On May 5^th and 6^th, the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino California is going to open its hangar doors and roll out some of the finest examples of restored aircraft in flying condition from years past.  This year’s airshow honors the turning of the tide in the Pacific in 1942.  The airshow is scheduled to feature over 40 historic aircraft performing for all those in attendance; in addition to many other fascinating exhibits and demonstrations.

The Planes of Fame airshow is THE airshow to go to if you happen to like anything that flies and has used by various militaries across the world in the last 70+ years.  The flying collection during the show includes aircraft from World War II and on; including an F-4 flight.  The list of performers and aircraft flying in the airshow is too long to put here and really is better viewed on the Planes of Fame website:  www.planesoffame.org

Many of the aircraft scheduled to fly are one of only a small number of flying examples.  The Planes of Fame airshow usually has a majority of the flying P-38; at least one of only a few Tigercats; more Mustangs than just about anywhere else; and this year Planes of Fame has merited a spot on Sean Tucker’s performance schedule.

The staff at the Planes of Fame Air Museum were more than gracious, including amazing access to aerial photography of a couple of their fabulous machines.  Having the opportunity to go up in the air and shoot a P-38 Lightning along with a P-40 Warhawk was an amazing experience from a Cessna 195.  Many thanks are due to everyone at Planes of Fame for their generosity in opportunity and welcoming attitude.

Simply put, the Planes of Fame airshow is amazing.  Every year I go, I look at the whole experience as a privilege to see these rare machines flying.  Unfortunately, as time goes on these aircraft become fewer and fewer and you just never know when they might not be around for the next performance.  See you at the show!

The Planes of Fame Air Museum is located at Chino Airport and located online at www.planesoffame.org  For more information visit their website or call 909-597-7576

Riverside Airport is packed into the middle of suburban Riverside, surrounded by houses on all sides.  While the main runway is just large enough to accommodate a C-17, the traffic pattern still seems more like driving directions than flying.  There is something nice about the smaller, local, airshows; there is a certain down to Earth quality about them which just is not a part of the large military airshows.

The weather this year was much less than ideal, cloudy and drizzly most the day.  The weather caused the show to start late, which provided ample time to shoot the static displays.  The whole flight line was filled with static displays, many of them warbirds.  Inside the crowd line there were numerous general aviation aircraft as well as local police equipment on static display.  The show got off to a little of an unannounced start after some remote control airplanes filled the gap between the scheduled start and the actual start.  Once the wing walking and Dr. D’s Taylorcraft aerobatics got underway, there was no doubt the show had started – too bad the weather didn’t get the notice and clear the clouds out.  Shortly thereafter, Jon Melby took off in his Pitts biplane to show that the Pitts and biplanes in general are not the most current technology but are still very capable in terms of aerobatic performance.  Doug Jardine followed Jon Melby putting his much more modern Sbach 342, a big horsepower carbon fiber monoplane, through punishment – the clouds weren’t going to keep him on the ground.  This performance also demonstrated how much punishment a person can take at the controls of an airplane; modern airplanes can be designed – and often are – to be more capable in maneuvering load factors than well trained pilots.  Next John Collver took off in his T-6 “War Dog” to perform maneuvers which appeared lazy in nature after Doug Jardine’s performance – even though the maneuvers he performed are considered advanced training.

At this point a Riverside Police MD-500 helicopter put on an aerial demonstration, most of which seemed like a demonstration of helicopter performance rather than standard police helicopter flying.  The helicopter then joined in on a mock police chase around the runway and taxiways, finally picking up SWAT officers and a police dog to apprehend the mock suspect.  After all the chasing excitement, there was a reasonably large fire on the other side of the runway – a second MD-500 with a water dropping attachment came in to put the fire out.  After the fire was out, the two helicopters performed some loose formation flying.

