Anda di halaman 1dari 56

Page 1

The

WelcometoourenvironmentallyfriendlyJuneJuly2014issueofThe Magazine.
Theairshowseasonisnowflyinghigh!WeshouldhavegoodcoveragefromNorthAmericaandseveralair
showsfromEurope.WewillhaveatleastonespecialairbasevisitinJune,forwhichweareextremelygrate
fultoourfriendsArmedel'airandourtripiscourtesyofFinnair.Lastyearwehadtheprivilegetovisitthe
FrenchRamexDeltaTacticalDemoTeam,andthisyearwewillbevisitingandlearnabouttheRafale.Inour
nextmonthsissuewewillhaveanextensivecoverageofourvisit,aswellastheir80thAnniversaryairshow
heldatMeetingCazaux.Additionally,wewillfeatureourvisittotheFinnishAirForceMuseumaswell,lo
catedinTikkakoski,Finland.

In this current issue, we also added a new section that features spotting of airliners at various airports
worldwide.

ThereisgoodnewsforthosewhoenjoyUSAFHeritageFlights,ACCwillnowflyanF16alongwithaP38,P
47,P51andF86atseveralopenhousesandairshows.Pleasedownloadour2014NorthAmericanMilitary
TeamSchedulesina.pdfformatfrombelowforlocationsanddates.

In the 2014 season we will continue to bring our readers an excellent variety of aviation events from air
shows,militaryexercises,airbaseandmuseumvisitsthatmakes The Magazine veryunique,especially
whenitcomestoebasedpublication!

Copyright 2014 ASR Media LLC. The Magazine may not be edited, or sold
withoutpriorwrittenconsent.However,youarefreetodistributeitforno
charge,aslongasitisbacklinkedtooursite.Alltradenames,trademarks,
manufacturer names, photographic images and textual works used in this
publication, are the property of their respective owners. While ASR Media
LLC.,strivesforfactualreportingofeventsASRMediaLLC.,isnotresponsible
fortheaccuracyofthecontentorfortheopinionsexpressedbyauthorsof
theirrespectivearticlesandreports.

Page 2

INDEX

Page 3

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Publisher:ASRMediaLLC.

Advertising:Pleasecontactusatinfo@airshowsreview.com

Contributingphotographers:

Canada:SteveHornetBigg
USA:RicardovonPuttkammer,DanAdams,StefanSeville,NormanGraf,
AaronRumfallo
Europe:PeterThivessen,WolfgangJarisch,RayPace,
FarEast:TakeshiShinoda,YoshiakiWakana

The Magazine is published six times a year and it is available for a FREE
downloadfromourwebsitewww.AirShowsReview.com. Pleasenotewedonotac
ceptanyunsolicitedarticlesorimagesforpublication.

PrintablecopiesinAcrobat.pdfformatareavailableat$9.99perissues/hincluded
for North America. Yearly editions of six issues at $19.99 s/h included for North
America.Clickheretopurchase.


The

Ocean and 50 feet below sea level, seems an unlikely place for a Navy installation. However, the yearround
goodweather(over350daysofsunshineandlessthan3inchesofrain)andproximitytohundredsofsquare
milesofbombingandgunneryrangesmakeitanideallocationforaNavalAirFacility.Ofmoreinteresttoair
showenthusiastsisthefactthatsince1967thefacilityhasservedasthewinterhomeoftheUSNavyandMa
rineCorpsFlightDemonstrationSquadron,theBlueAngels.StartingeveryJanuarytheteamconductsovertwo
monthsofintensivetrainingandpractice,honingtheirflyingandmaintenanceskillsandbuildingthecohesive
nessrequiredtosafelyandsuccessfullycompletetheupcomingairshowseason.

Weflytwotothreetimesadayandtakeadvantageoftheweatherandoutstandingairspacehere,explained
Cmdr.TomFrosch,CommandingOfficeroftheBlueAngels.Thatswhywecomehere.Itsanopportunityfor
ustofocusonourdemoandourtraining.Theresnobet
terplaceintheworldtocomeandflyandlearnandstay
focused.

Early in the training, the pilots practice their formation


flying and timing, often repeating individual maneuvers
overandoveragain.Normally,newmembersoftheteam
would be gradually brought up to speed. But this years
team is the same as last year, so the progression was
much quicker, and even though the team had arrived
laterthanusual,theywerealreadyrehearsingthewhole
show by the middle of February when we visited them.
TheteamnormallypracticesoutinthedesertoverShade
Tree Range, but on Thursdays and Saturdays they re
hearse over the field at NAF El Centro itself. A morning
practiceisfollowedbyadebrief.Afterlunchanotherre
hearsaltakesplace.

Page 4

INDEX

Thefacilityisquitesmallandsetinthemiddleofagriculturalfields,soitiseasytogetclosetotheaction.On
theeasternedgeofthefacility,rightattheendofrunway12,onecanusuallyfindtallstacksofalfalfabales,af
fectionatelyknownastheHayBales.Here,onThursdaysandSaturdays,canusuallybefoundasmatteringof
BlueAngelsfans.Somearesnowbirdswinteringinlocaltowns,othershavedrivenorflownlongdistancestobe
here,someevenfromoverseas.Allareheretocatchtwoairshowsaday,upcloseandpersonal.Sometake
photographsorvideooftheaction,revellingintheuniqueanglesavailablefromthisvantagepoint.Othersare
gluedtotheirscanners,listeningtoBossFroschdirectingtheaction:SmokeonReadyNow.Andmany
justkickbackintheirbeachchairsandenjoytheflying.Butasmallfewsimplycantresisttheurgetogeteven
closertotheactionandclimbatopthehaybales.ItsarushtostandthereasallfouroftheHornetstakeoff
withfullafterburnerandpassrightoveryourhead,theslotpilotalreadyslewinghisaircraftintothediamond
formation. And sometimes the team even comes out for an informal meet and greet with their fans. All in
keeping with their mission statement: The mission of the
UnitedStatesNavyFlightDemonstrationSquadronistoshow
case the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy
and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and ser
vice to country through flight demonstrations and community
outreach.

ThewintertrainingculminatesinearlyMarchwhen,aftermore
than120practiceflights,theBlueAngelskickofftheirairshow
season at the NAF El Centro Air Show. They then transition to
theirhomebase,NASPensacola,wheretheypracticeduringthe
week between shows. The scheduled practice demonstrations
take place Tuesdays and Wednesdays beginning at 11:30 AM.
Butmoreonthatinanotherarticle

For more information about the Blue Angels, visit


www.BlueAngels.navy.mil.

Page 5

Magazine JuneJuly2014

El Centro, located in the Imperial Valley of southern California more than 100 miles inland from the Pacific

The

Magazine JuneJuly2014
Page 7
INDEX
Page 6


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

KomakiAirBasesOpenDay,normallyheldintheautumn,wasinsteadheldthistimeinthecoldwintersea
son.Lastyear,SuperTyphoonHaiyancausedconsiderabledamageinthePhilippinesandJASDFKomakipro
videdtransportationservicesinsupportofthereliefefforts.TheirOpenDaywasthereforepostponedtothe
endofthefiscalbudgetyear2013.

TheOpenDayitselfwasarathercompact,tinyone.Thefirstday,February22,wasreservedforneighbouring
peopletoattend.February23rdwasthepublicOpenDay;attendanceseemedtoberoughly30,000,proba
blyduetoitbeingacoldwinterday.Flightperformancewasnotsoactive.Photographingfromthebaseit
selfisdifficultduetothestrongbacklighting.Idecidedtopassuptheopportunitytophotographtheaircraft
onstaticdisplayandtookpicturesfromtheoppositesideoftheAirBaserunway.Istayedontheopendeck
ofthedomesticterminalwhichhasbetterlightingconditions.

Therewasquiteoflotofhazeintheatmosphere,unfortunately...

Page 8

INDEX

Page 9


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

MitsubishiUH60J
AgustaWestlandAW139

MH53ESuperStallionhelicopterfromtheJapanMaritimeSelfDefenseForce
(JMSDF)
EurocopterAS365

KawasakiOH1"Ninja"

OH6D

Page 10

INDEX

Page 11


The

LockheedP3COrion

NAMCYS11NT,NavigationTrainer,araresight,thesedays!

RJNAAgustaWestlandAW139withanEmbraer170SU
inthebackground

Page 12

INDEX

Page 13

Magazine JuneJuly2014

C130HHercules


The

BoeingKC767JTankerwithaC130H

Magazine JuneJuly2014

KawasakiT4

LearjetU36A1

Page 14

INDEX

Page 15


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Page 16

INDEX

NSAWC F-16A

Page 17

F5NTigerIIofVFC13"Saints"totheleft.
Page 18

INDEX

Page 19

Magazine JuneJuly2014

entirecarrierairwingcanconductcomprehensivetrainingwhileintegratingeveryelementofthewinginto
realisticbattlescenarios.Duringcarrierairwingtraining,unitsareabletomakeuseofthemorethan6.5
millionacresoftheFallonRangeTrainingComplex(FRTC)andbechallengedbyNavyAggressorunits.The
ultimategoalofNSAWCistoensurethatexcellenceintrainingwillleadtovictoryinbattle.CarrierAirWing
Five(CVW5),normallystationedatNAFAtsugi,Japan,iscurrentlyundergoingtrainingatNAFFallon.CVW
5consistsofVFA102DiamondbacksflyingtheF/A18FSuperHornet,VFA27RoyalMacesflyingtheF/
A18ESuperHornet,VFA115EaglesflyingtheF/A18ESuperHornet,VFA195DambustersflyingtheF/
A18ESuperHornets,VAQ141flyingtheEA18GGrowler,VAW115flyingtheHawkeye2000,VRC30De
tachment5flyingtheC2Greyhound,HSC12flyingtheMH60SSeahawkandHSM77flyingtheMH60R
Seahawk.ItisararetreattoseetheseaircraftintheUSandwewerefortunatetobeinvitedtoattendan
onbasephotoopportunityarrangedthroughthePublicAffairsOffice.

Airwingtraininginvolvesstrikeplanningandexecutioninadynamic,scenariodrivenenvironment.Opposi
tion is provided by Navy Aggressor squadrons, some flying dissimilar aircraft, to provide a more realistic
simulatedwartimesetting.VFC12FightingOmarsfromNASOceanaandVFA204RiverRattlersfrom
NAS JRB New Orleans flew Hornets, while the locallybased VFC13 Saints flew F5E Tiger IIs. Because
CVW5sE/A18GsquadronVAQ141wasparticipatinginRedFlag142atNellisAFB,theywerereplacedby
GrowlersofVAQ138YellowJacketsandanEA6BProwlerofVAQ131LancersbothfromNASWhidbey
Island.Inadditiontowitnessingtwolaunchesandrecoveries,whichisanormaltrainingregimen,wewere
alsogivenatouroftheflightlinewherewewereabletoseeandphotographanumberofadditionalair
craft,includingtheNSAWCF16s.

ASRMediawouldliketothankZipUphamandMC1TerryMatlockoftheNASFallonPublicAffairsOfficefor
theirsupportinarrangingthevisitandalloftheirassistanceduringourvisit.

