Oceana Air Show

[Jschmus]

This is sort of a pre-emptive post, since I haven't actually been out to the show yet, but I wanted to let everyone know that there was a crash this morning.  One member of the Sky Typers demonstration team crashed this morning during a practice flight.  The team flies AT-6/SNJ trainer aircraft.  I got a few photos of them the last time I was here, in '04.

On the brighter side of things, I was just reviewing the performer list for this weekend, and one of the high points (for me, anyway) is that the Starfighter demo team is here.  Starfighters!  Woohoo!!!

[Captain Canada]

To bad about the crash...is the pilot okay ?

As for the Starfighters, they've been cancelling all summer, so hopefully they got their problems sorted out by now !

[Blacklion213]

he's dead, check the ARC topic

[Jschmus]

Well, I went yesterday.  The Starfighters were a no-show.  With the cancellation of the Sky Typers, this meant that the Blue Angels were the only team flying.  I saw some great solo demo work from F-117, F-15E, F-22 and various F/A-18s.  After the F-15 and F-22 demos, they put together an Air Force Heritage flight with Ed Shipley's F-86 and a P-51 flown by Dale Snodgrass, then the F-86 and P-51 flew a variant of their "Dueling Sabres" routine.  A British fellow named Andy Anderson was there with his "Dragon" BAC Strikemaster, which he flew accompanied by the music from "Conan the Barbarian".
There was lots of static stuff, and I got plenty of photos of that as well: F-117, T-38, EA-6B, F-14A, AH-64, B-25, Canadian Forces CH-146, etc.  There were a number of aircraft on the flightline that didn't fly during the main show, but were held over for a demo at the Oceanfront.  These included a pair of L-39s and a Skyraider.

[Captain Canada]

Sweet....I can't wait to see the Raptor fly. Sorry about the Starfighters.

There's some great pics of the F-22 here http://airic.ca/html/cne2007.html  surf around his site a bit, lotsa nice work there !

[Jschmus]

Photos finally coming tomorrow.  I got prints today, but I didn't have enough time to post them online yet.  Better still tomorrow after work, I'm going out to visit the Fighter Factory, at Virginia Beach Airport.

[Jschmus]

Okay, here we go with Photobucket being temperamental, so this isn't going as fast as I'd like, but I got the handful up.

Navy trainer?  Looks Stearman-ish, but I've never seen one with a streamlined cowling.




Next comes a selection of F/A-18 Hornets, just back from the big flyover.  First up, VFA-31 Tomcatters, F/A-18E.




Next up is VFA-103, the Jolly Rogers, an F/A-18F.  Ironically enough, back in the 90s, this unit assumed the name from the disestablished VF-84, so the Jolly Rogers wouldn't become a Hornet squadron.  That was then.




VFA-106 Gladiators F/A-18F.




Finally, a "legacy" F/A-18C Hornet, VFA-131 Wildcats




USAF HC-130




Nose detail




NP-3D




This is a Blackwater Security Grizzly APC.  When I first saw this, I remembered Theo's line from Die Hard: "Oh look!  The police have an RV!"  The promotional literature says it's based on a twenty year-old design for a mine-resistant vehicle, which makes me think of one of those funky-looking South African vehicles.  It doesn't look like much, but the inside was PLUSH, for an armored vehicle.


More to come.  Watch this space.

[Jschmus]

Photobucket's only being slightly more cooperative than she was this time last week, so I've only managed to get another dozen photos online (so far).


Fighter Factory Stinson Reliant.  I saw the plane from the rear, and thought it might be a Lysander, but no joy.




AH-64 Apache




BAC Strikemaster




Texan II

[Jschmus]

F-117 Flight Demo




And after the show...




MH-53E Sea Dragon.  This helo was one of two which carried the Blackwater and Red Devils parachute teams.  Twelve years ago, the overflight of one of these interrupted my wedding.




Air Force Heritage Flight, made up of a P-51D (flown by Dale Snodgrass), an F-86 (flown by Ed Shipley) and an F-15E and F-22A.

[Jschmus]

After the Heritage Flight was done, the F-15 and F-22 peeled off and landed, and Shipley and Snodgrass did a variation on their traditional "Dueling Sabres" routine.




Another Hornet, this time from VFC-12, the "Fighting Omars".  The paint scheme is modeled on one flown by Russian Su-27s, and the unit is carrying red stars for the first time in years.  Za Rodina!

[Jschmus]

And now, without further ado, I give you the Blue Angels.



First up is Fat Albert.  This was supposed to be the RATO takeoff demonstration, but either the rockets didn't fire, or they have the shortest burn ever.




I got a lot of pics of the individual Angels taking off, but the photos just weren't interesting until they started to group up and fly maneuvers.

[Jschmus]

Inverted Opposing Solos.  I almost didn't get this one, which is why the photo is a little off-center.




Here's another one that I almost missed, the Fleur de Lis.




This was their last pass before breaking off for the day.

[Captain Canada]

Nice work, Jay ! I love3 spec ops hercs...just so cool looking. Looks like you got to see quite a few nice passes...the heritage flight would have been awesome ! The only thing better would have been trading the eagle for a Phantom....now that would be sweet ! Or keeping the Eagle and adding a Phantom...even better !

Would have also loved to have seen the NP-3D. And those tight white shorts in front of the Apache look good !



On another note...maybe that CH-53 was trying to tell you something ? Just imagine everybodys face if they would have hovered over top of you and lowered the hoist right in front of you ! That would be an original way to chicken out, eh ?



To bad about the Herc demo. Did it put on a good display otherwise ?

[Jschmus]

There were several aircraft which sat out the show all day, and I despaired of getting any photos of them, but after the show on base, there was a twilight show at the Oceanfront, and I learned that all of these aircraft were headed there.



Fighter Factory AD Skyraider.  I had tried to get photos of this one all day, but it spent all morning and most of the afternoon in a hangar, and the hangars are off limits to photographers.





F4U Corsair

[Jschmus]

I just realized almost all the photos I've posted were of F/A-18s.  I'd apologize, but that's what was there!  With the retirement of the F-14, Oceana has become almost an all-Hornet base, and the other services only put in a few aircraft for show purposes.  With the Starfighters noshow, and the cancellation of the Sky Typers due to the crash, the Blue Angels were the only flight demonstration team present.