After all the police excitement had settled down, five T-6’s took to the air to put on a formation flying demonstration.  They flew a normal traffic pattern and as they came around on each lap they were in a different formation.  While the wing walking demonstration was getting into position at the end of the runway, a L-39 Albatross came in to make a handful of reasonably high speed banana passes for the crowd before disappearing.  The schedule called for a F-16 to perform the high speed passes, but with weather delays the crowd was given a L-39 on a seemingly more flexible schedule.  By this point, the weather was starting to clear – ever so slightly.  The Just In Time Skydivers climbed to altitude while Jon Melby and Doug Jardine went back up to give the crowd another glimpse into the body-straining life of an aerobatic pilot.  The performances put on by those two were equally impressive as their earlier performances.  The Just In Time Skydivers jumped, still limited by the weather.  John Collver again took to the air, and while the maneuvers were seemingly easy I’d venture a guess there was nothing easy about them.

While John Collver was performing, the distinct sound of jet engines a long way down the crowd line could be heard.  Scanning around to see where the sound was coming from showed the P-38 Honey Bunny pushing back from the rope as well as the A-10 taxiing out.  As the two aircraft taxied out for the heritage flight, the crowd got a glimpse of the ultra-rare P-38 Lightning.  The A-10 and P-38 spent a fair amount of time forming up on their own and working out the details of the heritage flight, in the meantime Tim Weber went up in his Geico-sponsored MXS to give Doug Jardine a run for his money in the aerobatic sense – Tim’s performance did not disappoint.  The A-10 and P-38 performed their heritage flight, with each aircraft putting on a little something special at the end of the heritage flight.  As the heritage flight landed and pulled off the runway, a group of warbirds commenced their takeoff roll.  The group included a Hellcat, Bearcat, Wildcat, and a Mustang.  The flight of four took up an orbit around the airport, all nearly evenly spaced for a seemingly continuous sound of glorious piston engine power.  This spacing allowed for excellent photo opportunities of all the airplanes, never having to compromise and decide quickly which aircraft to shoot.  The Mustang seemed to be lagging behind the group of Grumman cats, setting up for an awesome pass; the mustang came in for a low firewall pass much like a pilot would do down a German airfield during World War II.  The whole experience was amazing, especially the sound of the Merlin engine.

Depending on how you look at it, the last performer in the show or the first departure of the show was the C-17.  It was really amazing to see such a large aircraft on the runway after so many smaller aircraft had been flying throughout the day.  The C-17 was so large, it had to back up the crosswind runway to the main runway, and then back up the main runway to the approach end.  There was not enough room at the airport for the C-17 to taxi around like a normal airplane.  The C-17 didn’t even hold the brakes to wait for the four Pratt PW2000s to spool to full speed, the acceleration was nothing dramatic, a slight pull back, and the behemoth took to the air.  A couple passes later and the C-17 was headed back home to March ARB, just a couple miles away.  As is the case with most airshows, there is a push to get home after the show is over so sticking around after the show “ends” is quite the treat to see all the static aircraft leave.  The Cessna 195 you were admiring on the ground has to takeoff and return sometime, might as well see it take off, right?  Occasionally the pilots would come back around after taking off for another pass or two; the Lightning based at Chino had only a five minute flight home and if you were up in a P-38 you’d take two more trips through the pattern too.

Overall the Riverside airshow was a fun time, even if the weather was less than ideal. I’ll be going next year for sure; there are just too many cool things to see at this show.  Thanks are due to all the people who worked to make the Riverside airshow a success.

By Matt Shinavar

The  B-25 known as Executive Sweet began it’s journey from Camarillo, CA to Dayton, OH. The aircraft will be one of Twenty-five B-25 Mitchell bombers that plan to pay tribute to the Doolittle Raiders as they commemorate the 70th anniversary of their raid on Japan. The reunion will take place  April 17-20 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton,OH.

On the way to Dayton, OH the B-25 will make several stops,providing an excellent opportunity for the public to see and fly in  this wonderful aircraft . The first of the planed stops was today at Glendale, AZ.