Wewereprivilegedtobeabletophotographaircraftfrom:
CVW5:
VFA102DiamondbacksF/A18F
VFA27RoyalMacesF/A18E
VFA115EaglesF/A18E
VFA195DambustersFA18E
Aggressors:
VFC12FightingOmarsF/A18A+
VFC13SaintsF5E
VFA204RiverRattlersF/A18A+
NSAWCF16
NSAWCF/A18
ElectronicWarfare:
NSAWCE2C
VAQ131LancersEA6B
VAQ138YellowJacketsE/A18G

The

NavalAirStationFallon,homeoftheNavalStrikeAirWarfareCenter(NSAWC),istheonlyfacilitywherean


The

rs
Oma
g
n
i
t
igh
12 F
C
F
of V
rnet
o
H
8A+
F/A-1

Magazine JuneJuly2014

F/A-18A+ Hornet of VFC-12 Fighting Omars

F/A-18F Super Hornets of VFA-102 "Diamondbacks"

EA-18G Growler of VAQ-138 "Yellow Jackets"


Page 20

F-5N Tiger II of VFC-13 "Saints"

INDEX

Page 21


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

MH-60S Seahawk of NSAWC

EA6B Prowler of VAQ131 Lancers

E-2C Hawkeye of NSAWC

EA-18G Growler of VAQ-138 "Yellow Jackets"

F/A-18E Super Hornet CAG of VFA-115


Page 22

F/A-18E Super Hornet CAG of VFA-27 "Royal Maces"


INDEX

Page 23

RegionalAirport.ThisyearsshowwasdedicatedtohonoringtheTuskegeeAirmen.

Lastyearsshowdrewattentionbecauseunlikealmosteveryotherairshowthroughoutthenation,itwasntcan
celledANDitfeaturedamilitaryjetteam,theUSAFThunderbirds.The2013TICOshowwasthelastperformance
bytheThunderbirds,oranyotherteamforthatmatter,fortherestoftheyear.Althoughthisyearsshowdidnot
featureamilitaryjetteam,itdidfeaturejustabouteverythingelseyoucouldwantinanairshow,includingplenty
ofjetnoise.TheTICOorganizersdoanexceptionaljobofputtingtogetheradiverseandinterestingblendofwar
birds,stellarstaticdisplays,nonstopflying,WorldWarIIreenactorsandmuchmore.Itsagoodthingthisshowis
threedays,becauseallthreedaysareneededtotrulyappreciateallthereistosee.

Althoughtheflyingstartsaroundnooneachday,onewouldbewellservedtoshowupwhenthegatesopenasthis
showisuniqueforallowingaccesstothehotrampbeforetheshow.Youcanwalktheflightlineandgetcloseand
personalwiththeaircraftandtheircrews.Aroundnoon,thehotrampclosesandthenonstopflyingbegins.Here
isascenariotypicalofthisactionpackedshow:Youwatchaircrafttaxiingfromthehotramptotherunway,while
otherstakeoffrightinfrontofyou.Atthesametime,performersflytheirroutinesaboveyouandthenfromyour
left,adifferentaircrafttaxisbackpastthecrowdafterlanding.Thisisaprimeexampleofwhymultipledaysare
neededforthisshow.Yourheadisalwaysonaswivelandyouneedallthattimetotakeinallthesights.Theclose
proximityoftherunwayandtaxiwaytothecrowdlinemadeforaveryvisceralexperience.
Page 24

INDEX

Page 25

Magazine JuneJuly2014

TheValiantAirCommand(VAC)WarbirdMuseumheldits37thannualairshowMarch1416,2014atSpaceCoast

The

2014 Ricardo von Puttkammer

WhilethisyearsthemewasHonoringtheTuskegeeAirmen,therewerenoredtailP51Mustangsinat
tendance.However,thereweretwootherMustangsthatflewforthecrowd.Moreimportantly,severalfor
merRedTailairmenwereinattendanceattheshowandwerehonoredwithaparadeinfrontofthecrowd.
Inanespeciallytouchingmoment,paratrooperswhohadjustexecutedastaticlinejumpformedupinfront
oftheTuskegeepilots,stoodatattentionandsaluted.

TheshowbeganwiththetraditionalflagjumpwithaparachuteteamflyingintheAmericanflag,aPOWflag
andaPurpleHeartflag.ArousingrenditionofthenationalanthemwassungbyperformerTheresaEaman
afterwhichtheflyingbeganinearnest.Jetnoisewasinamplesupplythroughouttheweekendthanksto
RickComradeSvetkoffsF104Starfighter(themissilewithamaninit),DaleDollarhideflyingtheA4C
Skyhawk,DougMatthewsinhisT33ShootingStarandJerryMcCartsWickedWillyJetCar.
Of course, as the name implies, the show had plenty of warbirds in the air, including Jim Tobuls stunning
F4U4CorsairKoreanWarHero,DougMatthewsinhisP51DTheRebel,anA1ESkyraider,theworlds
onlyflyingCurtissHelldiver,2B25MitchellsPanchitoandKillerBee,andseveraltrainerandliaisonair
craftincludingseveralT6Texans,T28Trojans,T34Mentors,aC45Expeditor,FW149D,PilatusPC3and
more.TheshowevenfeaturesaSopwithCamelandaFokkerDR1RedBaronTriplanetocompletethe
aviationwarbirdtimeline.

Aerobatic thrills were provided by the Geico Skytypers flying their SNJs with incredible precision, Matt
Younkinin his70yearoldBeech18doingamazingmaneuversthattheaircraftwasneverdesignedto do,
GregConnellinhis PittsSpecialandPaulSchultenflyinghiscustombuiltChristenEagle.Mark Sorensons
oneofakindTwinTigertwoshipformationflyingroutinewowedthecrowdasheandfellowpilotBuck
Roetmanfilledtheskywithstunningformationaerobatics,skytypedmessagesandflewthroughsmokerings
intheireyecatchingYak55s.

Otherhighlightsincludedajetcarvs.airplanerace.JerryMcCartdrovehisjetcarinaraceagainsttheA4
SkyhawkonFriday,losingtoHeinemannsHotRod,butcamebackonSaturdaytohandilybeatPaulSchulten
downtherunway.ThemuseumsownC47TicoBelleconductedastaticlinedropofagroupofparatroop
ersreenactingtheDDaylandings,completewithreenactorssimulatingopposingGermanforces.
Staticdisplaysincludedthemuseumscollectionfeaturing,amongothers,anF14,F16,F105,F4,andanF
8. In addition, Warbirds and Warriors flew in their C46 Commando Tinker Belle and the Army Aviation
HeritageFoundationsSkySoldierswereprovidingridesin2oftheirUH1HueysandtheirAH1Cobrafora
fee.

The show fittingly ended with a missing man formation flown by 4 T28 Trojans to honor those men and
womenwhohavepaidtheultimatepriceinthenameoffreedom.

Wesaiditlastyearanditstillringstruein2014:TheTICOWarbirdAirShowisanexceptionalshowthat
seemstogetbetterandbettereveryyear.Ifyouhappentobeinthearea(theairshowisjust45minutes
EastofOrlando)oraretravelingjusttoseetheshow,youwillnotbedisappointed.

Severalpeoplewereinstrumentalinourabilitytoprovidefullcoverageofthisshow.Wewouldliketothank
RonDavis,PublicAffairsOfficer,forhisinvaluableassistancethroughouttheshow.Wearealsosincerelyap
preciativeforthetimeandeffortsofairshowpilotsRobertVarney,TomSmithandRobertYanacsekfortak
ingusupintheirbeautifulaircraftforairtoairimages.Lastbutcertainlynotleast,wethankRalphRoyce,
AirBoss,forhisassistanceandaccommodation.

<AmandaCargile,LeapDogsParachuteDemonstrationTeam

The

ASupermarineSpitfireMk26,anAustralian80%scaleversionofthevenerableWW2fighter

DanielKeelandRichardHall,twoformerTuskegeeAirmen

2014RvonPuttkammer

Magazine JuneJuly2014

RalphRoyce
AIRBOSS,on
theright.

am
baticTe
o
r
e
A
s
r
ige
lkaboutT
a
W
e
h
t
anof
kRoetm
c
u
B
d
n
rensona 55s
MarkSo
Yak
intheir
perform

RickComradeSvetkoff,
ownerandCEOofStar
fightersAerospace,dis
mountingfromhisF104
RobertVarneyatophisN2S3Stearman
Page 26
Allimages2014 Dan Adams unless noted

INDEX

Page 27


The

F104Starfighter
F4U4Corsair

2014RicardovonPuttkammer

Magazine JuneJuly2014

2014RicardovonPuttkammer

T33
S

FockeWulfP.149D
P51DMustang

A4Skyhawk

hoot
in

gSta

2014RicardovonPuttkammer

Allimages2014DanAdamsunlessnoted

VulteeBT15Valiant(V54)B25KillerBeePaulSchultenofEagleAirshowsC47F4U4Corsair

Page 28

INDEX

Page 29


The

Page 30

Royal Danish Air Force F-16AM

INDEX

AggressorSquadronsarethemostvisibleelementsoftheRedForces,butasLtColJonBerardinelli,Commander
ofthe57thAdversaryTacticsSupportSquadrondescribed,itsmuchmorethanthat.HereatNelliswehavetheAir
Force'sonlyprofessionaladversaryforce.Wetakethefourmaindomainsasaggressors,thatis,theair,defence,
cyberandspaceandputallthattogethertoprovidearealisticandrelevant
replicationofpotentialthreatsthatmightbeencounteredinactualcom
bat.Thereis,however,amisconceptionthattheseexercisesare
designedtofightspecificwars.Infact,theplannerspickmis
sion sets and core capabilities that span the entire
breadth of what the Air Force does and trains to all
those objectives. According to 1st Lt Chris
Clements, 547th Intelligence Squadron: We
don'ttrainagainstspecificadversarycountries.
Wemakeanentirelyfictitiouscountry,built
from the ground up in order to present a
realistic and credible threat and which
addresses multiple concerns across
multiple spectra. The main over
archingstorylineisgoingtobethe
same, but the individual scenarios
are customized to accommodate
the different ability levels and
thedifferentcapabilitiesthat
each platform brings
tothefight.

Page 31

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Wecouldgotowaratanyminute.Itsasoberingthought,butonethatisalwaysinthebackofthemindsof
membersoftheUSAirForces414thcombattrainingsquadron,whichisresponsibleforplanningandcontrolling
theRedFlagexercisesheldatNellisAFB.Theirmissionistomaximizethecombatreadiness,capabilityandsurviv
ability of US and coalition forces by providing realistic training in a combined air, ground, space and electronic
threatenvironment.

Regardlessofanythinggoingonintherestoftheworld,goingtowarisalwaysinthebackofourminds.
One of themore recent examples is Operation Unified Protector. Those folks went to war with very
littlenotice,ontheorderofhours.Theyhadtoputeveryonetogetherandgoexecuteamission
together. If that had been the first time they had ever flown or fought together with NATO
partners,likeBelgium,orSaudiArabia,likewehavehere,itwouldhavebeenalotmess
ier. But since we do these Flag exercises together we already speak the same lan
guage,wehavetheprocessesdown,andweknowhowtodoit. It'sthenjusta
matterofexecutingitwhenit'stimetodoitforreal.That'swhywedothese
exercisesaheadoftimebecauseyouneverknowwhenit'sgoingtohappen,
explainedLtColJordanGrant,DeputyCommander,414CTS.

