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Airshows (Read 6741 times)

aaronc5362

Airshows
« on: October 10, 2020, 03:18:57 PM »
Bored as hell again.

I was watching b1b , chinooks, f15 etc. Airshows, unrestricted fly bys.

Wouldnt it be really awesome if they dropped confetti over the bystanders at the airshow?

Or even better dollar bills. Atleast there wont be trash leftover.

Imagine a b1b bomb doors opening up, old farts getting heart attacks. But dropping dollar bills and in that lump of cash, theres a golden ticket in which youll win a free ride in any current military aircraft lol
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Flapp_Jackson

Re: Airshows
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2020, 03:44:03 PM »
Quote from: aaronc5362 on October 10, 2020, 03:18:57 PM
Bored as hell again.

I was watching b1b , chinooks, f15 etc. Airshows, unrestricted fly bys.

Wouldnt it be really awesome if they dropped confetti over the bystanders at the airshow?

Or even better dollar bills. Atleast there wont be trash leftover.

Imagine a b1b bomb doors opening up, old farts getting heart attacks. But dropping dollar bills and in that lump of cash, theres a golden ticket in which youll win a free ride in any current military aircraft lol

When I was stationed at Tinker AFB, OK, we had annual air shows at the runway next the Logistics Center's "mile long building".

Most memorable was the year they had a B1 fly-by.  It looked tiny as it approached waayyyyyy off in the distance.  Then it kept getting bigger and bigger and BIGGER, and it took a really long time!

As it reached the end of the runway where spectators began, he must have only been about 500 ft off the deck with his wings spread 100% forward (longest wing span).

That's when he hit the afterburners!  OMFG!  The ground rumbled, everyone covered their ears, and the bomber basically did a touch and go landing.  The shear power of the engines were unmatched in any military aircraft I've ever personally witnessed.

I heard later that the B1s were no longer allowed at air shows.  They say it was too expensive, but I believe the other planes were just jealous!   :rofl:

The Air Logistics Center (ALC) -- now called the Air Logistics Complex -- at Tinker was the main mission there.  They perform maintenance, retrofits and overhauls on a variety of airframes:  A-10, B-1, B-2, B-52, C-5, C-17, C-130, C-135, C-141, E-3, F-4, F-5, F-15, F-16, F-22, MQ-1, MQ-9, and T-38.  I saw my first B-52 takeoff there.  Eight engines, and a wingspan so wide they need landing gear at the wingtips to keep them from flexing and making contact with the ground.

I used to enjoy airshows where the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels performed.  After Tinker, I was at Langley AFB, VA -- HQ of then Tactical Air Command (TAC) -- now Air Combat Command (ACC).  Each year, the Thunderbirds arrived from their home base at Nellis Air Force Base, NV, to first practice, then perform for the TAC commander.  If the commander gave a thumbs-up, the aerial demonstration team was given a green light to perform.

Since my house was on base and just a few blocks from the runway, I got all the Thunderbirds practice and performing I ever wanted to hear -- or see!  In fact, the second year there, the commander gave the team a thumbs down.  That mean another week of practice and another demonstration for the general.  They were satisfactory the second time.  Much tighter formations and improved timing over the first demonstration.

Anyway, air shows have been a big part of my life being on or near military bases.  They serve a critical mission for PR and recruiting.  IMO, this kind of military capabilities demonstration for the public is more entertaining and much more in line with American attitudes than a parade featuring tanks and rocket launchers.
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The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw

WTF?Shane

Re: Airshows
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2020, 03:59:05 PM »
I just wanna see a A-10 go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt.
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drck1000

Re: Airshows
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2020, 04:03:38 PM »
Quote from: WTF?Shane on October 10, 2020, 03:59:05 PM
I just wanna see a A-10 go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt.
That in an air show would be awesome.  ;D Not really when “needed”.  :o

I would love to witness a test of the CIWS.

I’ve witnessed tests of various explosives and small munitions. But that was from pretty far away. Haha
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drck1000

Re: Airshows
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2020, 04:05:44 PM »
Quote from: aaronc5362 on October 10, 2020, 03:18:57 PM
Bored as hell again.

SNIP
You must be really bored.  :rofl:

I love air shows too though. Used to love being on the water during the Blue Angels shows and the diamond keeps your attention and then the solos buzz you from a different direction.
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WTF?Shane

Re: Airshows
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2020, 04:08:18 PM »
Quote from: drck1000 on October 10, 2020, 04:03:38 PM
That in an air show would be awesome.  ;D Not really when “needed”.  :o

I would love to witness a test of the CIWS.

