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Air Force Thunderbirds, A-10 Warthog to Headline Thunder Over South Georgia

Charles Atkeison
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Air Force Thunderbirds, A-10 Warthog to Headline Thunder Over South Georgia

VALDOSTA, Ga. — The Air Force Thunderbirds and the crowd favorite A-10 Warthog will headline this weekend’s Thunder Over South Georgia air and space expo from Moody, Air Force Base.

As the Air Force celebrates it’s 70th anniversary, much of the aircraft flying and on static display are air force aircraft — both past and present. From the F-16 Viper to the P-51D Mustang, and including the hulking C-17 Globemaster III, the Moody airshow will be packed with aviation excitement and family friendly events.

Home to the 23rd Wing, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, Moody prepares and trains some 5,400 military and civilian personnel.  It is also home to the A-10C, C-130J, and HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter which are combat ready.

“This event is free and open to the public and features acts from the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Wings of Blue to the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and will also host more than 15 static displays,” said Tech Sgt. Zachary Wolf of the 23rd Wing.

 

The top draw of this airshow will be America’s Ambassadors in Blue known by the public as the Thunderbirds. Performing dynamic aerial maneuvers in close formation or as solos, the squadron’s six pilots demonstrate the handling characteristics of the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Lead by LT. Col. Jason Heard piloting the Thunderbird 1 jet. The six demonstration pilots include left wing pilot Major Ryan Bodenheimer aboard Thunderbird 2, Thunderbird 3 right wing Major Nate Hoffman, slot pilot Major Nick Krajicek in jet 4, and Major Alex Turner and Major Whit Collins performing as lead and opposing solos in jets 5 and 6.

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Photo by: Charles A. Atkeison

On Thursday afternoon, eight Thunderbirds F-16 jets arrived at Moody followed by two C-130 Hercules loaded with supplies and spare parts for the red, white, and blue jets. About 65 Thunderbirds maintainers and support personnel also arrived aboard the C-130s.

“We’re at the culmination of the end of our season,” said Thunderbird 4 pilot Maj. Krajicek on Thursday from the flightline. “We’re a team of 120 individuals who have come together, and it’s an incredible team, and it somewhat becomes your family as we’re on the road 220 to 240 days a year.”

Major Collins, the Thunderbirds opposing solo pilot and Georgia native, expressed his love for waving out at the airshow crowds as he flies. Collins is wrapping up his first season with the team, and will move up to lead solo in 2018.

“As a soloist, since I’m flying by myself most of the time, during my repositions, I fly with my right hand and my left hand’s power, I’ll reach up and wave to people all the time,” Maj. Collins exclaimed with a grin on Thursday. “My hope is they are at work the next day telling people, ‘I swear he was waving at me’. But, if you’re out there, I really do wave.”

Collins, who grew up in an Air Force family, was further inspired to become a pilot at age 10. “I went to an airshow at Warner Robbins, Georgia, there I met a Thunderbird. I told him I wanted to grow up to fly airplanes, and he looked at me and he said, ‘you’ll grow up and be a great pilot one day’. And, that really lite a fire to me. So, when it came time when I was an air force pilot, I have the opportunity where I can give that back, and to tell the youth of America they can do anything thy put their minds to it.”

Tuskegee Exhibit will be featured

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Photo by: Charles A. Atkeison

The Tuskegee Airmen exhibit will be on display both days. It highlights the historic contributions of the first African-American military pilots during World War II. The Commemorative Air Force supports the traveling exhibit.

“World War II and the service of these American heroes may be slipping farther into the past, but the lessons to be learned from the Tuskegee Airmen are timeless,” said Bill Shepard. Bill is a CAF Red Tail Squadron P-51C Mustang pilot and CAF Vice President of Education. “We know there are so many people who are passionate about the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.”

Gates will open at 9:00 a.m. each day, and the opening ceremonies will begin at about 11:30 a.m. with the Wings of Blue parachute team. Both admission and parking are free.