Whatbeganasapurelytacticaltrainingcoursedesigned
toimprovethedogfightingskillsoffighterpilots
has evolved into a complete warfighting
exercise. The boldly marked F15
and F16 aircraft of the
64thand65th

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Royal Danish Air Force F-16AM

The

a maintainer from the Fighter Wing Skrydstrup, Royal Danish Air Force, explained. The ten jets deploying from Denmark suffered
throughtankerbreakdowns,diversionsduetoweather,mechanicaldifficulties,anddelaysinthearrivaloftheirsupportC130,every
thingcomingtogetheronlyatthelastminuteonSunday.It'sabigchallengeforus,butwe'reallhereandgoodtogo.Nowit'sbusi
nessasusual.Thehardpartisgettingthejetsoverhereandgettingthembackhome.

Despitethecancelationoflastyearssummerexercise,thefutureofRedFlagseemssecure,concludedLtColGrant:Ifyou'regoingto
haveasmallerforce,it'sevenmoreimportantthatyouinvestintherightkindoftraining.Youhaveallthismoneyinvestedinequip
mentbutitdoesn'tdoyouanygoodifyou'renottrainedtouseit.Whathappenshereisyougetyourvalueoutofthoseotherinvest
mentsbyalittlemoreinvestmentinRedFlag.Therearethingsthatgoonherethatyouliterallycannotdoanywhereelseintheworld
andit'swhypeoplecomehere.

ASRMediawouldliketothankthestaffofthe99thAirBaseWingPublicAffairsOfficeforalloftheirsupportduringourvisit,inparticu
larMaj.TeresaSullivan,1stLtSarahRuckriegleandA1CMonetVillacorte.

This,thesecondofthreeRedFlagsplannedfor2014,at
tracted squadrons from across the US, as well as partici
pantsfromBelgium,Denmark,NATOandSaudiArabia.In
all, over 100 aircraft and approximately 2000 individuals
from 18 units took part in the twoweek exercise. All of
theparticipantsweinterviewedagreedthatRedFlagpro
vides a unique training opportunity. The biggest thing is
integration, the opportunity to sit down with other air
frame operators and discuss tactics and
whattheyarecapableof.It'sreallyanop
portunity
for a lot of the younger guys in our squadron to get the
biggerpictureandlearnhowbesttoemploytheB52with
other assets, stressed Capt Garrett Houk, 96th BS
BarksdaleAFB.CaptGabrielLewisfromthe336thFS,SeymourJohnsonAFB,agreed:Thisis
alargeforceexercise,whichwedon'tgettodoathome.Mostoftenwejustintegratewith
ourselvesorflywithnotionalassets.There'snobettertrainingthanjustgettingoutthereand
havingthatmanyjetsintheairandhavingtoaskthequestionastohowwearegoingtomis
sionplanthisthroughthefogofwar.

Indeed,sometimesjustgettingtherecanbeatremendouschallenge,asMajorLarsStokholm,
F-15D, 65th AGRS, Nellis AFB, above.
NATO E-3A Sentry AWACS, Geilenkirchen

Page 32

HC-130J Combat King II, 79th RQS, D-M AFB

Belgian Air Component C-130H

INDEX

KC-135R, 91st ARS, MacDill AFB

A-10A Thunderbolt II, 66th WS, Nellis AFB

Page 33


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

B-52H, 96th BS, Barksdale AFB, above and right

F-16CM, 55th FS, Shaw AFB, above and right

Belgian Air Component F-16AM

Page 34

Belgian Air Component C-130H

INDEX

Page 35

The

Magazine JuneJuly2014
Page 37
INDEX
Page 36

Magazine JuneJuly2014

J.FechterArmeedel'air

R.NicolasNelsonArmedel'air

R.NicolasNelsonArmedel'air

The

Dassault Rafale C being refuelled from Base arienne 113 Saint-Dizier en-route to Africa.

Page 38

Mirage 2000N
INDEX

Dassault Rafale C, loaded with GBU-12 bombs and a Damocles targeting pod over Mali

Page 39

The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

NormanA.Graf

Page 41
INDEX
Page 40

Page 42

TheNA64builtbyNorthAmericanAviationinInglewood,Ca.,
isaprettyrarebird!TheywereorderedbyFrancebeforeWWII
broke out and 111 of them were delivered, when France was
occupiedbytheGermans.TheremainingNA64sweresentto
Canada.TheLuftwaffemadeuseoftheNA64sandtheprevi
ousmodelNA57,whichisvirtuallythesamemodel,butwitha
fabric covered fuselage and a rounder rudder, in the flight
schools.

Purchasedin2001fromEdZaleskiinCanada,whoalsoowned
thewreckageofaLuftwaffeAradoAr199seaplane,thatmyfa
ther was a crew member on a rescue mission, which turned
into the planes last flight and they had to hike to their own
linesforseveraldays.

My thought of the NA64: What a cheap Luftwaffe


traineritwouldmake..right!

The entire NA64 fit well into a large 24 ft. moving


truck and since it was Goods returned, the stop at
theUS/CANborderwasswift.Theplanewasmoved
to Slaton, Tx, to the Texas Air museum, where Mal
colmLaing,whowasmypartnerinthisproject,over
sawtherestoration.

INDEX

Page 43

Magazine JuneJuly2014

TheproudownerMichael,top.
HeinzOrlowskisittingonthe
wing(left)andthe#58KK+DS
whichheflew
themost(right).

WWIIphotoscourtesyof
MichaelFriedrich.

Thencametherealization,thatalotofT6partswillnotfittheNA64.LocatingpartsfromalloverNorth
Americawastimeconsuming.Sincewelackedanenginemountandcowling,thedecisionwasmade,togo
withaP&W985amorepopularenginethantheWright975andfoundtheBT13cowlingmoresuitable
(anyoneneedaAvroAnsoncowling?).

TheguysandgalsattheTexasAirMuseumdidagreatjob,especiallyoldSkipKelly,whocantakeapartout
ofabucketandtellyouwhereitispositionedandifthereisanADoutonit.

Theairplanefinallyflewforthefirsttimesince1946in2009andonecouldsay,thatitisaformationflight
ofabout12differentairplanes(maybemore).Onepartinparticular,therightailerontrimtabcamefroma
Yale,thatactorJamesCagneysatin,whilefilmingCaptainsoftheclouds.

Aboutthepaintscheme:donebyJasonSalasinCasaGrande.Agreatfriendofmine,HeinzOrlowski,who
wasinthesameLuftwaffefightergroupasmyfather,JG5Eismeeer,flewFw190s(myfatherradioman/
gunnerinBf110s),andbailedoutoftheFw190White1,thatisbeingrestoredbytheCollingsFounda
tion,toldme,thatheflewNAsduringLuftwaffeflighttraininginFrance.

IshowedhimseveralphotosofJG105(Jagdgeschwader)NA57s(maindifferencetoNA64s,fabricfuselage
androundedrudder)Goingthroughhislogbook,itshows,thatheflewtheNA#58themost,despitethe
pictureofhimon#51.HeinzwasagreataviationmentorandItoldhim,Iwasgoingtoputhismarkings
#58KK+DSonmyplane.

Ihadalittlefunwithsomeminordetails,e.g.No.112ontherudder(theGermansnowgot112oftheNa
64s)andBierkutsche,whichIsawwrittenonthebackofaphotoofaNAandstandsforbeerhauler.

Forfurtherinformationcontactviaemail:naa_64@hotmail.com

The

NAA64P2


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Whenitrains,itpours!Afteraveryspartan2013USairshowseason,duringwhichmanyairshowswere

Page 44

GregSheltonthentooktotheskiesandputonabarnstormingdisplayinhisbrightlypaintedStearman.He
wouldreturnlaterwithSamanthaAlbrechtforanamazingwingwalkingdemonstration,leavingmanyinthe
audiencegaspingindisbelief.KentPietschputonallthreeofhisacts.Seeinghimperformhiscomedyrou
tine,includingscrapinghiswingtiponthetarmac,isimpressiveenoughunderidealconditions,butseeing
himdoitinthegustingwindswasincredible.Despitehisbestefforts,however,hewasunabletocompletely
seathisInterstateCadetonthepickuptruckaircraftcarrier.

Thenitwastimeforoneofthemarqueeperformers,theMV22Osprey.TheLuckyRedLionsofVMM
363fromMCASMiramarputonafulltacticaldemonstrationwhichbeganwithaverticaltakeofffollowedby
ahighspeedpasswiththeenginenacellesfullyforwardinairplanemode.Thenacelleswerethenrotated
90andtheOspreyreturnedinhelicoptermodetoperformthehoveringportionofitsdemobeforelanding
once again vertically. Joe Shetterley, former A10 West demonstration pilot, continues to perform in air
shows,butnowflieshisincrediblyshinyRV8.ThelowaspectratioofthewingsissimilartotheThunderbolt
IIsandRifleputsonaspiriteddemonstrationofitscapabilities.HeendedhisactbyhandilybeatingBill
Braackinthejetcarvspistonaircraftrace.

INDEX

NormanA.Graf

2014RifleAirshows

cancelledandmilitaryparticipationwasessentiallynonexistent,thisyearsseasonintheSouthweststarted
offwithabonanza:threemilitaryairshowsonthesameweekend!TheBlueAngelswerekickingofftheir
seasonatNAFElCentro,theThunderbirdsinauguralshowwasatLukeAFBandMCASYumawasholdingits
52ndAnnualAirShow:allonSaturday,March15.LukeDays2014wasatwodayaffair,sowewouldbeat
tendingitonSunday(seeourreviewonpage58).

HowtodecidebetweenElCentroandYuma,bothonedayshows?Intheend,itwasthepreponderanceof
military performances, especially the firstever appearance of the F35B Lightning II at an air show, that
clinchedit.WehadbeenfortunateenoughtowatchtheBlueAngelsduringwintertraining(seeourreview
onpage4)andwouldbeseeingthemperformattheinauguralLACountyAirshow(seeourreviewonpage
64)sooffwewenttoMCASYuma.Thethemeforthemilitaryportionoftheairshowcouldwellhavebeen
Marines Going Vertical! as it featured vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) tactical demonstra
tions by the HH1N Huey, the AV8B Harrier II, the MV22 Osprey and, most exciting of all, the aforemen
tionedF35BLightningII.

Thegatesopenedat0800.Freeparkingwasavailableoffsitewithshuttlebusesbringingthecrowdsoverto
theentranceandsecuritycheckpoints.Thelayoutwasdifferentthisyear,theshortwalkovertotheflightline
whichusedtofeaturethemilitarystaticdisplayswasfilledwithvendors,boothsfromlocalorganizationsand
vintageclassiccars.Missingfromyearspastwerethewarbirds.Onlyahandfulofcivilaviationaircraftshared
thestaticramplocatedatairshowright.Chaletseating,grandstandandassignedseatingoptionswereavail
ableforpurchase,buttherewasplentyofroomalongthefencetosetupfoldingchairsbeforegoingoffto
surveythegrounds.AircraftrepresentingalmosttheentirecurrentinventoryofUSMCaircraftwereondis
play(seelistbelow),aswellasaUSAFA10fromDavisMonthanAFBandanArmyUH72Lakota.

