|
2017 Airshows
Brunswick,
GA B-25s
at Urbana, OH
B-25 Fly-Over the
National Museum of the USAF
SC National Guard Air
and Ground Expo
Dayton, OH
Goshen, IN
Tarkio, MO
Westfield, MA
Wings over Waukegan, IL
Colorado Springs, CO
Dayton Airshow Warbird Photo Review
Warbirds at Dayton Airport, Vandalia, OH - June 24-25, 2017 -
Photos taken Sunday, June 25, 2017.
This is the photo I came to Dayton to get!
The F-35 and P-51 Heritage Flight. My first. This has been a
long time in coming.
Dayton was not on my destination list until
about a week before the event. It had been several weeks since I
had been to an airshow, and I was starting to go into airshow
withdrawal. I had just purchased a new camera that I wanted to try
out, and the weather was looking very pleasant for the weekend. In
looking at the schedule, I noted that the show was having the F-35
Heritage Flight, which I had not yet seen. I had not even seen an
F-35A fly, let alone do a Heritage Flight. Also, the
Lockheed-Martin TX-50A was on the schedule for a demo. I had not
even known this aircraft existed until this May, when I saw one in South
Carolina. Therefore, I decided to do the show, as there were some
new aircraft flying.
I typically try and arrive early in order to
obtain a good location along the crowd line, and get as close to the
show as possible. For this event, I arrived sometime after the
gates opened, expecting to sit somewhere back in the crowd, and not
worry too much about being in the optimal photo location. Upon
arrival, I found that there was still a spot open in the hot ramp area
directly nose-on to the F-35. While the hot ramp is some distance
from show center and the show line, being able to be close-up to the
F-35 and watching its ground operation might work out better than
sitting back in the crowd near show center. It turned out to be a
very good decision.
There were a couple of warbirds on display,
including this Skyraider.
Even for a airshow enthusiast like myself,
there were still new aircraft at the show for me to see. I was
unaware that Boeing had teamed up with Italy's Leonardo to offer a
militarized version of the Leonardo's AW139, as a possible replacement
for the USAF's UH-1N Hueys. The USAF is in the process of
replacing its aging Hueys, and is looking to purchase 84 new
helicopters.
This B-17 tail gunner's section is from the
restoration of "Champaign Girl" at the Champaign Aviation Museum in
nearby Urbana, OH.
A close-up view of the gun sight.
This flyer was on the other end of the
tail gunner's section. Further information indicates that the Air
Force Museum will be dedicating its new display of the Memphis Belle on
May 17, 2018. This is 75 years to the date after the Belle
completed its 25th mission. The aircraft has been in restoration
after being removed from Mud Island in Memphis, TN, where it was rotting
away.
I was unaware that the US Coast Guard had
eighteen HC-144A aircraft. This is an Airbus military CN-235.
I originally was introduced to the
Lockheed-Martin T-50A at the SC NG Air and Ground Expo in Columbia, SC
in May. Later in the day aircraft TX-2 would give a short demo.
There are only two of the aircraft, and both were at the show.
The F-35 Heritage Flight Team had a tent set
up at the show. One of the special helmets F-35 pilots wear was on
display.
Getting the F-35 ready for the Heritage
Flight.
TX-2 taxies out for its demo.
The demo consisted of three flat passes.
Here the T-50A is doing a dirty pass.
Sean Tuck does a low pass as the F-35 begins
its preparation for the Heritage Flight. While the two civilians
were in front of the aircraft, the F-35 started by what is known as the
Integrated Power Package, an auxiliary starter which is a small gas
turbine engine. When the main engine starts, the decibel level
goes through the proverbial roof.
So who are the civilians? My guess is
that they are related to the pilot to be that close during the start
procedure.
The Geico Skytypers were at the show, and
the B-25 "Champaign Gal" did a Doolittle re-enactment.
P-51 "Fragile but Agile" taxies out for the
Heritage Flight.
"Champaign Gal" making one of several passes
for the crowd.
The Mustang takes off as the F-35 taxies
down to the other end of the runway. The F-35 will be taking off
with a very brisk quartering tail wind. I have noticed at several
shows that the F-22 will also frequently take off with a tail wind.
It's not like the F-35 needs the headwind to
take off. It was airborne in 1,500 feet and then rotated to the
vertical.
Here I am looking back behind the crowd to
the south as the F-35 forms up on the P-51.
Inbound for the first pass. Great
clouds!
Just like the F-22 Heritage Flight, the
second pass was back in the opposite direction.
And then for the third pass, the formation
comes in over the crowd from behind, and then does the criss-cross.
The pilot taxied up closer to the crowd than
where the aircraft had been before.
The refueling point is besides the
switches in the service bay, which is the big red round cap on the left.
Pilot Major Will Andreotta with his helmet
on.
Major Will Andreotta is the commander of the
F-35 Heritage Flight Team. He appears to be looking directly at me
as I took this photo. This makes it all the more interesting, as I
was the first person in the crowd whom he approached and shook hands
with. At that moment, I also remember the two of us locking eyes
as he came over to me.
One of the crewmen handed up the blue
covering to the Major, so he could put his helmet on it for display.
It remained there until he was done greeting the crowd.
Major Andreotta spent his time talking with
the crowd, shaking hands, and posing for photos with the spectators, all
within 50 feet of my location. If one was in the premium seating
or the chalets at show center, they missed all of this!
Back to normal. The helmet is gone.
Only security and the maintenance team doing its post flight work are at
the aircraft.
My pick of this location, upon my arrival
several hours earlier, was fortuitous. It made for a unique and
new experience at the Dayton Airshow.
It was a good day! More than I ever
expected.
|