(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)

Hardware from the Boeing 747-400 Being Auctioned Off | Take Home a Piece of United Airlines History

Kim Clark
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Hardware from the Boeing 747-400 Being Auctioned Off | Take Home a Piece of United Airlines History

Don’t miss your chance to own a piece of aviation history! Literally speaking, a piece of the infamous Boeing 747 fleet from United Airlines can be in your living room. To celebrate the aircraft’s retirement from the fleet, MileagePlus Exclusives is offering passengers with accumulated award miles a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to exchange award points for parts of the airplane.

Special items will be up for auction throughout the event which runs until November 7, 2017. Check the site often to make sure you don’t miss out on unique items going up for bid:

See the auction here

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Items that you can get your hands on in exchange for your award miles include tail number cut-outs, airspeed indicators, double or triple passenger seats, livery panels and window cuts, and even a 747-400 aluminum cut-out which goes up for bid October 30. These one of a kind pieces of aviation hardware can’t be found anywhere else. Redeem your miles and grab a piece of the plane for yourself or your favorite aviation enthusiast. Perfect for gift giving!

In doing so, you will be joining other Avgeeks as we celebrate United’s final send-off of the Boeing 747-400, the “Queen of the Skies.”

Own a piece of hardware from the aircraft and help a great cause, too. All profits from the auctions on MileagePlus Exclusives go to to support Air Camp, an interactive educational aviation and aeronautics program that helps students in STEM-related fields across the country achieve their goals. Log on today, claim your piece of the famed Boeing 747 and help young people make their dreams of a career in aviation come true.

Ramp Worker’s Funky Dance Moves Go Viral

Avgeekery
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Ramp Worker’s Funky Dance Moves Go Viral

Working the ramp isn’t a particularly glamorous job. It involves a ton of physical exertion and you are at the mercy of the elements. As a ramp agent, the outside is your office. Heat, rain, snow, and sleet, are common. You are measured by your ability to ensure that the flights depart on-time. Passengers hardly ever see you long enough to say ‘thanks’ for loading my bags and ensuring that my flight departed on-time.

Kyran Ashford is employed by JetStream Ground who contracts with Southwest Airlines for ground operations. He sets the standard for service with a smile. Earlier this week, country artist Terry McBride posted a video showing a ramp agent whose wing walking was over the top. Terry was impressed. His moves were so fantastic, and his smile so infectious that the video of him ‘just’ doing his job have now been seen by over 6.5 million people. It’s safe to say that he might be the first person in aviation history whose wing-walking skills have gone viral!

Avgeekery salutes Kyran and appreciates his passion. We also hope that his skills serve as a great resume builder to get hired as a station manager or better for Southwest Airlines in Rochester. The world needs people with passion like his. Any airline would be lucky to have him.

WATCH: Sweet-Sounding Warbird Sounds From EAA Airventure 2017

Bill Walton
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WATCH: Sweet-Sounding Warbird Sounds From EAA Airventure 2017

We’re heading headlong into the winter months and that means airshows and gatherings of warbirds will be few and far between. We know Avgeekery Nation enjoys great warbird action and Oshkosh had some of the best ever seen there this year. From our good friends at AirshowStuffVideos comes this awesome action video shot during the 2017 Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirExpo in Oshkosh. The action is in HD and the audio is great with only minimal radio chatter. Turn those speakers up and enjoy!

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The action was recorded adjacent to runway 36 and includes departures, arrivals, and taxiing aircraft of many types including a plethora of North American P-51 Mustang fighters (and those sweet-sounding Merlin engines!) including an ultra-rare P-51B model, the Commemorative Air Force B-29 Superfortress bomber Fifi, a Vought F4U-4 Corsair, a North American B-25H Mitchell medium bomber, a Beech T-34B Mentor trainer, a Beech C-45 Expeditor, a gaggle of North American T-6 / SNJ / Harvard trainers, a CJ-6 Nanchang trainer, and a Grumman (General Motors) TBM-3E Avenger. There’s even a beautifully restored TA-4J Skyhawk trainer wearing Marine Corps Harrier-esque camo.