The show began with a fingerfour formation flyover of F5N Tiger II aircraft from the Marine Aggressor
SquadronVMFT401Snipers.Theypassedoverthecrowdexactlyasthelaststrainsofthenationalanthem
werebeingplayedbytheMarineDrumandBugleCorps.Unfortunately,atalmostthesametime,thewind,
which had been calm all morning, suddenly picked up. Strong winds of over 20 mph with gusts to 30mph
would plague the show all day, causing a number of acts to be cancelled: Dan Buchanan and John Collver
weresidelinedbythewinds.JacquieWarda,inherExtra300flewfor8minutesinthatawfulwind!Surpris
inglyenough,RogerBuis,flyingOttotheHelicopter,beganbyflyingthefirstofthreehelicopterdemonstra
tions.Thewindswerealmoststrongenoughinthemorningtoknockoverthetrafficbarrelswhichareapart
ofhisact.(Laterintheday,stronggustswouldknockoverthespeakerssetupinfrontofthecrowds.)Bob
CarltonalternatedbetweenglidingandpoweredflightinhisSuperSaltojetsailplane.RichPerkins,flyingthe
brightyellowandorangeL39Firecat,putonthesecondofthethreecivilianjetperformances(thelastwas
BillBraack,drivingtheSmokeNThunderjetcar),butwithouthissignaturewalloffire.Thesearchandres
cuedemonstrationonceagainfeaturedtheHH1NHuey,shortlytobereplacedintheMarineinventoryby
thefourbladedYankeemodel.Soonthatfamiliarwhomp,whomp,whompwillbeathingofthepast.

Page 45

INDEX

Page 47

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Page 46

Afterafewhighspeedpasseshereturned.Asthejetslowed,panelsstartedtoopen,whatappearedtobea
barndoorrosefromthespineoftheaircraftandtheexhaustnozzlerotateddownwards.Hehadjusttransi
tiontohoveringflight!Despitethestrong,gustingwinds,theaircraftslowedtoastopandjusthungthere,
rocksteady,beforeblastingaway.Hereturnedforanotherdisplayofhoveringflightbeforelandingconven
tionally.Whatablast!Literally.

An estimated 25,000 people attended the show. Steve Stavrakakis, who had appeared last year as a per
former,wasbackthisyearasannounceranddidagreatjobofkeepingthenarrationflowing smoothlyas
actswereshuffledonaccountofthewinds.

ASR Media would like to thank the staff of the


MCASYumaPublicAffairsOfficeforalloftheirsup
Finnegan,GunnerySergeantDustinDunkandCorpo
port during our visit, in particular 1st Lt. Ryan
ralZacharyScanlon.

The

ThenextverticalactwastheAV8BHarrierIItacticaldemo,putonbyMCASYumasownVMA211Wake
IslandAvengers.Itopenedwithaveryhighspeedpass,followedbyanumberofhoveringmaneuversvery
similartothatoftheOsprey,butmuchlouder,endingwithaverticallanding.Thefinaltakeoffwasahigh
powerverticalclimbingdeparture.Waterinjectedintotheenginestoprovidecoolingleftdarktrailsofsooty
exhaustastheHarrierclimbedintothesky.ThefinalhelicopteractofthedaywasChuckAaronintheRed
BullHelicopter,althoughthewayMalibuthrowsthatMBBBo105aroundyouwouldthinkitwasahigh
performanceaerobaticplane.

Thenitwastimeforthepremierattraction.Aviation
enthusiasts had traveled from across the US
andmanyfromoverseastoseethefirstairshowper
formanceoftheF35BLightningII.Manyhad
worriedthatthehigh,gustingwindswouldgroundthe
display, but right on schedule the stealthy
fifthgeneration Joint Strike Fighter appeared from air
showrightandspeedilytaxiedoutontothe
runway.TheGreenKnightsofVMFA121arethefirst
operationalLightningIIsquadronandCom
mandingOfficerLtCol.SteveGillettewasatthecontrols
as the F35 took to the skies, lighting the
afterburnershortlyaftertakeoff.


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

F35BLightningII,above,belowandtotherightbottom
AV8BHarrierIItopright

Page 48

INDEX

Page 49


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Page 50

HH1NHueydoingtheSARdemo,top
ChuckMalibuAaron,RedBullHelicopter,midleft
RichPerkins,flyingthebrightyellowandorangeL39,midright
CH46SeaKnightwithMarinesandtheflag,bottomleft
UH1YHueyMarinefourbladedYankeemodel,bottomright.

INDEX

Page 51


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Boeing76733A(ER)ontop,
Boeing73754Kbottom,bothatTokyoHanedaAirport,Japan,2014TakeshiShinoda

Page 52

INDEX

Page 53


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Boeing747SP68,SaudiArabianGovernmentFleet,lefttop
AirbusA340213,SaudiArabianGovernmentFleet,leftmiddle
Boeing73781D,SolaseedAirleftbottom,allonleftatTokyoHanedaAirport,Japan,2014TakeshiShinoda
AirbusA319112,FrontierAirlinesAirbus,righttopatPhoenixSkyHarborInternationalAirport2014ASRMediaLLC
Boeing7377H4,SouthwestAirlines,rightmiddleatPhoenixSkyHarborInternationalAirport2014ASRMediaLLC
Boeing777246,JapanAirlines,rightbottomatTokyoHanedaAirport,Japan,2014TakeshiShinoda

Page 54

INDEX

Page 55


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Boeing757200,usedbyJoeBidenVP,atPhoenixSkyHarborInternationalAirport2014ASRMediaLLC

AirbusA319132,USAirways,atPhoenixSkyHarborInternationalAirport2014RvPuttkammer

McDonnellDouglasMD11FedEx,atPhoenixSkyHarborInternationalAirport2014RvPuttkammer
AirbusA320232,USAirways,atPhoenixSkyHarborInternationalAirport2014ASRMediaLLC

Page 56

Boeing737890AlaskanAirlines,atSanDiegoInternationalAirport2014DanAdams

INDEX

Page 57
AirbusA320214AirMaltaatMaltaInternationalAirport2014RayBiagioPace


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

LightningintheDesert!wasthethemeforthisyearstwodayOpenHouseandAirShowatLukeAFB.
Normallyabiennialevent,LukeDays2014wasthefirstinthreeyears,sincelastyear'seventwascanceled
duetosequestrationandbudgetconstraints.Soevenundernormalcircumstances,attendancewouldhave
beenexpectedtobehigh.Butthiswasnonormalyear.Justdaysbeforetheairshow,LukeAFBhadwel
comeditsfirstF35ALightningIIandmilitaryaviationenthusiastswerelookingforwardtogettingtheirfirst
upcloselookatthislatestadditiontotheAirForcesinventory.Airshowfanswereeagerlyanticipatingthe
inauguraldemonstrationbytheThunderbirds.AndmanyintownforMajorLeagueBaseballspringtraining
justwantedtocomeoutandseewhatalltheexcitementwasabout.Whatevertheirreasonsforattending,
therewassomethingforeveryone.Andonethingsforsure:itwasagreatshow!

Thegatesatthishighlyanticipatedshowopenedat0900tothrongsofeagervisitors.Theyweregreetedby
anexpansivetarmacfilledwithanextensivecollectionofaircraftonstaticdisplay.Firstwerethewarbirds
fromWorldWarII:aP51DMustangBumSteer,B25JMitchellMaidintheShade,B17GFlyingFor
tressSentimentalJourney,aC47Skytrain,C45ExpeditorandTBMAvenger.TheKoreanWarwasrepre
sentedbyabrightlypaintedMiG15andabaremetalT33,andabeautifulVietnamWareraA4KSkyhawk
wasalsothere.Othercivilaircraftwereinattendanceaswell,whetherprivateorfrompoliceandotherof
ficialorganizations.

Buttheplaneswhichattractedthemostattentionbyfarwerethecurrentmilitaryaircraft.Overadozen
differenttypesfrommultipleserviceswereondisplayandmostwereopentothepublic.ObviouslyAF11
5030,the100thJointStrikeFighterbuiltandthefirsttoappearwithanLFtailcode,attractedthemostin
terest.Thefirstofaneventual144LightningIIsscheduledtobebasedatLukeAFB,ithadarrivedonlydays
beforeanditsstatushadbeenlistedastentativeontheairshowwebpage.Excitementwastherefore
hightoseeitinperson.Personnelfromthe61stFighterSquadronTopDogswereonhandtoanswerthe
nonstopquestionsfromthecrowdsofpeople.Parkedrightnexttoitwastheotherfifthgenerationstealth
fighter,theF22Raptor,anditattractedonlyafractionoftheinterest!Nearby,eachoftheF16squadrons
basedatLukehadaViperondisplayandpersonnelsellingunitswagandansweringquestions.Kudostothe
show organizers for arranging the large number and variety of visiting military aircraft: trainers, fighters,
ground attack, helicopters, drones, cargo and tankers were there. The only type missing was the heavy
bombers.ThegroundpoundersincludedanF15EStrikeEagleofthe366FWGunfightersfromMountain
HomeAFB,anA10CThunderboltIIofthe358FSLobosfromDavisMonthanAFBandanextremelyrare
AC130WStingerIIofthe27SOWfromCannonAFB.AlsofromNewMexicowasaGermanAirForceTor
nadofromHollomanAFB.Theheavieswereallopenfortoursandattractedlonglinesofvisitors,even
duringtheflying.TheseincludedaKC10Extenderofthe60thAMWfromTravisAFB,aC17Globemaster
IIIofthe97thAMWfromAltusAFB,aC130JSuperHerculesofthe314AWfromLittleRockAFB,andacol
orful KC135R Stratotanker from the Phoenixbased AZ ANG, with the bright Arizona emblem on its tail.
VerticaltakeofffanscouldtourboththeMV22OspreyofVMM161GreyhawksfromMCASMiramaror
thebeautifulCoastGuardMH65CDolphinfromLosAngeles.Therewasbarelyenoughtimetoseeallthe
aircraft,letaloneengagethecrewmembersandmaintainers,beforetheflyingstartedat1100.

TheUSAFParachuteteam,WingsofBlue,openedtheairshowportionoftheopenhouse.Forthenextfive
hourstheflyingwasnonstop,withexpertnarrationbyMattJolley.AerobaticactsincludedMattChapman
intheEagle580,MikeGoulianintheExtra330,JulieClarkintheT34Mentor,andtheFirebirdsXTreme.
Page 58

WarbirdaerobaticswereprovidedbyGreg
Wired Colyer flying his beautiful T33 Shooting Star Ace
Maker. The Bremont Horsemen (Steve Hinton, Dan Friedkin and Ed
Shipley)amazedthecrowdswithprecisionformationflyinginbothathreeshipofP51Mustangs a n d
againinapairofF86Sabrejets.AnotherMustangdemonstrationwasputonbyDougRozendaal,flying
theP51CTuskegeeAirmen.TheMV22OspreytacticaldemonstrationwasputonbymembersofVMM
161 Greyhawks from MCAS Miramar. A superb exhibition of close air support, including pyrotechnics,
wasputon byseveralF16s ofLukesown310thFighterSquadronTophatsalongwithMarinesonthe
ground.