The aircraft arrived about 10:00 AM, after a short flight over Sun City, AZ and the North Phoenix Valley.  The plan to over fly the Sun City area was a good one, as many WWII veterans live in the area.  The visit was hosted by, Glendale Areo Services FBO and the New Left Seat West Restaurant.

The aircraft was available for tours for about 6 hrs, providing wounderful photo opportunities against the blue sky of a wonderful AZ day. The aircraft will stay overnight and depart for Albuquerque ,NM at around 8:00 am on Tuesday 4-10-12.   Executive Sweet   is planing to return to Glendale ,AZ on 4-23-12  as it makes its way back to Camarillo airport.

For more info   http://www.aafgroup.org/

The planed stops along the way are as follows.

On April 4, 2012 just after 2PM, Howard Pardue left us before his time had come.  He was 77 years young.  His XF8F-1 Bearcat NL14HP crashed shortly after takeoff from Breckenridge Texas.  We send our sincerest condolences from the staff here at PhotoRecon to his family and friends and we shall remember him in our prayers.

Howard was known and loved by the warbird community.   He raced at Reno for many years, performed aerobatics at airshows and participated in military “heritage flights”.  During the 70s and 80s, Howard and Nelson Ezell turned Breckenridge into the virtual center of the warbird universe with an airshow that became a legend in its own time.  Howard had a collection of warbirds over the years long before it was cool to have more than one warbird.  He owned several Corsairs, Sea Furys, a Wildcat, and the Bearcat, along with some more conventional aircraft.

Over the years he had a few close calls too.   There was lost engine in the Corsair many years ago and the 1999 Oshkosh incident where the Bearcat he was in was hit by a Corsair.  But he was a very skilled pilot and kept on flying.  I first met him in Kalamazoo Michigan at an airshow in 1983 or 1984.  He was standing on the wing of the freshly restored Bearcat smoking a cigar.  I asked him a fairly intelligent question (I was only 23 back then) about power settings and he growled something at me.   Honestly he scared me so badly at that time that I stayed away from him for 20+ years.   Maybe I got off to a bad start with him.  I finally talked to him many years later and found out he was a pretty cool guy.   Robert Nishimura who was on his crew at Reno really thought the world of Howard.   Everyone in the warbird community liked him.

His Bearcat was as rare as he was.  It was a prototype XF8F-1 and had an interesting history.  It was in storage at the Smithsonian in Silver Hill.   The Smithsonian wanted Darryl Greenamyer’s record setting racing Bearcat “Conquest 1” for their collection.   A trade was made and the government actually released the rare, stock, and very in need of restoration Bearcat to Greenamyer.   It went through another owner and Howard got it in early 1983.  He was well known for his aerobatic routines in the Wildcat, Corsair and he was at the top of his game in the Bearcat.  I watched him fly a great routine in the Bearcat at the Chino show in 2011.   It was an amazing and memorable performance for any pilot, let alone one that was 76 years old.

Howard was a successful businessman, family man, and pilot.  He will be missed by more people than one can realize; blue skies and Godspeed Mr. Pardue.

You can contact the author Mark Hrutkay at TNMark@Me.Com.

The Valiant Air Command’s show commonly known as “TICO” (which comes from the Titusville Coca Airport) this year worked around a “Doolittle Raider” theme, since this year is the 70th anniversary of the famous carrier launched raid.  As we know on April 18, 1942, the raid was launched off the carrier USS Hornet.   LTC. Jimmy Doolittle was the pilot of the first B-25 launched and his copilot was LT.  Richard Cole.   Richard Cole (currently age 93) was at the show in the Valiant Air Command PX tent, signing autographs.  Dick Cole is one the five surviving raiders and is a fine gentleman.   He looks at least 20 years younger than his current age too.

The Raider theme is one being used for many airshows this year.  But TICO was first.  They had four B-25s in attendance this year.

Larry Kelley sent down his B-25 “Panchito” which he has owned for 15 or so years.  It’s an airplane that is absolutely magnificent.  It was fresh from its spring polishing and looked like it just rolled off the line.  This airplane is marked in an accurate WWII paint scheme and always looks good.  Larry works with the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) and you will find them at shows with Panchito.  Panchito seems to be about everywhere and I’m fairly sure it’s on the road (or in the air) during the entire airshow season.