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Watch: Spanking New F-14A Tomcat Gets Prepped For Service

Bill Walton
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Watch: Spanking New F-14A Tomcat Gets Prepped For Service

When Grumman and the Navy teamed up to produce the F-14 Tomcat Progress Report films during the early 1970s the new jet was being tested and evaluated by multiple squadrons at several Naval Air Stations (NASs) and facilities. The Tomcat would go on to serve the Navy for 32 years, but at this point there was still a whole lot to learn about the complex F-14A.

The process of testing, training, and getting a brand new weapons system ready for its first combat deployment was complicated indeed. This film, “Progress Report #5:  The Operational Tomcat” uploaded by YouTuber PeriscopeFilm with excellent image and sound quality, is a must-see for every Tomcat aficionado. Boola Boola anyone?

[youtube id=”G-mrFcsw-Ew” width=”800″ height=”454″ position=”left”]

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Official US Navy Photograph

Carrier Air Wing FOURTEEN (CVW-14) was preparing for their next WestPac deployment aboard the carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) when the film was shot. Fighter Squadron ONE (VF-1) Wolfpack and VF-2 Bounty Hunters had just been formed at NAS Miramar in mid-October 1972. Both squadrons were gearing up for their first deployment with the new Tomcat.

Note the flamboyant far-from-low-viz colors on the VF-1 and VF-2 Tomcats in the film. Those are classic 1970s Navy squadron schemes! Testing and evaluation of just about every kind can be seen in this time capsule of a film.

Tomcat pictured in flight.
Official US Navy Photograph

Georgia Man Angry Over Missing Air Show Opens Fire Into Traffic

Mike Killian
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Georgia Man Angry Over Missing Air Show Opens Fire Into Traffic

In a bizarre story out of Rome, GA, a 73 year old man was arrested this past weekend after opening fire into traffic after being angry that he missed the Wings Over North Georgia Air Show.

In a story first reported by the local Rome News-Tribune, Jerome Benesh was jailed in Floyd County on two counts of aggravated assault, three counts of felony obstruction of an officer, one count of cruelty to children in the first degree, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

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The Blue Angels were the headline act at this past weekend’s Wings Over North Georgia Air Show. Photo: Mike Killian

“He thought it started at 5 p.m. but it was closing, and then he got stuck in traffic,” said Floyd police Capt. Chad Johnson. “We had multiple witnesses saying he was going in and out of traffic, firing off rounds.”

When confronted by police Benesh decided to try fleeing, but didn’t get far.

No injuries were reported, nor was any damage or bullet holes found on any of the roughly 100 vehicles on the road at the time Benesh threw his temper tantrum.

Over 80,000 spectators came out to the show Oct 21 and 22, the show’s largest crowd in six years.

He’s also facing many misdemeanor charges as well, including reckless conduct, reckless driving, and fleeing a law enforcement officer – among many others.

.– Follow Mike Killian on Instagram and Facebook, @MikeKillianPhotography 

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Air Attack Fleet And Pilots Made A Big Difference In CA Wildfires

Joe Vaeth
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Air Attack Fleet And Pilots Made A Big Difference In CA Wildfires

Air attack pilots deployed to support firefighting operations in Napa and Sonoma counties. They have employed a variety of equipment necessary to fight these massive fires that have killed over 40 people. We take a look at the planes and the requirements to fly these demanding missions.

You Can’t Drop If You Can’t See The Target–Decent Visibility Is Critical

Smoke and thick haze created very low visibility in an area of rough and high terrain making it extremely risky to coordinate the drops at a low enough altitude for them to be effective.  For the early parts of the blazes most of the tanker pilots were required to wait out the weather for conditions to improve.