I’ve witnessed tests of various explosives and small munitions. But that was from pretty far away. Haha

Took a short boat ride from Okinawa to Thailand and back. Got to hear them do a function test of the boat weapon systems. The CIWS is FUCKING AWESOME.
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drck1000

Re: Airshows
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2020, 04:19:30 PM »
Quote from: WTF?Shane on October 10, 2020, 04:08:18 PM
Took a short boat ride from Okinawa to Thailand and back. Got to hear them do a function test of the boat weapon systems. The CIWS is FUCKING AWESOME.


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robtmc

Re: Airshows
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2020, 05:25:07 PM »
Quote from: drck1000 on October 10, 2020, 04:03:38 PM
I would love to witness a test of the CIWS.
Same gun, just mounted in a F-14.  Pt Mugu airshows back in the 70-80 timeframe would do some live Sidewinder missile firing and a one second M-61 burst from the F-14.  Both right over the center of the field shooting out toward the ocean.,  Sidewinder never missed the previously dropped parachute flare.

They stopped that a long time ago, some liberals probably thought it jingoistic/facist, or something.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2020, 07:36:08 PM by robtmc »
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zippz

Re: Airshows
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2020, 07:05:54 PM »
I'd like to see a B1 or B52 do a carpet bombing run over the ocean as part of an airshow.  I'm guessing it'll be a little hard to get approval for it.
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aaronc5362

Re: Airshows
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2020, 07:36:08 PM »
Yea very bored. Somehow i ended up watching a review on a book cause the thumbnail girl looked cute. Lol. Then ended up ktfo hahaha.

Anyways thats pretty cool flap. The closet ive ever been was at my ex gfs former apt in pearl city. She lived on the 21st floor and the blue angels were demonstrating. Maybe 2013 or 2014. I remember those engines. It was friggin awesome. That rumbling just ki da gives you a quick adrenaline lol.

Yea a live demo of arms would be cool. Ive seen a b2 and b1 takeoff from hickam. As well as the common f15 and f22s. Maybe bout a year ago or i saw f18s and f16s landing, altho im not sure why. They were flying behind the f22s in line formation. Im positive they were f18s cause of those side curvy things by the cockpit. And close dual thrusters with 2 tail rutter things. (Sorry idk parts lingo on aircrafts) But i thought they would land in kaneohe base? And the f16s single tail rutter. I think iron eagle made me love the f16. But my all time fav has to be f15 strike eagle. And internationally the rafale is my fav.

The coolest thing i ever saw was 3 apaches and couple blackhawks all take off simultaneously-ish. I was walking to my car and heard helis so i just looked to my right and saw them. But they werent longbows cause they never had that giant radar thing on the top propeller. Saw the machine gun in front tho.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2020, 07:41:42 PM by aaronc5362 »
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mrgaf

Re: Airshows
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2020, 07:38:37 PM »
When I was in ‘ a was stationed on a PBR. When we got into a hell of a firefight and called in for air support the F-4’s would come in at full throttle about 150’ over our heads and saturate the area with naplam! What a friggin sight! Then they would dam near go vertical with their afterburners on. If the gooks didn’t die from the napalm, the concussions from the jets burners would beat the breath out of them! Like they said in apocalypse now, nothing smells better than napalm in the morning.
I was also stationed in Okinawa in the early 80’s and loved to watch the SR-71 Blackbird take off at full power into the evening sky! Reminded me of star wars! Was there one second and gone the next..... :thumbsup:
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mrgaf

Re: Airshows
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2020, 07:40:51 PM »
When I was in ‘ a was stationed on a PBR. When we got into a hell of a firefight and called in for air support the F-4’s would come in at full throttle about 150’ over our heads and saturate the area with naplam! What a friggin sight! Then they would dam near go vertical with their afterburners on. If the gooks didn’t die from the napalm, the concussions from the jets burners would beat the breath out of them! Like they said in apocalypse now, nothing smells better than napalm in the morning.
I was also stationed in Okinawa in the early 80’s and loved to watch the SR-71 Blackbird take off at full power into the evening sky! Reminded me of star wars! Was there one m use and gone the next..... :thumbsup:
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To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.  Thomas Paine.

No man can get rich in politics unless he is a crook.  It cannot be done. Harry Truman

Only good liberal is one taking a dirt nap.

Flapp_Jackson

Re: Airshows
« Reply #12 on: October 10, 2020, 07:50:13 PM »
Quote from: aaronc5362 on October 10, 2020, 07:36:08 PM
Yea very bored. Somehow i ended up watching a review on a book cause the thumbnail girl looked cute. Lol. Then ended up ktfo hahaha.