“Wild Cargo” was at the show too.   This B-25 is owned by Jerry Yegan and the Fighter Factory, Military Aircraft Museum, in Virginia Beach.   Many years ago it was a part of the Walter Soplata collection in Newbury Ohio, sitting in a field with quite a few other rare airplanes.  It was acquired by my friend Steve Detch who had it in his hangar at Air Acres in Woodstock Georgia for quite a few years.  It was in pieces and my son used to play in it 17 years ago as a three year old.  It was named “Wild Cargo” since at one time it carried zoo animals.  The name stuck after it was restored and it’s been back in the skies since about 2008.  Mr. Yegan spared no expense in bringing this aircraft back to better than new condition.  It really stands out and it’s great that this aircraft is available for airshows.

“History Flight” operates a canon nosed B-25H “Barbie III”.  This is an accurately painted aircraft representing one that was flown in combat by former AVG (Flying Tigers) pilot R.T. Smith.  R.T. named the B-25 after his new wife Barbie.    Barbie III is another B-25 that’s on tour a lot and seems to show up at a lot of airshows.  The paint on her is slightly worn and a good black and white picture makes it look like its WWII again.  You can also find Barbie III at airshows throughout most of the season.

The last B-25 is the “Killer B” a resident of the VAC Museum.  Tom Reilly owns it and is one of those people who knows more about B-25s now than anybody on the planet.  In his 40 year career, he has restored 34 aircraft of which 10 were B-25s, he also restored the B-25, B-17 and B-24 that the Collings Foundation tours in.  For that matter Tom restored Panchito too.  His old business was based in Kissimmee Fl, restoring WWII aircraft.  After the 2004 hurricane, he finally moved to Douglas Georgia.  His B-25J “Killer B” is painted as you would have found one early in the war, operating out of North Africa.  In the past this airplane has had the left seat graced by Dick Cole on several occasions.

All the B-25 pilots are good, maybe Tom Reilly is the best.  Not only does he check pilots out in the B-25, but he can fly it to the limits.  At TICO 2010 we were shown a demonstration of how low you could really fly a B-25, and it was nothing short of stunning.  For those who think Snort flying anything low is impressive, they need to watch Tom fly a B-25.

The B-25s flew everyday of the show and it was well worth it to see them fly.  One B-25 flying is impressive, four is at least four times as good if not better.  They represent an era in aviation and WWII history that will never be replicated.  You can watch B-25s fly on TV and in newsreel footage, but it doesn’t start to match what the real thing is like. The VAC show in Florida is one that is well worth going to and is a great way to start the airshow season.  The airshow for 2013 is currently scheduled for March 22, 23, and 24th, time to put it on the calendar.

I would like to thank, VAC Public Relations Officer Col. Terry Yon for his assistance.   You can contact the author Mark Hrutkay at TNMark@Me.Com.   The VAC is at www.VACWarbirds.org.

The MCAS Yuma played out a little different from the original way I was planning on doing the show. The weather people in San Diego had been predicting a large winter storm to hit Southern California with lots of rain, snow, and major winds, on the weekend for the schedule Yuma 2012 Airshow. I started to think that the show may be affected by the approaching storm.

I had planned on driving into Yuma early on Saturday morning from San Diego, and meeting with the Public Affairs Officer, along with the other Media types to shoot the show, but while at the NAF El Centro 2012 Airshow, the weekend before, I learned that the Marines were having an unofficial Media day on the Friday before the show. With the weather coming and my thinking that it might interfere with the actual show, I contacted the PAO office at MCAS Yuma, and got put on the Media list immediately for the Friday practice show. I have to say, this PAO office was one of the best that I’ve dealt with, a big thank you to Captain Reidinger, Gunnery Sergeant Dunk, Corporals Bopp and Diamante.

