We had an airshow at Fairchild AFB last weekend and I did something that someone in my house thought was crazy. I rented a nice Nikkor lens (70-200 2.8 auto-focus and vibration reduction) and a 1.7 teleconverter so I could get some decent pictures. I took about 350 pictures throughout the day. Some came out, some didn't. But that is the beauty of digital cameras, you can see right away whether or not you want to keep them.
The Air Force SERE school is here so instead of a service parachute team, they did the opening jump honors.
I also took a chance and snapped a pic of the free fall jumpers leaving the C130 and got them just off of the ramp...but you have to look close! :)
I love the sound of radial engines, the first plane I crewed on in the Navy (C1A) was a twin radial. I guess the love of the sound never goes away. This twin was one of the most prolific planes of WW2. They made a bunch of them, and quite a few are still flying. The B25 Mitchell.
And no Air Show is complete without an old war-bird. In this case it was a P51B, notice the canopy, a Malcolm Hood verses a bubble canopy or earlier canopy.
After WW2 we moved into Korea, I never knew a Mig 17 had an afterburner, but now I do. It was flying around with an F86, quite the sight.
And then for me, the star of the show. I didn't realize the AF still had active F4's, but they do. There is nothing quite like the sound of those 2 GE-J79 single spool engines screaming at power. I am partial to them because a long time ago, in a different life I was fortunate enough to get a 2 hour back seat ride in one of these as a re-enlistment incentive. From cat shot to trap it was a thrill a second.
Another airplane that is instantly recognizable, at one time they were doomed to extinction but cooler heads prevailed and they are still doing an outstanding close air support job in the wars of today.
I always considered the F4 and A10 as fairly small planes ( I was a P3 Flight Engineer so I was used to bigger). But when these guys flew together it was obvious the P51 was a tiny plane by the standards of today.
There wasn't much Navy presence :cry: , but they did bring out the latest plane they have, the F/A 18 Super Hornet. If you have seen one Hornet, you have seen them all, so here is a little different perspective. Something you don't get to see every day.
Then it was time for the premier event, the reason people braved the heat, the crowds and all of those nasty little screaming and whining kids.... the USAF Thunderbirds. While they aren't the Blue Angels, the announcer didn't know that. At one point he mentioned it was only 30 minutes until the show put on by "The ambassadors in blue...the USAF Blue Angels", it made me feel all warm inside...or was that the heat?
And this is a shot that would have never happened without the zoom...I think renting that lens was the best thing I have done in quite a while. Now if I could just afford one of them I would be a very happy camper indeed.
So there it is, the 2010 Fairchild AFB airshow, not the biggest nor the best, but an airshow none the less!
bob
****** BONUS PIC ******
Just because I like it. This is from the local herd that lives on state land near the State Hospital (crazy people).
:D
bob