The highlight of the show for most people in the audience was the Thunderbirds. But for the legions of
spectatorswhohadtraveledfromaroundtheUSandoverseasforachancetocatchaglimpseoftheJoint
StrikeFighter,evenifonlyonstaticdisplay,byfarthemostexcitingpartofthedaywaswhenanF35tax
iedouttotherunwayandtookoff,soontobejoinedbyaP38J.InanamazingandtotallyunexpectedHeri
tageFlight,Col.ToddTalesCanterbury,Commanderofthe33rdFighterWing,EglinAFB,flewtheF35A
Lightning II while Steve Hinton flew the P38J Lightning 23 Skidoo in close formation. Lightning strikes
twice!TheF35returnedsoonthereafterwithanF16onitswing,representingthepresentandfutureof
fightersatLuke,andmadeanumberofpasses.TheViper,flownbyF16HeritagePilotMajorMarkJuice
Whisler,waslaterjoinedbySteveHintonintheP38andDanFriedkininanF86Eforthefirstof28ACCAir
ForceHeritageFlightsscheduledfor2014(detailsavailablehere).

OnSaturday,ahaboob(desertduststorm)hadblowninrightbeforetheThunderbirdsweretotakeoff,
delayingthembyhalfanhour.ButSundaysperformancewentoffwithoutahitch,amazinganddelighting
theirfanswiththeiraerialdemonstration.Their2014seasonwasofftoagreatstart!

Hostinganopenhouseandputtingonanairshowisexpensive,bothintermsofdollarsandmanpower,
and despite the return of military involvement in air shows, Luke AFB was one of just three bases in Air
EducationandTrainingCommandscheduledtohaveanopenhousein2014.ButasBrig.Gen.MikeRoth
stein, 56th Fighter Wing Commander, explained: We got 360,000 people to be able to understand air
power.Moreimportant,theyhadtheopportunitytounderstandthegreatAirmenwe'vegot,andtosee
theirprideandprofessionalism.Ithinkthereturnoninvestmentwaspriceless.

ASRMediawouldliketothankthestaffofthe56thFighterWingPublicAffairsOfficeforalloftheirsupport
duringourvisit,inparticularCapt.RyanDeCampandTech.Sgt.ScottieMcCord.
INDEX

Page 59

The

Magazine JuneJuly2014
Page 61
INDEX
Page 60

The

Magazine JuneJuly2014
Page 63
INDEX
Page 62


The

MurocLake,EdwardsAFB,Mojave,Plant42,NASADrydenFlightResearchCenter,ScaledComposites;
L1011Tristar,F117Nighthawk,B1Lancer,B2Spirit,SpaceshipOne.Andthelistgoeson.AntelopeValleyin
SouthernCaliforniahasalongandstoriedhistoryofaerospaceinnovationanddevelopment.Soitissurprisingthatthe
lastairshowintheareawasthe2009showatEdwardsAFB.Localorganizersfinallytookituponthemselvestoremedythissitua
tionand,asaresult,theinauguralLosAngelesCountyAirShowtookplaceatWilliamJ.FoxAirfieldinsunnyLancaster,CA,onMarch21
and22.Originallyenvisionedforthefall,organizerswerequicktoreschedulewhenthecancelationoftheairshowatMarchARBfreedupaslotin
theBlueAngelscalendar.(TheunusualFridayandSaturdaydateswerealsoaresultofthisrescheduling.)InadditiontotheU.S.NavysFlightDemonstra
tionSquadron,thesolidfourhoursofflyingfeaturedwarbirdsfromWorldWarII,KoreaandVietnamaswellasthrillingaerobaticdisplays.Inaddition,anumberof
aircraftonstaticdisplayandamultitudeofinteractiveandeducationalexhibitsprovidedplentytoseeanddoontheground.

Thegatesopenedat0900(althoughanearlybirdphototourgavephotographersanopportunityforsunriseshooting).Closeinparkingwashandledwellbyalargecadreofvolunteers.Pre
purchasedticketskeptthelinesattheticketboothsshortandsecuritywaswellmanaged.TakingprideofplacejustinsidetheentrancewasthefuturisticProteusfromScaledComposites.Otherair
craftonstaticdisplaywereatshowright,whilecorporateandVIPchaletswerearrayedatshowleft;theBlueAngelswereparkeddirectlyatshowcenter.Inadditiontoalargevarietyoffood,beverageandair
showvendors,therewerequiteafeweducationalandoutreachdisplays.ChiefamongtheseweretheNASAtentandLockheedMartinsSTEM(Science,Technology,EngineeringandMath)pavilion,featuringnotonly
corporatedisplaysbutanumberofschoolprogramsaswell.

TheflyingbeganwiththeRedBullParachuteteambringingintheflagwhilebeingcircledbyKirbyChamblissintheEdge540.Strong,gustingwindsaffectedFridaysperformances,butSaturdaywasaperfectdayforanairshow:
CAVU,calmwindsandtemperaturesinthelow70s.KickingoffalonglineofwarbirdswastheB25JMitchellExecutiveSweet,whichmadeseverallowlevelpasses.SteveOliverstartedofftheaerobaticperformances
withareallynicedemonstrationofthecapabilitiesofthedeHavillandChipmunk.Hiswife,SuzanneAsburyOliver,thenationsonlyfemaleprofessionalskywriter,hadbeenentertainingthecrowdsearlierinthe
morningwithhersmileyfacesandwritinginthesky.Then,inkeepingwiththeintimatenatureofthisshow,ademonstrationofformationflyingwasputonbyfourofthelocals:aYak52ledtwoThorpT18
TigersandanRV8inaseriesofchangingformations.NASAoperatestwoLockheedER2EarthresourcesaircraftasflyinglaboratoriesintheAirborneScienceProgramundertheAgency'sScienceMis
sionDirectorate.Theaircraft,basedatNASA'sScienceandAircraftIntegrationFacilityinPalmdale,CA,collectinformationaboutEarthresources,celestialobservations,atmosphericchemistryand
dynamics,andoceanicprocesses.Theaircraftalsoareusedforelectronicsensorresearchanddevelopment,satellitecalibration,andsatellitedatavalidation.Thatdowntoearthdescription
fromNASAsfactsheetdoesntcomeclosetocapturingthebeautyoftheaircraftortherawpowerandclimbingabilityofthisamazingplane.NASA806performedseveralpassesasitspi
ralleddownfromaltitude.Makingonefinallowlevelpass,itzoomclimbedwithanincredibleroarandquicklydisappearedfromviewinaperformanceasunforgettableasitisrare.

ItshardtobelievethattheNorthropN9MBFlyingWingisseventyyearsold.BuiltasascaleddownprototypefortheXB35bomber,itwasfirstflownatMuroc
ArmyAirfield(nowEdwardsAFB).Soitwasfittingthatitflewduringtheshow,pilotRonHackworthbankingsharplyashepassedbytoshowofftheunusual
planform.TheT33ShootingStarwasalsodevelopedandtestedlocally,beingaproductofLockheedsjetcenterinnearbyPalmdale.GregWiredColyerput
onalovelyaerobaticdemonstrationinAceMaker,thenracedBillBraackinhisSmokeNThunderjetcarbeforelanding.ThenitwasbacktoaerobaticsasChuck
Coleman,alocalresident,puthisExtra300Lthroughitspaces.ShortlythereaftertheWestCoastRavensputonanimpressivedemonstrationofformationflyingintheirsix
VansRVaircraft,showingthatprecisionformationflyingisnotjustthepurviewofmilitaryjetteams.TheCommemorativeAirForcesRedTailSquadronP51C,whichhad
beenonstaticdisplayinthemorning,alsotookpartintheflying.BradLangputonagracefuldemonstrationintheTuskegeeAirmenMustang.

ThePlanesofFameMuseumputonasterlingreenactmentofaKoreanWarbattle,completewithgroundtroopsandvehicles.BeginningwithanAT6forwardaircontrollerguid
MiG15
ingaconvoyofjeeps,theengagementsoonescalatedwhenaYak3pilotedbyStevenHintondoveintoattack.ACorsairandMustangweresoonscrambledtoprovidecover.The
appearanceofaMiG15,flownbyChrisFahey,wascounteredshortlythereafterbytheF86SabreandthetwovintagejetsweresoondogfightinginthebeautifulblueskiesoverLan
caster.Alloftheaircraftmadenumerouspasses,bankingnicelyfortopsideshotsbythephotographersintheaudience.ThedisplayendedwithaHeritageFlight:KevinEldridgeinthe
SabreandJohnHintonintheMustangWeeWillyII.
Page 64

INDEX

Page 65

Magazine JuneJuly2014

NorthropN9MBFlyingWing


The

NASAsLockheedER2Earth(amodifiedLockheedU2)

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Anotherpairofjetssoongracedtheskies,thistime
two boldly striped A4K Skyhawks from Draken In
ternational. Flown by Dale Snort Snodgrass and
Mike Shooter Smith, the two aircraft at times
seemedgluedtogether.Theyweredefinitelygiving
the Blue Angels a run for their money in terms of
stickingtogether!

TheRedBullAirForcewasthereinforceandnow
tookoffenmasse.ChuckAarontooktheparachute
team up and the jumpers leapt off the helicopter
andputonanamazingdisplayofaerialmanoeuvres
intheirwingsuits,allthewhilebeingcircledbyKirby
Chambliss.Kirbythenputonahardcharging,explo
sive show, demonstrating clearly why he is a five
time U.S. National Aerobatic Champion. Malibu
finished up with his oneofakind helicopter aero
baticperformance.

Andthenitwastimefortheshowheadliners.Fat
Albert, the teams Marinecrewed transport and
support aircraft warmed up the crowd with its
amazingly nimble flight demonstration. (The C130
wasalsodesignedandbuiltlocallybyLockheedand
flighttestedatEdwardsAFB.)TheBlueAngels,fresh
fromtheirwintertrainingatNAFElCentro,puton
whatwasonlytheirsecondandthirdperformances
of the 2014 season yet had all the polish of a sea
sonendingshow.Itsgreattohavethemback.

On Friday, despite strong winds with gusts over


35mphanditbeingaweekday,attendancewases
timated at around 40 thousand. The weekend
broughtbetterweatherandroughlytwiceasmany
visitors. Airs how announcer Ric Peterson and Air
Boss Ralph Royce did a great job of narrating and
schedulingtheaction.Itwasaterrificstarttowhat
is hopefully a long series of air shows in the
AerospaceValley.

Congratulationsandthankstotheorganizers,spon
sors and volunteers (many from Edwards AFB) for
pullingtogethersuchastellarlineupandputtingon
suchagreatshowinsolittletime.WeatASRMedia
LLC., cant wait to come back and see whats in
storefornextyear.

