My parents are mean . . . .

[TexasTimbers]

My mom and dad have been up in Iowa visiting my niece (sisters daughter). My wife comes into the shop a bit ago and says "Mom just called for me to give you a message. She wants you to know they are all at the Chicago 50th Anniversay Air and Water Show and are going to see the Bule Angels perform in a little while."

They all know my wife and I are air show junkies. That's a mean thing to tell us when we are in a somber, overcast day like today.  :-\


I jest of course. I am happy they are there. Any of you Chicagoans go to any of those events today ??? Supposed to be a pretty big show this year from what mom describes.

[DanG]

You think THEY are mean?  My Bro-in-law sits on his back porch and watches the Blues practice in the mornings, but he ain't never invited me to watch. :-\ :'(

[TexasTimbers]

That just ain't right. You need to give your security pals a picture of your BIL next Augusta and have him cuffed at the gate and detained for about 6 hours while he rethinks his manners. :D

[Radar67]

Never got a chance to see the Angels, but the Thunderbirds are a different story. If you notice my avatar, I'm standing guard on one of the Thunderbird F16s before an air show. I was on roving patrol via 4 wheeler during the show. Needless to say, I got a pretty good view of the show.

Sorry, didn't mean to rub it in Kev.... :-[ :-[  :D :D ;)

[TexasTimbers]

That's okay radar. I have seen the Blues 15 - 20 times probably, but it has been a long while and I need my fix. I have only seen the birds twice I think. I mean twice I know but maybe 3. They are good but the Blues, being the first of them all, well ya just can't top an original. ;D

I have also seen the French 9 plane team their name escapes me, and also the Canucks team were down in Corpus Christi once in the late 60s maybe early 70s and I saw them. That was also the first time i saw the Harrier. The airshows were always centered on the seawall behind the hnagers at NAS Corpus Christi, and this thing came screaming by, did a tight turn while slowing down, and came hovering down into a dead stop about 100' feet above the water and you couldn't have seen more suprised humans if a UFO had landed right in front of us. I'll never forget that sight of the water plume billowing up and vortexing back down around that jet just sitting there above the water like something out of science fiction. We all were freaking out looking around at each other "Can you see that!? DO you see that!?" We were all experiencing Cognitive Dissonance. One of the few times in my life I really experience that phenomenon.

Just between you andme and the fencepost though, the team I want to see more than any I have not seen is the JDF Blue Impulse. I have seen some of their videos and they do one manuever called "The Corkscrew" I believe, where one team member is flying along in straight line, and another is literally flying circles in a corkscrew pattern around him. I'll try to find it later and post the video. It's mind-boggling to see. They are not doing it real slow either.

[BillG]

My mom and dad have been up in Iowa visiting my niece (sisters daughter). My wife comes into the shop a bit ago and says "Mom just called for me to give you a message. She wants you to know they are all at the Chicago 50th Anniversay Air and Water Show and are going to see the Bule Angels perform in a little while."

They all know my wife and I are air show junkies. That's a mean thing to tell us when we are in a somber, overcast day like today.  :-\

You think your folks are mean.....my dad is DanG.....'nuff said....lol

Seriously, my old man is pretty good.  Took me to see the Angels a couple of times as a kid AND the Thunderbirds too.  They are both amazing teams.  He also took me to Fort Rucker where I saw some Helicopter shows.  Of course those weren't intended to have stunts and tricks, it was just a bunch of new pilots going through their paces.... :D

While I was in the Navy I had the pleasure of serving under LtCmdr (at the time) Snodgrass who was one of the "stunt" pilots in the movie TopGun.  He was somewhat of a Big Dog and had some amazing moves in the air. 

[TexasTimbers]

Anyone in the DFW area this weekend, the annual Alliance Air Show is on for this weekend. We are just going to walk away from it all, even though we have too much to walk away from, sometimes ya just gotta take time to take some time off, so we are going to get away and get our long-overdue air show fix.

Even though the Blue Angels are not there this years, their trusty second best fill-ins will be there the U.S. Airforce Thunderflops. ;D

Anyone who might be there we would love to meet up with and shoot the bull casually yell at each other over the screaming jet engines and recips. :D

I can't think of any members who live near me but if there is one of you out there who would like to go let's trade numbers and meet up.


Air Show Details

[Tom]

A free show with $20 parking?

Sounds like the entremanures at the beach that used to tear the entrance ways up by turning doughnuts and then sit along side waiting for someone to come by in a family car and get stuck. :D

[TexasTimbers]

Kind of like giving tax cuts away. :D

[sawguy21]

A few weeks ago we were sitting in the backyard enjoying a warm afternoon and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds flew over quite low in tight formation. Sure made our day. ;D

[isawlogs]

I heard the army helicopters all day hovering around the hills here , they are out helping the locals with there outdoor gardens . Funny how the locals do not show up to greet the help that is offered to them  : :D

[Ianab]

I just LOVE airshows too.

Hard to find a good on in NZ, the airforce dont even have any fighter jets any more.  :

But sometimes it's the things you dont expect that make you go Wow.

One local airshow it all goes quiet for a minute and then Fokker F27 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_F27 turboprop comes through at full throttle, at 100ft, in a 90 degree bank. I've ridden in them enough, but not seen them like that  ;D

Another one is formation topdressing with the local Cresco planes, they are big, slow, low and very manouvrable at low speed.

But the biggest fright I have had from a plane is being buzzed by 3 x C130 Hercules flying ground contour while I was minding my own business turning hay on a tractor. You dont think of a C130 as something that can sneak up on you.. but they CAN  :D

I bet the pilots are still laffing, 'did you see that guy on the tactor'

Ian

[Mooseherder]

I heard the army helicopters all day hovering around the hills here , they are out helping the locals with there outdoor gardens . Funny how the locals do not show up to greet the help that is offered to them  : :D

So the troops showed up for the Harvest eh? :D

[sawguy21]

Around here, some of the gardeners take a dim view of helicopters too. :D