 engines. Yes the turbofans on KC-135E's, USAF E-3's and B-52H's may put out some visible smoke compared to more modern high bypass engines, but nothing like the old turbojets. But the smaller older Turbofans definitely have a different sound then the big high bypass engines that replaced them.

Agree. it would be outstanding to see a B-24 as a last minute addition to Thunder.

I like it all too. But WWII prop, Post-WWII prop (like C-97, C-123, Skyraider, etc.), and 1950's/1960's era vintage jets are my favorites.

I would not mind seeing some unique current military aircraft that do not frequent Thunder come in on Taxiway Photography/Arrival Day to get some great aerial views and photography on approach.