THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN 2013

[flightsimer]

Hopefully I will be attending with our C-123 and if I'm really lucky, I will be doing so from the right seat.

Should I be able to attend, just look for the youngest guy in a flight suit by the plane. If he looks too young to be flight crew, then that is probably me.

[Rob W]

Hopefully I will be attending with our C-123 and if I'm really lucky, I will be doing so from the right seat.

Should I be able to attend, just look for the youngest guy in a flight suit by the plane. If he looks too young to be flight crew, then that is probably me.

Will you guys be flying in Saturday and Sunday's airshow? I've never seen a flying C-123 and I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it Friday to catch your arrival.

[flightsimer]

Hopefully I will be attending with our C-123 and if I'm really lucky, I will be doing so from the right seat.

Should I be able to attend, just look for the youngest guy in a flight suit by the plane. If he looks too young to be flight crew, then that is probably me.

Will you guys be flying in Saturday and Sunday's airshow? I've never seen a flying C-123 and I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it Friday to catch your arrival.

As far as I know (I am not the one in charge of airshows on our end) we have not been asked to do so and therefore will be static. This is based off of conversations I have had with the person who does the bookings. I too would like to see us fly, as I myself have never see it do a routine, though I know we have in the past.

I know we will be leaving Friday to come up and we will be leaving Sunday after the show to fly home as long as weather is good as we are Day-VFR only. From the time the show ends, it normally takes around an hour or two to get everything packed up and engines started if you are able to catch us leaving. This mainly depends on how busy the show is though.

[Rob W]

Bummer. Hopefully the C-1A flies during the show.

Catching your arrival at some point on Friday along Ecorse Rd. is much more realistic than catching your departure on Sunday afternoon from Thunder's ramp. Security forces at Thunder are downright combative about getting people off of the ramp shortly after the airshow concludes on Sunday. Performer pass, media pass...didn't matter. Everyone out, no exceptions. Left quite a sour taste in a lot folk's mouth after being treated like that.

[WIXerGreg]

Bummer. Hopefully the C-1A flies during the show.

Security forces at Thunder are downright combative about getting people off of the ramp shortly after the airshow concludes on Sunday. Performer pass, media pass...didn't matter. Everyone out, no exceptions. Left quite a sour taste in a lot folk's mouth after being treated like that.

Agreed. I've had it happen to me more than once and heard quite a few people say the same thing. Last year on Sunday there were of a couple of us with cameras down at the end trying to catch FiFi starting up for the last time before (we were) leaving, 30 minutes before the advertised airport grounds closing time and we were yelled at and run off like trespassers.

[Boeing666]

Bummer. Hopefully the C-1A flies during the show.

Catching your arrival at some point on Friday along Ecorse Rd. is much more realistic than catching your departure on Sunday afternoon from Thunder's ramp. Security forces at Thunder are downright combative about getting people off of the ramp shortly after the airshow concludes on Sunday. Performer pass, media pass...didn't matter. Everyone out, no exceptions. Left quite a sour taste in a lot folk's mouth after being treated like that.

Well on departure you really can't see/hear the planes departing from the Thunder ramp due to them being so far. My best advice is depending on the wind is to try to get them from around the property. When Thunder Pig was here a couple years back I caught it departing on Runway 23L from by the old Zantop hangars. This depends on wind direction of course. We lucked out that year as most departures were on 23L. There is a road on west side of the airport that you can get to (use google maps) where several of us parked to watch the departures. There was a grass field next to the road that we parked in just to the northwest side of the approach. This is normally good for light in evening departures, just had a cloud block out the sun on this one.

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/ph ... 11953.html

If winds are from the northeast they will take off likely on 5R - over Ecorse.

I have noticed a few in years past depart on Runway 32, which is bad from near the Zantop hangars and Ecorse location and then you have to go in the old GM plant parking area.

Ecorse Rd is only useful when there are South or southwest winds for arrival. IF there are north or northeast winds that day, arrivals might come in by Zantop hangars onf 5R and 5L. Northwest winds you are kind of screwed because they land on 32 where there is nowhere to really watch from.

[TOM WALSH]

From another board:

A majority of the presently flying vintage jets from the World Air Heritage Museum have been added

-Temco TT Super Pinto
-de Havilland Vampire T.55
-Fouga CM.170 Magister
-Hispano Aviacion HA-200 Saeta
-Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfin

Add these to the F-100, A-4 & F-86 already booked....it's going to be a nice Vintage Jet Gathering too.

Cheers,

Tom Walsh.

[Xray]

Bummer. Hopefully the C-1A flies during the show.

Security forces at Thunder are downright combative about getting people off of the ramp shortly after the airshow concludes on Sunday. Performer pass, media pass...didn't matter. Everyone out, no exceptions. Left quite a sour taste in a lot folk's mouth after being treated like that.

Agreed. I've had it happen to me more than once and heard quite a few people say the same thing. Last year on Sunday there were of a couple of us with cameras down at the end trying to catch FiFi starting up for the last time before (we were) leaving, 30 minutes before the advertised airport grounds closing time and we were yelled at and run off like trespassers.