B25JMitchell

SteveOliver,
deHavillandChipmunk
AirBossRalphRoyce

HeritageFlight:
F86Sabre&P51D
Mustang

BillBraackintheSmokeNThunderjetcar
Page 66

INDEX

Page 67


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

A4KSkyhawks
Page 68

INDEX

Page 69


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

What a difference a year makes! This time last year, the air

Wings over South Texas was held this year aboard NAS
KingsvillefromMarch2930thwithapeprallyatTexasA&M
Kingsville and Media/Family Day held on March 28th. The
peprallywasagreatwaytointroducemanyoftheperform
ers to the audience and drum up excitement (as if there
wasnt enough already) for the show. On show day, the
gates opened at 8am which allowed visitors ample time to
takeinthestaticaircraftandvisitthemanydisplaysinclud
ingCustomsandBorderEnforcement,localandstatepolice
departments,DisabledAmericanVeteransandallbranches
ofthemilitary.StaticdisplaysincludedaCustomsP3Orion
AWACs,Mi24Hind,PT17Stearman,DC3,T2Buckeye,T6
TexanII,T34TurboMentorandmore.

show season, if you could call it that, was all but over. While
many civilianbased shows persevered and put on excellent air
shows, the military demo teams and all military support for air
showswascanceledforthedurationoftheyear.Fastforwardto
today and already we have seen the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds
andotherstriumphantlyreturntotheskies.Inonlytheirfourth
appearance of the 2014 air show season, the Blue Angels were
alreadyinmidseasonform.Theyearawayfromperformingdid
nothingtodiminishtheirprecision.WhiletheBlueAngelswere
the main attraction of the 2014 Wings over South Texas Air
Show,theshowwaspackedwithsomeofthebestpilotsinthe
worldandtrulyhadsomethingforeveryone.
Page 70

INDEX

Page 71


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Flying began around 11am with announcer Matt Jolley keeping thecrowd informed and entertained throughout the program. First,
Capt. Christopher Misner, NAS Kingsvilles Commanding Officer welcomed the crowd. As with most air shows, the aerial portion of
WingsoverSouthTexasbeganwiththesingingoftheNationalAnthemwhiletwomembersofSkydiveSouthTexasjumpedinwiththe
USandTexasflagswhilethetwoYak55softheTwinTigersAerobaticTeamcircledtheparachutists.RobHollandandtheTwinTigers
thenflewteaserperformancesforthecrowd,buildinganticipationandexcitementfortheirfullroutinestocomelater.Thebrightly
paintedTigersaircraftcombinedtospellIUandUSAinaspecialsalutetoveterans.

Thisshowcoveredseveraltypesofaircraftandaerobaticperformerswerewellrepresentedbysomeofthebestinthebusiness.An
drewWrightofCarbonFiberAirShowsflewhisG202andJanCollmerpilotedhisExtra300Linthrillingaerobaticperformances.Rob
HollandalsotooktotheskiesinhisMXStoamazethecrowdseveraltimesover.Robisaworldchampionaerobaticpilotwhohasalso
wonthe2012ArtSchollAwardforShowmanship.HisawardwinningskillswereclearlyondisplayasheputtheMXSthroughitspaces
andracedtheShockwavejettruckpastawalloffire.CappingofftheaerobaticperformanceswereMarkSorensonandBuckRoetman,
alsoknownastheWalkaboutTigersAerobaticTeam.IntheiridenticalandspectacularlypaintedYak55s,thepairflewprecisionforma
tionaerobaticsandskywriting.Theirgroundcrew,theRingmasters,createdsmokeringsintheairthatthepilotsexpertlyflewthrough.
JetnoisewasingoodsupplyasGregColyerflewhisT33ShootingStarandRandyBallflewhisMiG17insingleshipdemosbeforejoin
inguptoflyamockdogfightfortheamazedaudience.JustinLewisbroughthisFLSMicroJettoperformaswell,flyingtheimpossibly
smalljetinanincrediblynimbleandfastdemonstration.

Finally,asthecrowdpressedevenclosertothefenceline,theBlueAngelsbegantheirroutine.TheteamsC130HerculesFatAlbert
tooktotheskiestowarmupthecrowd,performingmanoeuvresattheveryedgeofthehulkingtransportsperformanceenvelope.As
Bertlanded,theBlueAngelsgroundcrewsnappedtoattentionandbegantheirpreciseandchoreographedpreparationofthejets.
Finally,theteamwasintheairanditfinallyfeltasthoughthedisappointmentofthe2013airshowseasonwasbehindus.TheBlueAn
gelswereascrispaseverastheyflewtheirdemonstration.Inaddition,theydidagreatjobupdatingtheirperformancesoundtrackfor
2014.Nodetailisoverlookedbytheseconsummateprofessionals,noteventhemusicthataccompaniestheirroutine!Finally,backon
theground,theteamdismountedtheiraircraftinunison,saluted,andthenspenttimemeetingandgreetingthecrowd.Wingsover
SouthTexasisanexceptionalshowandshouldbeonanyoneslistofairshowstoattend.Itisabigshowwithasmallcommunityfeelto
it.Thelineupwasexceptional,thevenuewasgreatandthevalueunbeatable.Allofthebaseemployeesandvolunteersworkedhard
toensurethattheshowwentsmoothly,andtheireffortscertainlypaidoff!Allthathardwork,aworldclasslineupandtheperfect
weatherovertheweekendprovedtobetheperfectairshowrecipeasthisyearsshowbrokepreviousattendancerecordswithtotal
attendanceofcloseto150,000spectators.

ASRMediaLLC.,wouldliketoextendaheartfeltthankstoJonGagn,PublicAffairsOfficer,andFifiKieschnick,alsoofthePublicAffairs
Office,fortheirinvaluableassistancethroughouttheshow.Wedalsoliketothankandexpressourendlessadmirationforthepilots
andcrewofFatAlbertforanamazingflightwiththem.

WalkaboutTigersAerobaticTeam:Yak55

MiG17aboveandJanCollmersExtra300Lbelow.

McDonnellDouglasT45Goshawks
Page 72

INDEX

Page 73


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

GoodJob!ltor:CDRTomasFrosch,LCDRJohnHiltz,LCDRNateBarton,MajBrandonCordill,
LCDRDavidTickle,LTMarkTedrow
B25JMitchellBettysDream

Andthewinneris:RobHollandinhisMXS

Page 74

INDEX

FatAlbertcrewattheshow,ltor:PettyOfficerEricVanDamme,SSgtChris
Villalobos(Navigator),SSgtKevinSanchez(FlightEngineer),Capt.DustyCook,
CaptA.J.Harrell,SgtZachWilliford,AE2MarkLombardi

Page 75

The

Magazine JuneJuly2014
Page 77
INDEX
Page 76

Page 78

INDEX

Page 79

Magazine JuneJuly2014

ductedintheUnitedKingdom.Thisexerciseprovideshighqualitycoordinatedtrainingatthetacticallevelfor
allthreeoftheUKsArmedServicesandnumerousvisitingunitsfrominvitedalliednations.Wellstartoff
withashortoverviewwhatshappenbyJW141beforeweshiftourfocustothefixedwingmaritimepartof
JW141fromRoyalAirForceBaseLossiemouth.(Moray,Scotland).

This exercise is coordinated, planned and delivered by a joint team of Royal Navy and RAF personnel that
formtheJointTacticalExercisePlanningStaff(JTEPS)basedatNorthwoodHQ,London.JointWarrior141is
thelargestlive,tacticallyfocusedexerciseheldinEuropethisyear.

TheexercisetookplaceacrosstheUKutilizingawidevarietyofbattlespaces,liverangesandManagedDan
gerAreas(seethegraphicbelow).

byMoDRoyalAirForce

Thescenario

JointWarriorsimulatedanextensiverangeofevolvingcrisesandconflictsthatcouldberealisticallyencoun
teredinoperationsinvolvingmultiplesovereignnations,disputedterritory,terroristactivityandpiracy.Ifwe
lookaroundtheglobe,thisisabsolutelyrealisticinthepresenttimeandcouldhappenanytime,anywhere.

TheUKandtheinvitednationswillneedtoalwaysbepreparedforthesethreatssothisrequirestrainingin
thefollowingdisciplines:
MaritimeTaskForceTraining
AntiSubmarineWarfare(ASW)
MineCountermeasure(MCM)Training
CounterPiracy,NarcoticsandInsurgency
SubmarineTraining
JointFires
CompositeAirOperations
CloseAirSupport
TacticalIntelligenceSurveillanceTargetAcquisitionandReconnaissance(ISTAR)
ElectronicWarfare(EW)Training
GPSDenialOperations
LogisticSupportandTraining

SquadronLeaderLloydBarrett(OfficerCommandingUKMaritimeandAirOperationsCentre),whoisrespon
sibleforoperationalsupport,informedusthatthisreallyhugeexerciseisalogisticalchallengebecauseupto
13,000personnelareinvolvedduringthisperiodoftraining.TheexercisewilltakeplaceacrosstheUKutiliz
ingawidevarietyofbattlespaces,liverangesandManagedDangerAreas).SquadronLeaderBarrettbegan
hispressbriefingbygivingareportonthecurrentstatusofRAFstationLossiemouth.

Afterthedisbandmentof12Sqnand617Sqn(bothwithTornados)onFriday28March,itwasnotpossibleto
provideTornadosforJW141.(AtthemomentthereisonlyoneSquadron,the15(R)withasmallTornado
fleetremainingthere.ButRAFLossiemouthisexpectingtwoSquadrons,1Sqnand6SqnfromRAFLeuchars
withTyphoonFGR3andT3.ThetransferofbothSquadronswillstartinthesummerandextendtotheendof
thisyear.ThenextTyphoonSquadronisexpectedin2015.RAFLossiemouthwillbeaverybusybaseinthe
future.)

AftertheopeningandexplanationfromSquadronLeaderLloydBarrett,heintroducedtheofficersfromthe
participatingAirArms.InadiscussionaboutthequestionofwhethertheRAFmissedtheNimrod,Barretsaid
verydiplomaticallyweretiredtheNimrodbutwedidnotretirethesystem.LieutenantColonelBjornGohn
HellumfromtheNorwegianAirForcealsotoldusthattheNorwegianAirForcemissedthecapacityandthe
supportoftheBritishNimrodsintheNorthSea.TheNorwegianAirForceparticipatedinJW141withoneP
3Cwithtwoflightandtwomaintenancecrews.TheUSNavyparticipatedwithtwoP3Cs,oneNP3Candone
P8Poseidon.CommanderJamesJohnston,fromtheUSNavySquadronVP10,toldusthattheyhadbrought
sixOrioncrewstotheexercise.ThecrewsofthePoseidonandtheNP3CfromSquadronVX20NP3Care
notincludedinthesix.TheCanadianAirForcebroughttwoCP140Aurorastoparticipateintheexercise,one
BlockIIandoneBlockIIIaircraft.

TheRoyalNewZealandAirForce,broughtasingleP3KtoJW141.Aninterestingquestionwasaskedabout
theirjourney:howlongdidyouneedforthetriptoScotland?WingCommanderDanielHuntanswered:
sixdays!

WehadachancetointerviewoneoftheFrenchNavyofficers,astheFrenchbroughttheBreguetAtlantic
ATL2andaround50personneltotheexercise.EnsignLieutenantMalinifromtheFrenchNavyinformedus
thattheyareveryhappywiththisaircraft.Itisarealmultimissionaircraftwithpleasantflightcharacteris
tics.