Without the effort of a relentless air attack the Nuns fire merged with the Adobe, Norbbom, Patrick and Pressley fires producing an inferno that has scorched over 54,000 acres.  Today that fire is mostly contained, due in no small part to the efforts of aerial firefighting.

CAL FIRE has led the effort in coordinating a massive statewide effort fighting over 13 large wildfires currently burning that have consumed over 210,000 acres.  They are employing multiple aerial assets in the effort to contain these fires including helicopters, scout aircraft, air tankers and military drone aircraft.  The civilian deployment includes 37 helicopters and 36 planes which have been assigned to the fires in Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino Counties.

The Tools of Their Fleet

Helicopter Drops

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A U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter, Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 (HMH-462), Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) collects water in a bambi bucket during aerial firefighting efforts, May 14, 2014. 3rd MAW aircraft partnered with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to conduct aerial firefighting against several wildfires ablaze in San Diego County. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Carl Atherton 3d MAW COMCAM/RELEASED)

Aerial firefighting pilots launched throughout the day to attack these fires from the air, and went all in to fight these fires.  Military style Hueys UH-60s and chinooks CH-47, could be seen visibly dropping water on fires over the ridges above the vineyards.  Smaller helos were sighted filling their buckets at lakes near wineries in the region.

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A Bell 212 with a helicopter bucket. (Wikipedia)

Command & Control Scout Planes

The CAL FIRE scout OV-10A is a light attack plane operated out of Chico, CA that orbits over the fire area for hours searching for hot spots and coordinating the fire retardant and water drops to maximize the impact of the air attack, giving firefighters on the ground the best shot at saving lives and protecting property.

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An OV-10 lead plane flies with a crew of two, a contract pilot and the California Fire Air Tactical Group (CAL FIRE ATGS) Supervisor, whose job it is to coordinate all aerial assets on a fire with the Incident Commander on the ground. The OV-10 also leads firefighting air tankers through their intended flight path photo by Mike McMillan. (Wikipedia Commons)

The Global SuperTanker

Air Tankers DC-10s, C-130s and now a 747 are flying drop missions with full loads out of McClellan Air park in Sacramento and Charles M. Schultz-Sonoma County airport. There was one highly publicized air tanker drop on Monday 9 October a Jumbo jet was sent in by CA Department of Emergency Services over the fire area in Sonoma County.

The 747 Global Supertanker commenced its service in the United States just last month over the Railroad Fire near Yosemite National Park.  Nationally the operator Global Supertanker LLC only has contracts to operate within the state of California. However, the aircraft was used to fight fires in Chile and Santo Domingo.  In late September the Global Supertanker was employed over Butte County, Madera County and Los Angeles County.

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The converted B747-400, based in Colorado Springs, can be dispatched at speeds of 600 mph carrying nearly 20,000 gallons of water or fire retardant and can respond to wild fires anywhere in the western U.S. within three hours, according to Global SuperTanker Services. The Peterson Air Force Base Fire Department will provide emergency response services for the aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Robb Lingley)U.S. Air Force photo by Robb Lingley

The Global SuperTanker is CAL FIRE’s largest weapon in the fight it carries over 19,000 gallons and can drop a line of retardant that is mile & half long. In its first week of service the 747 put up some very impressive numbers.  7 Days, 13 trips, 21 drops, 219,470 gallons.  It carries twice the amount of water/retardant than the DC-10 the next largest air tanker in the CAL FIRE arsenal.

MQ-9 Reapers

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Two MQ-9 Reapers were activated to support CA state firefighting efforts. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force

Airmen from the CA Air National Guard 163rd attack wing and two MQ-9 Reapers at March Air Reserve Base were activated the week of Oct 12 Oct to fight the fires.  The Reaper’s infrared sensor was used to map the fire region and provide “mission critical thermal imagery on the afflicted area in real time to CAL FIRE and the CA Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.”  The reapers were deployed over the Nuns and Atlas fires.

