Military Demonstrations
Viper Demo Team 50th Anniversary F-16C flight demonstration (pilot/Demo Team commander USAF CAPT Taylor ‘FEMA’ Hiester)
The Block 50D F-16C entered USAF service as USAF serial 91-0395 with the 17th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) Hooters at Shaw Air Force Base (AFB) in South Carolina on 24 November 1993. In January 1994 the jet was assigned to the 78th Fighter Squadron (FS) Bushmasters at Shaw and deployed for Operation Southern Watch. When the Bushmasters were deactivated in 2003 the jet briefly went to the 522nd FS Fireballs at Cannon AFB in New Mexico before going home to the 55th FS Shooters the following year. In May of 2024 the aircraft was painted in its current (and quite completely awesome!) 50-year Anniversary paint job reminiscent of the OG YF-16A.
Heritage Flight (Viper Demo Team F-16C, P-51D Mustang)
Tom Friedkin’s P-51D-25-NA (C/N 122-40396) actual serial number 44-73856, is one of two operational P-51Ds painted as Double Trouble Two (44-63684) Registration N7TF was built in 1945 and placed in storage. In 1954 the 179th FS, 133rd Fighter Group (FG) of the Minnesota Air National Guard (ANG) operated the Mustang. By 1963 684 was in civilian hands and was raced off and on until 1973, when she was acquired by Tom Friedken in Houston TX. Today the aircraft wears the paint scheme of WW II ace LTCOL William Bradford Bailey of the 350th FS, 353rd FG Slybird Group, 66th Fighter Wing (FW), 8th Air Force. For the Heritage Flights the pilot is Greg “B.A.” Anders
Radio controlled aircraft demonstrations
Nextgen Eagles aerobatics demonstration
KC-46A Pegasus flight / aerial refueling demonstration
This was the first KC-46A Pegasus flight demonstration for the public. The jet, a five year-old Lot 4 KC-46A Pegasus, is C/N 34092 / USAF serial 18-46043, and is one of 88 KC-46As delivered to date. She is assigned to the 56th Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) of the 97th Air Mobility Wing (AMW) at Altus AFB in Oklahoma. The 97th AMW took delivery of their first KC-46A on 3 February 2019. Operational KC-46As are currently based at Altus AFB in Oklahoma, Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina, McConnell AFB in Kansas, Travis AFB in California, McGuire AFB in New Jersey, and Pease Air National Guard Base (ANGB) in New Hampshire.
Blue Angels C-130J Fat Albert flight demonstration
The 2024 Fat Albert pilots are Lead Pilot US Marine Corps MAJ Josh Soltan, Pilot USMC CAPT Sam Petko, and Pilot USMC CAPT Isaac Becker.
Blue Angels F/A-18E Super Hornet precision formation and aerobatics flight demonstration
The 2024 Blue Angels demonstration pilots are #1 lead US Navy CAPT Alexander Armatas (Boss), #2 right wing US Navy LCDR Jack Keilty, #3 left wing US Navy LCDR Wes Perkins, #4 slot pilot LCDR Amanda Lee, #5 lead solo US Navy LCDR Griffin Stangel, and #6 opposing solo US Navy CDR Thomas Zimmerman.
We’ll get to what was happening on the ground (and there was plenty!) and some truly unique antiques on the flightline at WOHA 2024 in Part 2 coming soon!
Our thanks go to Erika Knupple, Chris Bowker, Kristin Kleven, and McKenna Parr with Griffin Communications Group for making the 2024 WOHA easy to attend and document. See you for WOHA 2025!