The

WerebackforanotherissueofthetriserviceandmultinationalexerciseJointWarriorExercisewhichiscon

INDEX

Page 81

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Page 80

The

Thefollowingaircraftparticipated:
USNavyP8Poseidon(1a/c,2crews),Jacksonville,Florida,USA
USNavyP3Orion(3a/c,4crews),Jacksonville,Florida,USA
USNavyNP3COrion
RCAFCP140Aurora(2a/c,2crews),Greenwood,NovaScotia,Canada
RoyalNewZealandAirForceP3K Orion(1a/c,1crew),Whenuapai,NewZea
land
RoyalNorwegianAirForceP3Orion(1a/c,2crews),Andenes,Norway
FrenchNavyAtlantiqueII(1a/c,2crews),Lorient/LannBihou,France
736NASHawks(5a/c),Culdrose,UK
CobhamAviationDA20Falcon(6a/c),Darlington,UK

After the briefing the press was allowed to watch the start preparations of the
HawkandoneoftheCobhamFalcons.ThatwasfollowedbyaninvitationbyCom
manderJameyJohnstonfromtheUSNavytovisittheirP3COrion.Heexplained
indetailthescopeandthetechnicalequipmentoftheaircraft.Itwasveryinter
estingtovisitthegalleyonboardandofcourseatoiletwhichtheyneedforthe
longmissions.

NextMajorRayTownsendfromtheRoyalCanadianAirForceguidedusthrough
theCP140AuroraBlockIIIandexplainedthedetailsofthetechnicalequipment
whichisdifferentfromthatoftheUSOrions.

Duringthetwoweeksoftheexercisetheflyingactivitiesareongoing24hoursa
dayundertypical(wetanddreary)Scottishweatherconditions.

ASR Media would like to thank the Media and Communications Officer RAF
LossiemouthFlightLieutenantH.Baxterforhergenerouscooperation,hospitality
andfriendliness.

The

Magazine JuneJuly2014
Page 83
INDEX
Page 82

The

Magazine JuneJuly2014
Page 85
INDEX
Page 84


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

The helicopter approaches closer than any other {vehicle} to fulfillment of mankinds
ancient dreams of the flying horse and the magic carpet.
-Igor Sikorsky
April 10, 2014, Ryan Airfield, AZ. As a child I can remember watching the movie,
Blue Thunder which follows the development and use of a fictional, state-of-the-art
police helicopter. Designed to give the pilot hi-tech tools and super maneuverability,
it was a Robocop of the skies. This was Hollywoods portrayal of a helicopter, one
that was so incredible it did loops! A looping helicopter, I thought, how cool!
But that was just in the movies, not in real life.
Fast-forward 21 years. . . In 2004, a helicopter pilot named Chuck Aaron teamed
up with Red Bull, appropriately known as the energy drink company that gives you
wings, and set out to do something so rare that most would think it impossible: performing aerobatics in a helicopter. Well, it turns out it wasnt impossible and the rest
made history. Chuck Aaron became the first (and only) civilian pilot ever to be licensed to perform helicopter aerobatics in the United States. In fact, he is one of
only three pilots internationally who are permitted to execute the dangerous maneuvers. It took Chuck about two years to modify his Messerschmitt-Blkow Blohm BO105 helicopter, figure out how to perform the aerobatic maneuvers, and put together
a routine. In 2006 he made his air show debut and has been wowing crowds
ever since.
When I received word that I would have the opportunity to fly with Chuck Aaron in
his aerobatic helicopter I was blown away! I knew I was about to have an experience that would not be available to the majority of people on the Earth, something
unique and special. I embraced the opportunity with great enthusiasm. The rotors
were already turning as I approached the brightly painted Red Bull helicopter. I was
immediately greeted by a smiling, mustached Chuck Aaron and knew right away
that I was in great company. After getting a quick safety briefing about keeping my
feet free of the tail rotor pedals during the flight, I was strapped in and off we went.
Page 86

INDEX

Page 87


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Our targeted maneuvering area was about 5 miles south of Ryan Airfield. The flight was smooth and
the conversation was great. Chucks laid-back personality instantly put me at ease. As we arrived to
our planned airspace over the southern Arizona desert, Chuck explained that he planned to do some
loops, barrel rolls, and a split S. Sounds great, I replied, Im ready!
Here we go. Chuck calmly said over the comm. Im going to slightly pull nose up and do a barrel
roll.
Before I knew it, we were back to level flight. I recall looking for something to hold on to, but nothing
was required. I literally just stayed in my seat! A loop came next. I can still remember how amazing
it was to see the sky and the upside-down horizon with the desert ground racing past the windscreen.
Suddenly we were right-side up again, horizon level, all in about five seconds. I was impressed by
how smooth and skillful. Soon after, we completed the remaining maneuvers and were heading back
to the airfield. I had officially done aerobatics in a helicopter with one of the most prestigious helicopter pilots in the world.
Even now when I reflect on that day, I am still in awe. I hope my words and photographs can capture
at least some of the exhilaration of the flight. What an honor to be part of such a small group of people who have experienced this kind of flying, but most of all, what a ride!
For additional information about Chuck Aaron and video see page 90 in this issue.
On behalf of ASR Media LLC as well as myself, I would like to thank the Davis-Monthan AFB Public Affairs Office, Lt. Ranaweera, SSgt Ruiz, Red Bull, and Chuck Aaron for this wonderful experience!

Page 88

INDEX

Page 89

maneuvers internationally.
Chuck is also the first helicopter pilot to be presented with the Art Scholl Showmanship Award, an
honor bestowed by the International Council of Air Shows to recognize the worlds most outstanding
air show performers, and was inducted in 2011 to the prestigious Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
But the blond, mustachioed pilot isnt one to brag - or to rest on his laurels. Chuck takes to the road
much of the year, piloting the one-of-a-kind Red Bull Helicopter through breathtaking air show choreography including backflips, 360-degree rolls, and a heartstopping tumble called the Chuckcilvak.
People cant believe what theyre seeing, Chuck laughs. How can a helicopter do all those crazy
things?
Born in San Antonio, Chuck first flew a helicopter at age 20 and built a career through hard work,
moving up from crop duster and traffic reporter to film and television stunt pilot. He helped the U.S. Department of Defense develop and test night-vision systems, and he even rebuilt three Cobras from leftover military parts.
In 2004, he joined forces with Red Bull to take on a daunting challenge: figuring out how to perform
aerobatics in a helicopter. After devoting nearly two years with the Flying Bulls team to modify and test
a Messerschmitt-Blkow Blohm BO-105, devise maneuvers, and determine how to make the aircraft
perform them, in 2006 Chuck guided the Red Bull Helicopter through its U.S. debut.
Today, Chuck has logged more than 20,000 hours in the air and performed aerobatics with the Red
Bull Helicopter at more than 150 air shows and events from coast to coast. I love doing things nobody

Photo and article 2010 Red Bull Media House

has ever done, he declares, as well as the opportunities the Red Bull Helicopter offers me.

Page 90

INDEX

Page 91

Magazine JuneJuly2014

aerobatics in the United States. In fact, hes one of only three pilots permitted to execute the dangerous

The

Malibu Chuck Aaron is the first - and only - civilian pilot ever to be licensed to perform helicopter

The

Magazine JuneJuly2014

2014 Norman A Graf

Page 93
INDEX
Page 92

Page 94

INDEX

Page 95

Magazine JuneJuly2014

The theme for the 2014 Thunder & Lightning over Arizona Open House at DavisMonthan AFB was
HonoringthePast,InspiringtheFuture.Thetwodayeventpaidtributetoourveteransandheritagewhile
atthesametimelookingforward. Aerialperformancesincludedwarbirds,aerobaticaircraft,helicopters,a
combatsearchandrescuedemonstrationandculminatedwiththeThunderbirds.Therampwasfilledwithan
equallybroadanddisparateselectionofaircraftonstaticdisplay,highlightedbyalongrowofUSAFbombers,
tankers, transport, attack and electronic warfare aircraft. In short, everything needed for a topnotch air
show!

SpringweatherinthegreatSouthwestcanbetricky,andthisweekendwasnoexception.Saturdaywasover
cast with afternoon winds gusting so hard that the Thunderbirds were unable to fly their demonstration,
whereasSundaydawnedclearandcloudlessforaperfectairshowday.(Thatswhyairshowenthusiastsdo
theirbesttoschedulemultipledaysforanairshow!)Yetdespitetheweatherandthenumberofotheractivi
tiesscheduledforthatweekendinTucson,roughly300,000peopleturnedoutfortheOpenHouse.

Access to the base was handled very well, with parking closein to the tarmac. Both parking and security
checkswerespeedyandefficient,meaningthatvisitorshadplentyoftimetoviewtheextensiveassemblyof
aircraftonstaticdisplayorvisitexhibitsarrangedallalongtheflightline.

Justinsidethegate,visitorsweregreetedbyalonglineofheavies:C17GlobemasterIII,KC135RStrato
tanker,RC135S Cobra Ball, B52H Stratofortress, AC130H Spectre, B1B Lancer, C5A Galaxy,almost all of
whichwereopenfortours.Longlinesthroughoutthedayattestedtotheattractionthatboththeaircraftand
theopportunitytointeractwiththeaircrewshadonthecrowds.AparallelrowofaircraftincludedtheEC
130HCompassCall,HC130JCombatKingII,A10CThunderboltIIandHH60GPavehawk,allbasedatDavis
Monthan.
WillAllen,the"FlyingTenor"aboveandA10CThunderboltII,354thFSBulldogsright.

The

Imagesby2014NormanAGraf

Most of the remaining aircraft on static display were housed under shade ramadas at show left. These in
cludedcurrentmilitarysuchasF16CFightingFalcon,F15EStrikeEagle,MC12WLiberty,T1AJayhawk,T38
TalonandtwoArmyhelicopters,theAH64ApacheandUH72Lakota.Famousretiredmilitaryaircraft,such
astheF14TomcatandF4PhantomIIandaformerBlueAngelF18,weretowedoverfromthe309thAero
spaceMaintenanceandRegenerationGroup(AMARG)boneyard.Anumberofwarbirdswerealsoinatten
dance,somehavingflownin,othershavingbeentowedoverfromthePimaAir&SpaceMuseum.Special
thankstotheorganizersforhavingassembledsuchalargenumberofaircraftrepresentingsuchabroadvari
etyoftypesandvintages.Thereweresomanyaircraftonstaticdisplaythatitwasachallengetoseethemall
beforetheflyingbegan.

Theflightlineisverylongand,exceptforsomereservedareassuchastheFlightlineClub,BeerGardenand
VIPpavilions,openforspectators.Unlikemostairshows,foldingchairswerenotallowedthroughthegates,
butrentalchairswereavailablefora$5fee.Somesmallbleacherswereavailablefreeofcharge,andshade
wasavailableeitherunderthewingsofthelargeraircraftondisplayorundertheprotectiveramadasforthe
smalleraircraft.AlargeKidsZonefeaturedmultiplebouncehouses,plentyofportabletoiletsweredistrib
utedthroughoutthearea,andfreewaterwasalsoavailablefrommilitaryWaterBuffaloes.Lotsofsouvenir
andfoodvendorsweredistributedthroughoutthegrounds.ButofcoursethemainattractionoftheOpen
Housewastheairshow,anditstartedpromptlyat1100withajumperfromtheUSAFAcademysWingsof
Blue parachute team flying in the American flag. Will Allen, the Flying Tenor, sang the national anthem
whilecirclinginhisPittsS2,thenwentontoflyhisaerobaticperformancetostartoffthedaysflying.Several
moremembersoftheWingsofBluethenparachutedin,eachbringinginadifferentserviceflag.Theywould
performoncemorelaterintheday,demonstratingtheiraerialskillswithhighspeedmaneuversinfreefallas
wellasprecisioncanopyflight.