Anyways thats pretty cool flap. The closet ive ever been was at my ex gfs former apt in pearl city. She lived on the 21st floor and the blue angels were demonstrating. Maybe 2013 or 2014. I remember those engines. It was friggin awesome. That rumbling just ki da gives you a quick adrenaline lol.

Yea a live demo of arms would be cool. Ive seen a b2, b1 takeoff from hickam. As well as the common f15 and f22s. Maybe bout a year ago i saw f18s landing, altho im not sure why. They were flying behind the f22s in line formation. Im positive they were f18s cause of those side curvy things by the cockpit. And close dual thrusters with 2 tail rutter things. (Sorry idk parts lingo on aircrafts) But i thought they would land in kaneohe base?

The coolest thing i ever saw was 3 apaches and couple blackhawks all take off simultaneously-ish. I was walking to my car and heard helis so i just looked to my right and saw them. But they werent longbows cause they never had that giant radar thing on the top propeller. Saw the machine gun in front tho.

In high school, my AFJROTC detachment drove from Concord, NC, to Shaw AFB, SC, for a Thunderbirds demo.  They were flying T-38 Talons -- the first mach-capable trainer most AF pilot trainees get to fly. 

The next time I saw them was on active duty about 6 years later.  They were flying F-16s, the current aircraft they are using.  They switched from the F-4 to the T-38 in 1973 during the oil crisis.  One F-4 uses the same amount of jet fuel as 5 T-38s.  In 1982, 4 T-38s impacted the ground during a diamond loop.  A mechanical problem on the lead aircraft caused it to not pull up, and the rest followed him into the ground.   :'(

No matter how many air shows you go to, never take for granted that the pilots are taking their lives in their hands with every stunt.   :worship:   Tragedies have happened throughout the history of aerial demonstrations.  They have fantastic safety records, but few have perfect records. 
« Last Edit: October 10, 2020, 08:44:03 PM by Flapp_Jackson »
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The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw

drck1000

Re: Airshows
« Reply #13 on: October 10, 2020, 07:56:22 PM »
When I worked at a consultant, I designed a hangar for the B2s in Guam. The skin was so sensitive, even we weren’t allowed in the hangar when the plane in there. The closest I’ve seen them is like 1000 yards way, in the other side of the airfield.

The B1s, they’d let us climb in. They started using them more regularly when I last did projects on Guam a few years ago. But yeah, the engines on those are deafening!  Impressive, but deafening.

Speaking of the F-4. I helped an uncle builds model of an F-4 when I was little. I wanted to be an F-4 pilot for the longest time.
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robtmc

Re: Airshows
« Reply #14 on: October 10, 2020, 07:58:43 PM »
Quote from: Flapp_Jackson on October 10, 2020, 07:50:13 PM
A mechanical problem on the lead aircraft caused it to not pull up, and the rest followed him into the ground. 
Rwemember reading about that a long time ago.  Weird juxtaposition of thoughts on rigid discipline and lack of situational awareness.

Airshows have a disproportionate number of fatalities.  Goes with the territory i guess, like the B-52 that tried to turn like a fighter and augered in.  Missed that Pt Mugu show, but had a local F-4 demo pilot try to hot dog the carrier break, stall, and fireball in front of the audience.
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zippz

Re: Airshows
« Reply #15 on: October 10, 2020, 08:03:37 PM »
Need some flyby's like this one.

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aaronc5362

Re: Airshows
« Reply #16 on: October 10, 2020, 08:16:10 PM »
Quote from: robtmc on October 10, 2020, 07:58:43 PM
Rwemember reading about that a long time ago.  Weird juxtaposition of thoughts on rigid discipline and lack of situational awareness.

Airshows have a disproportionate number of fatalities.  Goes with the territory i guess, like the B-52 that tried to turn like a fighter and augered in.  Missed that Pt Mugu show, but had a local F-4 demo pilot try to hot dog the carrier break, stall, and fireball in front of the audience.


Yeah i seen the unfortunate blue angels crashes. Crazy for both the pilots/ pilot's families and familes who may have been sitting or sleeping and next thing theres a burning f18 in their living room or kitchen.

Sorry i just gonna quote robs input. But all of you reminded me of the movie "afterburn". Dunno if you guys seen it. It was either a f15 or f16 and the guy died cause his instruments failed him. Saying he was rightside up but in actuality he was upside down. So when he pulls up hes actually nose diving to the ground. And pretty much the entire movie was his wife trying to prove theres issues with the plane. I think it was based on real events?? Maybe what you guys are talking about. Ahhhh good ol 90s movies.
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Flapp_Jackson

Re: Airshows
« Reply #17 on: October 10, 2020, 08:41:00 PM »
Quote from: robtmc on October 10, 2020, 07:58:43 PM
Rwemember reading about that a long time ago.  Weird juxtaposition of thoughts on rigid discipline and lack of situational awareness.