You guys aren't exaggerating, I had an overzealous cop darn near draw his weapon on me when I made a turn on that little side/semi road that runs along Ecorse in front of the runway. There were other guys going down that road and it was partially blocked off, so I figured I'd follow those guys in but it turns out they were security and this cop came rushing at me like I was a murderous bank robber ,,, Had some kids too and they were pretty shook up, shame they have to be so gung ho these days.

I used to go back in the old factory grounds for after the show take offs but they apparently have blocked off access to the best spots, last year I had a real hard time finding any spot in line with post show take offs.

[Boeing666]

You guys aren't exaggerating, I had an overzealous cop darn near draw his weapon on me when I made a turn on that little side/semi road that runs along Ecorse in front of the runway. There were other guys going down that road and it was partially blocked off, so I figured I'd follow those guys in but it turns out they were security and this cop came rushing at me like I was a murderous bank robber ,,, Had some kids too and they were pretty shook up, shame they have to be so gung ho these days.

I used to go back in the old factory grounds for after the show take offs but they apparently have blocked off access to the best spots, last year I had a real hard time finding any spot in line with post show take offs.

Really? The only time the cops ran me off from that location was 2 years ago when the Blue Angels were going up to practice. The cop was polite and I understood the reason because we are not supposed to be in the flight line during Blues practice or performance and said I was welcome to return to that Ecorse Rd. service drive at 4pm when Blues were done. I have never been run off of Ecorse Service Drive after the show either. I know what it is like to deal with Over Zealous captain America cops while trying to spot at Sanford or MCO Airports in Orlando.

[dc8jet]

Never had a problem with the cops on Ecorse. Two years ago they came by ahead of time and told us us what time we would have to leave and even suggested a few other places where we could park while the blues practiced.

[Xray]

You guys aren't exaggerating, I had an overzealous cop darn near draw his weapon on me when I made a turn on that little side/semi road that runs along Ecorse in front of the runway. There were other guys going down that road and it was partially blocked off, so I figured I'd follow those guys in but it turns out they were security and this cop came rushing at me like I was a murderous bank robber ,,, Had some kids too and they were pretty shook up, shame they have to be so gung ho these days.

I used to go back in the old factory grounds for after the show take offs but they apparently have blocked off access to the best spots, last year I had a real hard time finding any spot in line with post show take offs.

Really? The only time the cops ran me off from that location was 2 years ago when the Blue Angels were going up to practice. The cop was polite and I understood the reason because we are not supposed to be in the flight line during Blues practice or performance and said I was welcome to return to that Ecorse Rd. service drive at 4pm when Blues were done. I have never been run off of Ecorse Service Drive after the show either. I know what it is like to deal with Over Zealous captain America cops while trying to spot at Sanford or MCO Airports in Orlando.

Yes, really.
Its a given anyone will be run off from perimeter roads at any airfield in the country prior to Blue/ TB performances, been that way for quite a while now. This was at least half an hour after the show.
I'm guessing the reason was because they have strict post show traffic flow plans and don't like to see any variations, but this guy was way out of line the way he over reacted to such a minor and inconsequential transgression.

[TOM WALSH]

You guys are lucky you can hang outside the fence on the perimeter roads surrounding the Willow Run Airport on the Air Show weekend.

Most shows nowadays post all roads in the vicinity of the event - No parking, No Stopping, No Standing.

Enjoy it while you can, even if there is an occasional hiccup with the County Mounties.

Cheers,

Tom Walsh.

[Xray]

You guys are lucky you can hang outside the fence on the perimeter roads surrounding the Willow Run Airport on the Air Show weekend.

Most shows nowadays post all roads in the vicinity of the event - No parking, No Stopping, No Standing.

Enjoy it while you can, even if there is an occasional hiccup with the County Mounties.

Cheers,

Tom Walsh.

You are right, most shows will bounce anyone loitering around the approach, Blue Angels or not. I have the feeling they will end this practice sooner rather than later.
Used to love the London shows by the way, probably the best shows I have ever attended, probably 8 to 12 years ago. Never made it for the fly-in day, but always hung around almost to dark watching the departures from a great profile vantage point.

[TOM WALSH]

Xray,

It probably is going to change, all under the guise of Insurance Liability.

With regard to London, yes, those were grand days never ever to be repeated on that scale.

It is unfortunate, that some of my former cohorts were lured over to the dark side in 1997, but as they say, "that was a long time ago in a galaxy far far away!"

One of these days, when I get the backlog of book projects off my desk, I intend to write the true story of the rise and fall of The London International Air Show - warts and all.

I was there on the first and last day.

Cheers,

Tom Walsh.

[Boeing666]

You guys are lucky you can hang outside the fence on the perimeter roads surrounding the Willow Run Airport on the Air Show weekend.

Most shows nowadays post all roads in the vicinity of the event - No parking, No Stopping, No Standing.

Enjoy it while you can, even if there is an occasional hiccup with the County Mounties.

Cheers,

Tom Walsh.

True I can't pull to the side of US 1 during the Titusville show. MacDill AFB in Tampa there is a park across the street from the base where I could watch arrivals and practices the day before and is usually full during the show, but we won't have one this year due to no base shows. However neither of those shows have as close proximity to the landing traffic that Willow Run has.

It is always great to be along Ecorse to get landing traffic of some of the planes that don't fly during the show like the C-123 this year and some of the larger military statics in years past.