Category Archives: Air Shows

Luke AFB Open House 2014

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The 2014 air show season has officially begun!

Luke AFB in Glendale, AZ (near Phoenix) happened to  host an air show this year, and it turned out that the show was scheduled right at the end of my spring break.

The show at Luke this year was packed with “firsts”. It was my first air show of the year as well as my first air show outside of the Pacific Northwest. It was also the Thunderbirds’ first show after their forced hiatus in 2013. Moreover, this show was (I’m pretty sure) the first ever appearance of an F-35 Lightning II at an air show.

Due to external circumstances (including spending a half hour as a human sandbag to keep the ERAU tent from flying away in a sudden windstorm) and my general unpreparedness for this show, I wasn’t able to take many photos (though it was nice to just be a spectator, something I haven’t done in a while). When I was taking photos, I could definitely sense how rusty I have become. Hopefully I’ll get that worked out over the course of FITS and Seafair and be back on my game in time for Abbotsford.

Acts featured in the lineup but not pictured in my album include (but are not limited to) Rob Holland, Matt Chapman, Greg Colyer in the T-33 “Ace Maker”, and the USAF Thunderbirds. I did, however, get some photos of a pair of F-86s and a USAF heritage flight.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY PHOTOS FROM THE 2014 LUKE AFB OPEN HOUSE

A teaser of my small collection of photos from the 2014 Luke AFB Open House.

OctoberWest and Happy Holidays

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Long time no see.

In the months since I last added any content to this site I have been away at my first semester at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. While I did miss a few rocket launches because of this (I haven’t flown anything since June), I was still able to get some videos made (oh yeah, and there was some schoolwork in there, too).

Every October, ERAU-Prescott hosts it’s homecoming event, OctoberWest. The celebrations include the Wings Out West air show at Prescott’s Love Field. I didn’t have my real camera with me, but iPhones don’t do that bad of a job.

The first video is from the night before Wings Out West and features the unveiling of ERAU’s jet dragster.

The jet dragster was designed and built by ERAU students and is powered by a Pratt & Whitney J-60 outfitted with an afterburner that was also designed and built by students.

From that same night, I also have a video of a flyover from the air show performers to be featured the next day: Melissa Pemberton, an ERAU alum flying an Edge 540; Julie Clark, a well known air show performer flying a T-34 Mentor; and Matt Chapman, the pilot of the ERAU-sponsored CAP 580.

At the air show the next day, the flightline was too far away to get any good footage of the flying events. I did get another video of the jet dragster, though. During this display, the dragster burned through its entire 30gal fuel load.

If this turns out to be my last post of the year, then I wish you happy holidays and a happy new year. Though I won’t be able to make it to as many events as previous years, the 2014 air show and rocket season is shaping up to be great, none the less.

Some Air Shows

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I have attended and uploaded photos from what may be my last two events of 2013. First up was the Flying Heritage Collection’s Fly Day on July 20th. The theme was “Allied Aces”, and attendees were treated to two Mustangs (“Upupa Epops” from the FHC, and “Impatient Virgin?” from the Historic Flight Foundation, also located at Paine Field), and the FHC’s Spitfire.

Click Here to see my Photos from the FHC

Allied Aces Day 2013

Towards the end of the flying program, I pulled out my video camera and caught the last couple passes. Crank up the volume to really hear the merlins!

Also, a first for me, I headed down to Hillsboro, Oregon to the Oregon International Air Show. When I first started planning to attend the show, the Blue Angels were headlining, and I was looking forward to seeing them at a real air show (as opposed to Seafair, where the flight line is much too far from the crowd line). Unfortunately, the US Government happened, and the Blue Angles had to cancel. In their place, though, the organizers at Hillsboro managed to snag the Patriots Jet Team, the premier civilian jet act on the circuit.

Besides the Patriots, the album also features Kirby Chambliss and the Red Bull Air Force, Greg Colyer in the T-33 “Ace Maker”, Bob Carlton’s jet-powered Super Salto Sailplane, and a surprise flyover from Alaska Airlines.

Click Here to see my Photos from Hillsboro

Oregon International Air Show 2013

I’d like to offer a big “thank you” to people who have stuck with the site. If only the whole “higher education” thing didn’t have to get in the way.

If not sooner, I’ll see you all next year!

FHC Luftwaffe Day… and More

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On the drive home form Abbotsford, I made an impromptu stop at Paine Field  for the Flying Heritage Collection’s August 11th fly day. The FHC is Paul Allen’s collection of beautifully-restored vintage warbirds. Several aircraft in the collection are the only airworthy examples of their type anywhere in the world. During summer, the FHC hosts free “fly days” on the first Saturday of each month. The 11th happened to be “Luftwaffe Day”, originally intended to feature the collection’s Fieseler Fi 156 “Storch” and the first public flight of their newly-restored Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Unfortunately, the Fw 190 ran into mechanical troubles after taxiing to the end of the runway and was unable to fly. The Storch still performed admirably, though.

After the Storch landed (blowing a tire in the process), the fly day also saw five F/A-18s from MCAS Miramar taking off for training flights and an All Nippon Airways 787.

The Storch

The Hornets

The 787

In case this is my last post of 2012, happy holidays, everyone, and have a happy new year!

Video from Abbotsford

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If you’re reading this, then congratulations! You survived the apocalypse! Why not celebrate by checking out a long-overdue video from this year’s Abbotsford International Air Show?

Once I get some technical issues worked out with my video editor (hint: never… ever… EVER buy a Sony HD camcorder) I’ll get my last batch of videos from this year posted.