Sequestration Be Damned-- We'll Make our own Air Show!

So not to get to political on this blog I'll just say that the 2013 season of air show's will be lacking in the modern jet department with the lack of the US Armed forces flying and static displays. I'm not in favor of how our "government' has chosen to save money but as of today its just not going to go well when viewed from an air show fans perspective. I've made it a yearly summer family event to get to two of Ohio's biggest shows in the Vectren Dayton Airshow and the Cleveland National Airshow. This year the Dayton Airshow will go on as scheduled and Cleveland has chosen to cancel. Like many shows across the country without the military teams such as the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds the economics don't make sense. Cleveland was already going to go without those jet teams and plugging in a full F-22 Raptor demo but when that too was pulled.... So I WILL be going to Dayton on June 21 (actual show is June 22-23) to catch some of this years action and there will be jets, but not the modern kind. They are scheduled to have both a MiG-17 and a F-86 Sabre as well as an A-4B Skyhawk. None are going to rip your ears out, but will be exciting attractions to add to the great planes/pilots that will be on display. This year the airshow industry needs our support more than ever.

Ok so what i've decided to do over the next several months is spotlight some of my favorite military jets in youtube and other video clips. While its never as good as being there for 2013 it will have to do! Today I'm starting of with a clip of a couple B-1B just flying around with a little burner at night. I didn't shoot this video and there are certainly plenty of others shot at air shows, but I liked the night time afterburners. Go ahead and find some great videos. Maybe i'll post it here. Enjoy!

Dayton Air Show 2012--2 F-4 Phantoms!

Jump back a month to the 2012 Vectren Dayton Air Show and once again we loaded up and headed out for the (shh don't tell anybody) FREE practice day on Friday to watch the performers practice for the weekend show. This has become a tradition for myself and my kids and we expect some heat, but this year was crazy hot with temps around 103 and thankfully low humidity along with just a few clouds. I brought along my EZ-Up canopy and got a small lesson in aerodynamics when you don't secure said canopy to the ground properly.... In any case the Blue Angels were the feature with appearances by an A4 and Harrier as well as a few other brief flybys.The cool factor was not 1, but 2 F-4 Phantom's aking part in the Heritage Flight with a P-51 Mustang. Certainly the cutback on the military displays are hurting as beyond the Blues and Thunderbirds the only other attractions are the F22 and the Golden Knights. No more Strike Eagle and Viper demo's has really hurt. Luckily the upcoming Cleveland Air Show will have an FA-18 Super Hornet demo and F-22 Flyby to go with the Blues and maybe a surprise or 2. I'll never complain about an air show so despite the heat and canopy incident It was a great day. I brought my camera, but tried to enjoy the show more than take photo's but here are a few... Enjoy! Even with the low humidity I did manage to capture a bit of vapor off one of the Blues FA-18B's.

That Air Show Feeling

Last week I got reacquainted with one of the best adrenaline rushes on the planet. The modern air show supported by the US Government air superiority forces. Yes last weekend was the Dayton Air Show in Dayton Ohio and I carved a day out of the packed summer to take the kids on the short 75 minute drive to watch the practice day. Since the show is only a Saturday Sunday affair we technically were not at the show, but we were 10 feet from the airport property and had great views of all the comings and goings of the regular commercial flights as well as the practice of the air show performers. The highlight was of course the US Navy Blue Angels. Fat Albert also did 'his' demo doing things in a Lockheed C-130 that seem impossible. The Blue Angels, a group of men and women perform astounding feats with their F-18's. Using a variety of A, B, and C models they fly within inches of each other and do all sorts of amazing acts. It truly takes your breath away to be able to witness their performance. To get to watch and not spend a penny makes it that much better. I've seen them several times in person and each time is like the first. Add in that we also got to watch the F/A-18F Super Hornet do its demo and the arrivals of F-15, F-16, T-38 and several other military cargo and attack planes made for a great day. Even a pristine restored DC-3 made an appearance. While I was unable to make it back for the actual show I did get to enjoy the sights and sounds and look forward to catching up with the Blues again at Cleveland's Air Show on Labor Day!

One more thing. I took these photos and many more. A newer camera has certainly helped. Soon I'll get a DSLR and get closer to the pro's that take so many great pics.

Andrews AFB Air Show Open House

Over the previous weekend Andrews Air Force Base opened its doors for an open house and air show. The weather was perfect and here are some amazing shots. If you have never been to an air show you really should go and experience one. There are many free shows across the country as well as many high powered shows featuring the big acts like the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, Golden Knights, Viper East (F-16), Raptor F-22, and the solo acts like John Mohr and Patty Wagstaff among dozens of acts. Many local airports host free shows put on by the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) and these are so much fun with vintage warbirds like B-17's or B-25's. Sometimes even a P-51 Mustang will be there. In any case enjoy some great shots from Andrews!

Back to MORE Cleveland National Airshow Photos

Cleaned up a few more photos from the airshow. I've got more to come. Please bookmark and check back again. I also have lots posted earlier so go back a few weeks for more from this and other airshows this summer.

Cleveland Airshow Photos

More Cleveland National Airshow Pics

Getting Pumped for Cleveland Air Show

This is what you're missing. Will be back soon.....

Weekends Come and Go

It's Monday evening and I'm already thinking about the weekend. This past weekend was a blur. Frudoch did the Laura Stamm Powerskating Camp at Chiller Easton. He even managed to forget his shoulder pads on Sunday morning which gave me the opportunity to check out the ultra high speed aspects of the CLK500. Lets just say its glued to the road at 130 mph. I love this car. So last weekend was a blur and this one will be too. Only in another way. I'll be heading up to Cleveland for the Air Show. The blur will once again be of jets at mind numbing speeds. It will be my first opportunity to see the Blue Angels in person. The show will also feature the F-16 Viper demo and F-15C Strike Eagle Demo as well as F/A-18F Super Hornet demo. These jet teams are awesome. We saw Viper east last week at Lancaster and i've seen the F-15 and F/A-18 demos at Chicago and GML among other times. Add in the C-130 and of course the Blue Angels (with Fat Albert the C-130) along with a stellar static display and you have an awesome show. It will be a more than 2 hour drive, but I'll find my way up there and have a blast. Heres a few more pics from Lancaster found on the web.