The

Images2014NormanAGraf

Magazine JuneJuly2014

The flying resumed with Jacquie Warda putting on a fabulous aerobatic performance in her beautifully
paintedExtra300.Thecolorsoftheiridescentstarsonthebrightredaircraftmorphedastheangleofview
changed.Andsheflewtheplanethroughprettymucheveryangleinthesky.Loops,rolls,spins,tailslides,
invertedflight:younameit,JacquieBnailedit.ShewouldreturnlaterinthedaytoraceBillBraackinthe
SmokeNThunderjetcar.KentPietschputonthreeseparateperformances,startingoffwithhiscomedyrou
tineimpersonatingacompletenoviceinvadingtheairspacewithhiszanyflying,followedlaterbylandingon
theworldssmallestaircraftcarrier(apickuptruck)andhisalwaysimpressiveenergymanagementroutine
where he kills the engine at 6,000 feet then brings the aircraft to a stop on the runway with the spinner
touching the outstretched hand of the air show announcer. Chuck Aaron, flying the Red Bull helicopter,
rounded out the civilian aerobatic performances. ASR media was privileged to fly along with Chuck during
mediaday,seeourreviewofthatfantasticexperienceonpage86.

NextupwasavehicleinterdictionsimulationbytheCustomsandBorderPatrol.Theydemonstratedhowa
suspectedsmugglerwouldbeapprehended.AnagileEurocopterAS350interceptedaspeedingautomobile
atalmostgroundlevel,afterwhichaUH60Blackhawkarrivedonthescene.Officersfastropeddowntoap
prehendthesuspectandturnhimovertopoliceofficerswhohadbeeninfastpursuitintheirsquadcars.

ThewarbirdportionoftheshowcommencedwithflybysofaB25Jbomber,MaidintheShade,anditsP
51DMustangfighterescortLadyAlice.TheMitchellhadbeensponsoredbytheDisabledAmericanVeter
ans.TheDAVhadbothaircraftonstaticdisplayaswellasaboothsetuptooffertheirservicestoveteransor
theirfamiliesinattendance.TheDesertRatsFormationTeamthentooktotheskies,performingaseriesof
tightflybysintheirfourNanchangCJ6s.

Finallyitwastimeforthehometeamtoshowwhattheycoulddo.TheDesertLightningTeamputonan

impressivedisplayofcombatandairpowercapabilitieswithasimulatedCombatSearchandRescuemission.
TheCSARoperationdemonstratedhowaMarineonthegroundwouldbeprotectedandrecovered,evenin
thefaceofenemycombatants.FourA10sfromthe354thFighterSquadronwerescrambled,withtheThun
derboltIIstakingoffinsectionflights.AnEC130HCompassCallfromthe43dElectronicCombatSquadron
tookofftodisruptenemycommandandcontrolcommunications.TwoHH60GPaveHawkhelicoptersfrom
the55thRescueSquadroncarryingpararescuemenfromthe48thRQSpassedover,simulatinganinflight
refuellingfromanHC130JCombatKingIIfromthe79thRQS.ThefourA10sperformedanumberofstraf
ing and bombing runs accompanied by pyrotechnics on the ground. With the area now secured, the two
helicoptersflewinlowandfast,flaredtoastopandhoveredastherescueteamfastropedtotheground.
TheA10sremainedtoprovidetopcover,flyinganimpressivelychoreographedseriesofcloverleafpatterns
overtherescuearea.TheservicemanwasquicklyhoistedtothehoveringPaveHawk,therescueteamwas
recoveredandthehelicoptersquicklydepartedthescene.ApassinreviewbytheA10sendedwithavery
precise twosecond series of breakstoland. With the apparent demise of Air Combat Commands A10
demonstrationteamsandtheveryfutureoftheThunderboltIIindoubt,thismaywellhavebeenthelast
timetoseethemperformatanairshow.Ifso,itwasaperfectwaytodepart.

Thenitwastimefortheheadlineact,theUSAFThunderbirds,tobegintheiraerialdemonstration.OnSatur
daytheteamtaxiedout,readytoperform,butunfortunatelythegustingcrosswindsremainedabovesafe
limits,sotheywereforcedtoreturnafterawhile.Sundaysweatherwasperfectforahighshow,andthe
skywassoonfilledwiththeprecisionflyingofthediamondformationandthrillingopposingpassesbythe
solos. The transition to the delta formation of all six aircraft signalled the close of their performance. Its
earlyintheseason,buttheteamsmanoeuvresandtimingarealreadyhonedbymonthsofwintertraining.
Aftertheshowandfollowingashortdebrieftheteammemberscametotheflightlinetosignautographs
andanswerquestionsfromtheaudience.
Page 96

INDEX

EC130HCompassCall,43dECS,left,andHC130JCombatKingII,79thRQS,above

Page 97


The

Allimages2014NormanAGraf

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Therewasstillplentyoftimetoviewtheaircraftonstaticdisplay,interactwithaircrews,orgrababitetoeat
orsomethingtodrinkbeforeheadingtotheparkinglot.WellseeyoubackinTucsonin2016!

Wewouldliketoexpressourthanksandsincereappreciationtothe355thFighterWingPublicAffairsOffice
fortheirhospitalityandassistanceduringtheOpenHouse,inparticularCapt.Harrington,2dLt.Ranaweera,
SSgtRuizandlet'snotforgetAirShowDirectorMaj.Smiley.The2014OpenHouseandAirShowwasoneof
thebestthatDavisMonthanAFBhaseverhad.

EurocopterAS350helicopter,CustomsandBorderPatroldemon
stration,topleft.
JacquieWardasExtra300racingagainstBillBraackinthe
SmokeNThunderjetcar,ontheright.

A-10C

C-17

MC-12W Liberty
Page 98

B-1B

RC-135S Cobra Ball

INDEX

KC-135R
Page 99

Magazine JuneJuly2014

2014AaronRumfallo

The

demo

n
o
i
t
pera
S A R o

2014AaronRumfallo

Fromthe309thAMARGBoneyard

TwoHH60GPaveHawkandHC130JCombatKingII
ChuckAaron

de
intheSha
id
a
M

5
B2

A10sfromthe354thFighterSquadron
Page 100

INDEX

2014NormanAGraf

rm
2014No

F14Tomcatbelow2014AaronRumfallo

anAGraf

2014NormanAGraf

F4PhantomIIaboveandtheF18BlueAngelbelow2014NormanAGraf

Page 101

2014NormanAGraf

Magazine JuneJuly2014

2014NormanAGraf

The

2014NormanAGraf

Page 102
INDEX

2014AaronRumfallo

2014AaronRumfallo

Page 103


The

Magazine JuneJuly2014
ThereIwasat30,000feetThatopeninglineisastandardforaviationbiographies,andusuallyinvolves,
shallwesay,inflatedclaimsoftheaviatorsexperiencesandcapabilities.

JacquieWardasstoryisbothmoredowntoearthandsoarstogreaterheightsthanthat.Notonlyisshe
oneofthefewwomenairshowpilots,sheisalsooneoftheoldest:sheflewherfirstairshowperformance
atanagewhenmanyarepreparingforretirement.Now,tenyearslater,attheageof60,shehasenter
tainedandinspiredcountlesspeopleathundredsofairshowsacrossthecountry.

Herflyingroutineistenminuteslong,butshespendshourseachdayinspiringpeople,tellingherstory.IfI
candothis,whateveritisyouwanttodoisverypossible.IflewmyfirstairshowwhenIwas50yearsold.
SoifIcandothat,theresnoreasonsomebodyelsecantgooutanddowhateveritistheyhavealways
been wanting to do. Thats the message. Its more about the inspiration and encouraging others to do
whateveritistheywanttodo.Stopjustdreaming,dosomethingaboutit.

Whenaskedhowshegottobewheresheistoday,shequicklyrespondedwithasmileHowdidIgethere?
IflewfromMississippitogethere.Butseriously,sheiscertainthatshealwayswantedtofly.Herfathers
apilotandshehaddreamedofflyingsinceshewasalittlegirl.Ittookalongtimebeforeshecouldafford
thetimeandmoneytopursueherdream.Sheeventuallydidfindtheresourcesandlearnedtofly.Andwas
promptly bored to tears! When everythings going well between takeoffs and landings there was just
nothingtodo.ShortlythereafterafriendofhersinvitedhertogoonarideinaPitts.Hetookmeupside
downandIwasinstantlyhooked.Iwasborntodothis!That,too,ispartofhermessage.Gotakethefirst
step!Itellkidstherearealotoftimes,ifyouvebeendreamingaboutsomethingforaverylongtimeand
youveneveractuallydoneit,whenyoufinallygodoitthefirsttime,theresagoodchanceyoumightnot
likeit.Youvebeenthinkingaboutsomethingforaverylongtimeandifitturnsoutyoudontlikeititsnot
that youve wasted time but if you had done it sooner, you could have gone on and started dreaming
aboutsomethingelse.Godoitandfindoutwhatyouarejustcrazyaboutratherthandreamforeverand
ever.
Page 104

INDEX

Page 105


The

Page 106

Magazine JuneJuly2014

Nowhooked,andconvincedthisiswhatshewantedtodo,Jacquieboughtanaerobaticplane,learnedto
flycompetitively,andlearnedhowtotumbletheairplane.Onedayhercoachaskedifshewasreadytofly
anairshow.Ihadneverdreamedofflyinginanairshow.Mydreamwastolearntofly.Period.Andflying
aerobatics?IdhavediedhappyifIhadneverdoneanythingmorethanthat.ButIsaidOK,letsgiveita
shot.

ShestartedflyinginaPittsS1biplaneandsoonbecameafixtureintheairshowcircuit.Twoandahalf
yearsagoshesteppeduptohercurrentairplane,thebrightredExtra300coveredwithiridescentstars.Its
extraspeed,powerandrangeareallimportanttoher,butperhapsjustasimportantistheextraseat,as
shecannowshareherpassionforflyingbygivingridestoothers.

Jacquiesthefirsttoadmit,though,thatflyingsnotnecessarilyforeverybody.Thosethatwanttolearnto
fly,iftheyveneverflowninasmallplane,untiltheydoitonce,theyhavenoideawhatitslike.Andthen
theycansayeitherIloveitorIhateitorImnotsure,Illtakeanotherlesson.Illgotryitagain.So
whateveritisyouwanttodo,dontwaittoolongtoatleasttryitoncetoseeifitsallthatyoudreamedit
was.Itdoesntmatterifitsacrazyidea:awholelotofgoodthingscomefromcrazyideas.LookwhatIm
doing!Ifthisisntcrazy,Idontknowwhatis.Im60yearsoldandImdoingthisforalivingandImloving
it!

SothereIwas,at30,000feet,flyinghomeaftertheairshow,thinking

INDEX

Page 107

Back

Anda mungkin juga menyukai