CAL FIRE Team Effort

When other planes fly out these planes fly in.  It takes a team effort with coordination between the firefighters on the ground and in the air to deliver an effective counterpunch at just the right spot and aid in containment these wildfires.  Avgeekery proudly salutes the efforts of these aerial firefighters.

CAL FIRE

Additional Resources:

CAL FIRE – Incident Page
http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/?page=1

Video – aerial fire attack – cool scenes of air attack aircraft drops

Video – Air Tanker Tracking

Culpepper Air Fest Gave DC Area Avgeeks Many Reasons To Smile

Randy Jennings
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Culpepper Air Fest Gave DC Area Avgeeks Many Reasons To Smile

The 19th annual Culpeper Air Fest provided a day of entertainment for the assembled crowd. Located just ninety minutes from either Washington D.C. or Richmond, the location is an easy drive. The show is the City of Culpeper’s largest event, and is free to attend, plus offers free parking with bus service from local high schools.

Held at the Culpeper Regional Airport, the field boosts a 5,000 foot runway that can accommodate light jets and larger twin engine propeller aircraft. Also located at the airport is the Capital Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. This explains the good turnout of warbirds at the show, plus the chance to go on a warbird ride for a price.

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The airport also lies within the area where the Civil War’s largest cavalry battle took place, that being the Battle of Brandy Station. This site and other nearby battlefields offer the history buff additional attractions to visit.

The weather cooperated as the solid overcast started to breakup when the Air Fest started at noon. The crowd had much more a sense of community with maybe 4,000 in attendance, as compared to tens of thousands at larger shows. The show started off with a parachute drop featuring the flag and the singing of our national anthem.

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The Grumman TBM Avenger battled with the replica Japanese Aichi “Val”. This performance accompanied by a pyrotechnics display which was a first for the show. Various vintage trainers, liaison, and spotter aircraft flew throughout the day. The C-47 “Placid Lassie” was a special treat, as she is the only flyable Dakota that actually took part in the D-Day drops of June 6, 1944.

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Several stunning acrobatic demonstrations were carried out by several powered aircraft. Though for myself, the most interesting flight of the day was performed by Manfred Radius in his aerobatic rated sailplane. His skill in maximizing the energy management capabilities of his Salto glider was both graceful and fascinating.

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The show featured a couple of fast movers, those being the Czech built L-39 and the only privately owned British Sea Harrier. Both aircraft are owned by Art Nalls, who showed off the unique capabilities of each plane. Hopefully next year he will have his other Harrier, a two seat model, flying at the show.

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The Culpeper Air Fest is truly a unique air show. With its location at a relatively small airport, it gives the audience a closer view of these stunning aircraft as compared to shows at larger airports or air bases. It also has a fairly large and varied collection of aircraft taking part. So if you are within driving distance of Culpeper next fall, I highly recommend attending this show.

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Watch: This Vought A-7 Corsair II Promo Film Attempted To Make Mighty SLUF Sexy

Bill Walton
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Watch: This Vought A-7 Corsair II Promo Film Attempted To Make Mighty SLUF Sexy

During the 1960s and 1970s military aerospace companies like Vought, or Ling-Temco-Vought, or Douglas, or McDonnell-Douglas…well let’s just say the companies that built military aircraft produced promotional films for their products. Some of these films were impressive and many were outstanding- especially those that featured aircraft that could “sell” themselves. We’ve brought you a few films like these before. Vought produced their promo film, “In Corsair Tradition”, when their latest A-7E Corsair II had recently entered service. The film was uploaded to YouTube by PeriscopeFilm and features Vought’s Short Little Ugly…Fellow. SLUF for short.

