wfooshee
O, Woe is me!!
The local Air Force base, Tyndall, put on an air show this past weekend, their first since 2011. Headlining was the Thunderbirds.
There is NO FJR content in this post, or even any other motorcycles. I didn't even ride to the event! (Tyndall's treatment of motorcycles for parking at these has historically been abysmal, and with lots of rain over the weekend I wasn't going to park in a grass field, The one time they actually accomodated bikes with a concrete pad, you still had to cross a field to get to it!)
Saturday's weather was very wet, with the rain coming in bands. In between the clouds would lift enough to get some flying in, then they'd have to shut down again after a while. They got less than half the schedule in on Saturday, but the weather moved out mid-afternoon and we actually had near-sunny skies for the F-22 and the Thunderbirds. I sat in the rain with my camera around my neck under the poncho I bought the day before at Walmart. (Best 4 bucks I've spent in a long time!) I didn't think to wear my waterproof riding boots, though, so my feet got soaked as I walked around in water an inch or two deep. Even after the weather cleared there was enough humidity to get awesome vapor from the F-22 and the white F-16s.
Sunday's weather was dryer, but heavier cloud cover. It was drizzly when I arrived but stopped, and there was no more rain all day, but the clouds were heavier and lower, and although they got everybody in, many pilots had to modify to remove verticals from their flights. Most were OK but poor Jacquie B and her Extra 300 had to make do with flat passes, just doing rolls and turns, which got a bit old as they still had her fill her time slot. An F-18E or an F-22 going back and forth at 700mph for ten minutes I'll have a look at. An aerobatic plane no faster than 250 in a dive, not so much.
So on with the pics!
Quick Silver, one of THREE P-51s that were here.
Double Trouble two
and Crazy Horse 2, shown here just at takeoff
Some old jets. First the T-33:
and a MIG-17
That is an afterburning engine, but I don't think the Soviets had quite figured out nozzles, yet.....
Main engine produces about 5,000 pounds of thrust, and the afterburner adds about half that again.
It's no F-22, but enough power that this pass was .93 Mach!
A momentary break in the clouds on Saturday for this Pitts biplane. It actually got dark again immediately after he took off, and the rest of my pics of him actually sucked.....
Aerobatic Beech Bonanza doing a hammerhead. (F33C model for those who keep up with such.... rated +6/-2 g)
A 6-place family travel plane!!
Jelly Belly Interstate Cadet. He flies three times, actually.... Does a comedy aerobatic show where he gets on the radio to the PA and claims to be an ex-con who built the plane in prison and he wants to fly in the show. Parts fall off, including the aileron missing here, he flies in what looks to be a completely erratic, out-of-control manner, scrapes a wingtip on the runway during a turn, drops "paperwork" out the window (a roll of toilet paper) which he has to "retrieve" and does so by diving back and cutting it with the prop, then does it again a second time.
His second act is landing on the world's smallest airport, seen here as he fights a little crosswind.
His third act is an aerobatic show flown with a constant throttle, no adjustments to engine power, during which he gains some altitude and shuts off the engine, does some more show, then dead-stick lands and taxis to the announcer, standing out on the tarmac with his hand outstretched, and places the prop spinner in the announcer's hand. An awesome demonstration of energy management!
A Super Stearman, with the regular 220-horse engine yanked out and replaced with about 450 horses!
He came out again with a wing walker act.
Next post, JETS!!!!
There is NO FJR content in this post, or even any other motorcycles. I didn't even ride to the event! (Tyndall's treatment of motorcycles for parking at these has historically been abysmal, and with lots of rain over the weekend I wasn't going to park in a grass field, The one time they actually accomodated bikes with a concrete pad, you still had to cross a field to get to it!)
Saturday's weather was very wet, with the rain coming in bands. In between the clouds would lift enough to get some flying in, then they'd have to shut down again after a while. They got less than half the schedule in on Saturday, but the weather moved out mid-afternoon and we actually had near-sunny skies for the F-22 and the Thunderbirds. I sat in the rain with my camera around my neck under the poncho I bought the day before at Walmart. (Best 4 bucks I've spent in a long time!) I didn't think to wear my waterproof riding boots, though, so my feet got soaked as I walked around in water an inch or two deep. Even after the weather cleared there was enough humidity to get awesome vapor from the F-22 and the white F-16s.
Sunday's weather was dryer, but heavier cloud cover. It was drizzly when I arrived but stopped, and there was no more rain all day, but the clouds were heavier and lower, and although they got everybody in, many pilots had to modify to remove verticals from their flights. Most were OK but poor Jacquie B and her Extra 300 had to make do with flat passes, just doing rolls and turns, which got a bit old as they still had her fill her time slot. An F-18E or an F-22 going back and forth at 700mph for ten minutes I'll have a look at. An aerobatic plane no faster than 250 in a dive, not so much.
So on with the pics!
Quick Silver, one of THREE P-51s that were here.
Double Trouble two
and Crazy Horse 2, shown here just at takeoff
Some old jets. First the T-33:
and a MIG-17
That is an afterburning engine, but I don't think the Soviets had quite figured out nozzles, yet.....
Main engine produces about 5,000 pounds of thrust, and the afterburner adds about half that again.
It's no F-22, but enough power that this pass was .93 Mach!
A momentary break in the clouds on Saturday for this Pitts biplane. It actually got dark again immediately after he took off, and the rest of my pics of him actually sucked.....
Aerobatic Beech Bonanza doing a hammerhead. (F33C model for those who keep up with such.... rated +6/-2 g)
A 6-place family travel plane!!
Jelly Belly Interstate Cadet. He flies three times, actually.... Does a comedy aerobatic show where he gets on the radio to the PA and claims to be an ex-con who built the plane in prison and he wants to fly in the show. Parts fall off, including the aileron missing here, he flies in what looks to be a completely erratic, out-of-control manner, scrapes a wingtip on the runway during a turn, drops "paperwork" out the window (a roll of toilet paper) which he has to "retrieve" and does so by diving back and cutting it with the prop, then does it again a second time.
His second act is landing on the world's smallest airport, seen here as he fights a little crosswind.
His third act is an aerobatic show flown with a constant throttle, no adjustments to engine power, during which he gains some altitude and shuts off the engine, does some more show, then dead-stick lands and taxis to the announcer, standing out on the tarmac with his hand outstretched, and places the prop spinner in the announcer's hand. An awesome demonstration of energy management!
A Super Stearman, with the regular 220-horse engine yanked out and replaced with about 450 horses!
He came out again with a wing walker act.
Next post, JETS!!!!