Airshows have a disproportionate number of fatalities.  Goes with the territory i guess, like the B-52 that tried to turn like a fighter and augered in.  Missed that Pt Mugu show, but had a local F-4 demo pilot try to hot dog the carrier break, stall, and fireball in front of the audience.

When traveling at those speeds and in tight formations, you really don't have the time or ability to break from formation to avoid a crash.  You're more likely to run into another plane trying to avoid following the lead.

You have to trust the lead and make sure you're doing the maneuver as you practiced. 

There's a movie from 1992 called Afterburn with Laura Dern.  It's based on a true story.  Her husband was a pilot flying in Korea.  His plane crashed killing him.  The maker of his F-16, General Dynamics, determined the cause of the crash was pilot error.  Not satisfied with the conclusion, she started a long fight to get the documentation on that flight and the aircraft's production and problems reported.  **SPOILER ALERT**   :popcorn:  In the end, she gets documentation from a whistleblower which proves there was a design problem that caused wiring harnesses to become frayed which in turn caused electrical shorts that effected instrumentation.  She wound up with a $3+ million award from GD, and she cleared her husbands name and reputation.

Anyway, I watched that many years ago.  Good movie if you like military themes and like to see cover-ups exposed.  Goes to also show that no matter how good a pilot you are, your life is in the hands of contractors, manufacturers, quality assurance testers, software designers, coders and testers, maintenance crews, spare parts procurement specialists and manufacturers, etc, etc. 

I worked with the AWACS E-3.  It was the only aircraft in the USAF inventory at the time with zero Class A mishaps (crashes).  Our maintenance unit received all kinds of awards year after year.  Made me rest easier each time I was on one when it took off.   :thumbsup: :geekdanc:

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The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw

groveler

Re: Airshows
« Reply #18 on: October 11, 2020, 09:29:39 AM »
Quote from: drck1000 on October 10, 2020, 04:05:44 PM
You must be really bored.  :rofl:

I love air shows too though. Used to love being on the water during the Blue Angels shows and the diamond keeps your attention and then the solos buzz you from a different direction.
I worked at Boeing field for over twenty years so saw the Blue Angels every year.
I could stand on the taxiway and see the start and end of the show in person just yards away.
I used to walk out on the closed I-90 floating bridge to watch practices
Body shaking CLOSE.
One year they had the airshow on Elliot bay so I took my 45' foot Trimaran
out to watch. They used my boat as a reference point flying so low that their
smoke descended on to my craft when they made their "breaks".
So much for FAA rules.
My boat was 45 feet long and over 26 feet wide, so I could never afford a spot on the log boom
for Lake Washington shows, plus I didn't want to deal with all the drunks climbing over my boat at all hours.
so I never saw a lake show from the water.

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drck1000

Re: Airshows
« Reply #19 on: October 11, 2020, 09:36:03 AM »
Quote from: groveler on October 11, 2020, 09:29:39 AM
I worked at Boeing field for over twenty years so saw the Blue angles every year.
I could stand on the taxiway and see the start and end of the show in person just yards away.
I used to walk out on the closed I-90 floating bridge to watch practices
Body shaking CLOSE.
One year they had the airshow on Elliot bay so I took my 45' foot Trimaran
out to watch. They used my boat as a reference point flying so low that their
smoke descended on to my craft when they made their "breaks".
So much for FAA rules.
My boat was 45 feet long and over 26 feet wide, so I could never afford a spot on the log boom
for Lake Washington shows, plus I didn't want to deal with all the drunks climbing over my boat at all hours.
so I never saw a lake show from the water.
I had buddies that had boats and we’d head down to the lake for the air show. We weren’t tied up to the flotilla so they made everyone idle and no anchor. I don’t get sea sick, but that exhaust made me nauseous.

The first year, I didn’t know about the two solos that buzz the boats. They have either the diamond in a slow pattern or the single doing that “almost stall” move to get your attention, then wham! One of the solos buzzes us from the opposite direction. After that, knew what was coming and was more fun to watch reaction of others.  ;D

When I did a lot of work at Andersen, we’d be on the flight line often. Andersen is mostly a transient base, but there were times when we’d see an amazing variety of airframes come through. I still like seeing the older planes like U-2 and P-3, but always amazed at the new(er) ones like the 22 and 35. Those suckers are amazing!
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