[youtube id=”oX4rxuPeuf0″ width=”800″ height=”454″ position=”left”]

1280px A 7E VA 15 in flight June 1976
Official US Navy Photograph

Owing some of their design characteristics to Vought’s F-8 Crusader series of supersonic carrier-based air superiority fighters, Navy SLUFs served for about 24 years. From Vietnam to Desert Storm they were in the thick of every one of the Navy’s engagements during their service. The A-7E was powered by the more powerful Rolls-Royce Spey (license-built by Allison as the TF-41) engine used in the United States Air Force’s (USAF’s) A-7D variant. The E also benefitted from improved avionics and targeting systems as well as increased firepower thanks to the adoption of the same M61 Vulcan 20 millimeter six barrel rotary cannon as the one present in the A-7D.

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Official US Navy Phjotograph

BREAKING: Another Close Call for Air Canada at SFO As They Ignore “Go Around” Instructions

Mike Killian
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BREAKING: Another Close Call for Air Canada at SFO As They Ignore “Go Around” Instructions

“Possible pilot deviation, I have a number for you when you’re ready.” — Words you don’t want to hear from a controller.

An Air Canada flight inbound to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Sunday night lucked out and avoided a potential disaster, just months after another Air Canada flight mistakenly lined up to land on a taxiway instead of the active runway at the same airport.

The FAA confirmed the aircraft involved in Sunday’s close call as Air Canada flight 781, an A320, the same type involved in the near miss earlier this year.


SFO air traffic control initially gave flight 781 approval to land on the busy airport’s runway 28R, roughly six miles or so from touchdown.  The controller then called a Go-Around and repeated the order five times without a response.

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A view out towards SFO’s runways. Credit: Mike Killian

After giving the landing clearance, an aircraft on the rollout ahead of the Air Canada flight was vacating the runway slower than expected. The controller sensing an issue stated for Air Canada 781 to “go around”. Flight 781 was ordered multiple times to abort their landing.

But the flight crew never acknowledged any of the instructions, even after controllers started flashing the crew with a red light gun to give a visual signal of the go-around, which is standard protocol when a crew is not responding to radio coms.

Flight 781 landed shortly before 9:30pm local time, and fortunately, the plane on the ground was able to move in time, avoiding what could have been a disaster.

Not the first time Air Canada has had issues at SFO

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On July 7, 2017, AC flight 759 appears to fly directly overhead United flight 1. At this time, the United pilot openly queries tower saying “Where’s this guy going?”

This isn’t the first time that Air Canada has had issues at SFO. The first incident, which occurred on July 7, could have been the worst aviation disaster in history, with four planes on the taxiway as the Air Canada flight nearly landed right on top of them. Some 1,000 souls could have been killed in that case.

In the July 7 close call, the flight crew came within just 59 feet of disaster, saying later that they simply mistook the taxiway for the runway, but also acknowledged that “something did not look right”. Had it not been for the pilots on the ground signaling with their lights, the Air Canada crew likely would have landed on top of them.

As for this past weekend’s incident, the FAA is currently investigating. The Air Canada crew blames a radio problem, but that doesn’t explain why they ignored (or just didn’t see) the red light from the tower giving a visual signal to go-around.

We’ve reached out to Air Canada for further comment, and will update as soon as they provide further information.

– Follow Mike Killian on Instagram and Facebook, @MikeKillianPhotography 

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WATCH: The Ravens and Their T-28D Nomads Waged a Savage Secret War in Laos

Bill Walton
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WATCH: The Ravens and Their T-28D Nomads Waged a Savage Secret War in Laos

T-28s Made Excellent COIN Conversions

North American’s iconic radial-engine trainer, the T-28 Trojan, trained thousands of Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force pilots. Many of them fought in the skies above Vietnam and Southeast Asia. T-28s were also flown as forward air control (FAC) platforms and even as counter-insurgency (COIN) ground attack aircraft- not just by American and South Vietnamese pilots but in other wars by other countries as well. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) waged a war of their own in Laos, and they used T-28D Nomads for FAC and COIN missions there. This video, transferred from Super-8 millimeter film and uploaded to YouTube by PeriscopeFilm, was shot by the Ravens themselves.

[youtube id=”W-aku3Bgbgw” width=”800″ height=”454″ position=”left”]

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Official US Air Force Photograph via US Air Force Museum

War on the Down Low for the Ravens

Ravens were American fighter pilots who flew largely covert and “deniable” missions against the communist Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese in Laos. Often operating from austere facilities such as Pakse (where the ground footage was shot), the Raven T-28Ds were modified with modern gunsights, pod-mounted guns, and were capable of dropping bombs, napalm, cluster bomb units (CBUs), firing rockets, and in general throwing whatever ordnance was available to them at their targets. When they needed more firepower they called in airstrikes by other Air Force, Navy, or Marine Corps aircraft. The footage reveals some little-known aspects of the Ravens at war.  Notice the lack of national insignia on their T-28Ds.

Ravens on the runway.
Official US Air Force Photograph

Wings Over North Georgia Weekend Draws 83,000 Attendees

Charles Atkeison
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Wings Over North Georgia Weekend Draws 83,000 Attendees

ROME, Ga. — The Navy’s Blue Angels and a strong performer line-up drew over 83,000 guests through the gates of the Wings Over North Georgia Airshow over the weekend.

The October 21st and 22nd airshow was highlighted by the inclusion of not only the Blue Angels, but seven-time champion aerobatic pilot Rob Holland; the AeroShell Aerobatic Team, the Smoke-and-Thunder Jet Car and jet truck, and the US SOCCOM Para-Commandos who kicked off the airshow.

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Photo by: Charles A. Atkeison

“While great weather certainly attributed to the growth, the involvement of leading world-class performers and air show headliners, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels generated even broader regional interest than past events,” JLC Airshows Management President John Cowman said late on Sunday. “The Rome, GA-based show was one of four remaining performances for the elite naval air demonstration team’s 2017 schedule.”

Video by Sean Bowen.

As the engines of the six blue and yellow jets of the Navy’s elite Flight Demonstration Squadron roared to life, time stood still along the crowd line as each attendee paused for their forty-minute flight demonstration. The popularity of the Blue Angels combined with great weather gave the Wings Over North Georgia their largest attendance days in six years.

And for the Blue Angels, the north Georgia event was a top show site on their busy schedule.

“If we were to attend the big shows every year, such as San Francisco or New York, we would get almost the same people every year,” said Blue Angels Commander Frank Weisser . “So it’s very important to us that we spread the wealth, and take naval aviation to places that do not have a big naval aviation experience or community.”

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Photo by: Charles A. Atkeison

CDR Weisser enjoys the smaller shows, such as north Georgia, because of the crowds unfimilar with the Blue Angels. “It’s important to us to get to the north west, the mid west, and the plains, because there are a lot of kids there who don’t think they can join the navy and fly airplanes, they think they have to join the air force.”

Aerobatic pilot Rob Holland, who can make his MXS-RH aircraft dance across the sky and then perform jaw-dropping gravity defying loops and turns, performed each afternoon above the Richard Russell airfield. Of his aircraft, Holland exclaimed, “I put it on like a pair of pants, and take it with me.”

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Photo by: Charles A. Atkeison

“I have a few maneuvers I like, like tumbling end-over-end, but it’s really about the whole performance,” Holland said on Friday as he stood poised near his red and black aircraft. “Putting together a good show from start to finish and making it all work. That’s what gets me excited.”

Smoke-n-Thunder Jet Car introduced their new Jet Truck to airshow attendees over the late-October weekend. Each performed with the thunder and flames produced by jet engines as they raced down the runway.

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Photo by: Charles A. Atkeison

Cowman and his staff will soon turn their focus toward planning the seventh annual north Georgia airshow. A tentative weekend date of October 13-14, 2018, will be firmed up in the coming months; and several headline performers will be announced following December’s airshow performer and officials meeting in Las Vegas.

(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)

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