Arriving Friday morning, I met with approximately 15 other photographers and news crews. The photographers came from as far as Europe, and as close as Yuma, itself.
The day was beautiful with no clouds in the sky, temps in the low 80’s and a cooling breeze sometimes blowing through. It was a perfect day, and the Marines gave us full access to the flight line. Most of the static displays were not in place yet, but that was okay, because we were able to walk up and touch the US Air Force Thunderbirds F-16’s, and the Marines Aggressor Squadron’s F-5 II’s. Performances from Tora, Tora, Tora and CAF groups were awesome, and to see these old war birds still flying, they just hold one’s attention, when you see a P-51 Mustang in a steep dive or a F4U Corsair streaking by just above your head.

The Navy’s F/A 18 Demo Team is never boring, nor are the Marine’s AV-8B with it’s noise and hovering abilities. The Marines F-5’s put on what appeared to be extended fly-bys, and what a joy it was to see as each plane, painted in different camouflaged colors.

It was finally late afternoon and time for the Thunderbirds to fly. The paint scheme on those F-16’s alone make it a great time for watching them fly, as they pull off maneuver after maneuver, and after having just seen the US Navy Blue Angels the weekend before, it was just amazing few days out in America’s southwest deserts.

The smell of jet fuel still lingers in the air at NAS El Centro following the conclusion of the first major air show of 2012. The first show brought delight to many after what had been a difficult off season that focused more on teams cutting back rather than building up budgets. The air show austerity forced the shutdown of most of the Air Force singe ship demo teams of A-10 East & West, F-16 teams Viper East & West and the F-15 Strike Eagle.

But the heartaches of the off season weren’t enough to stave off throngs of fans like Mike Webb from Tennessee. Mike and his wife, Fran Webb comes down a week early for the show to watch as the Blue Angels prepare for opening weekend. The Blue Angels traditionally kick off their air show season here at NAS El Centro as it is their practice prior to the actual season start date.

Many of the off-season changes brought ushered in some old faces in new roles. Former A-10 West Demo Pilot Joe “Rifle” Shutterly, who was here with his team, Rifle Airshows and sponsor Aviation Solutions, made his season debut in El Centro. He will be flying an RV-8 that features a very unique registration of N76540, which the original builder had come up with as a way of remembering each aircraft he had flown in the military, starting with the 7 is for A-7, 6 – F106, 5 – F5, 4 – F104 and 0 represents the F-100 and the A-10.

This year’s NAS El Centro show also featured Tim Weber, who has acquired an entirely new aircraft with a sleek blue and yellow Geico paint job for the season. The new scheme will be sure to catch the eyes of air show followers across the country this year.

Spencer Suderman, making his season debut with his friend Bill Cornick was also at the show racing each other around the airfield and showing the fans what planes with props can really do.

Making his air show debut was Torrey Ward, who will be flying a Glasair III for the 2012 season sponsored by ONE Coconut Water. He was treated to a nice cool bath following his landing by Joe and Spencer.

As the anticipation builds toward the closing act, the Blue Angels, under the command of Captain Greg McWherter for the 4^th year. He is joined by two new pilots in the diamond this season, Lieutenant John Hiltz who will take the right wing in the diamond formation, along with Captain Brandon Cordill who will take the left wing. Flying the slot position this season will be second year pilot Major Brent Stevens.

The two solo pilots are Lieutenant CJ Simonsen and Lieutenant David Tickle. Simonsen joined the team in 2010 as narrator, flew the 2011 season as opposing solo, and this year will be flying the #5 or lead solo. Tickle was the narrator last year and will be flying the #6 or opposing solo this year. This year’s is Lieutenant Mark Tedrow; a new addition.

If you have never been to or seen a Blue Angels show, you are sure to be in for a shock at how these six pilots are so precise while performing maneuvers that you would never expect to see. From a slow nearly stalling the aircraft type pass known as the high alpha to the sneak ones that scare many who never see the plane coming with its full afterburner engaged.

As the noise settles over the NAS El Centro Valley, the roar of the jet engines and smoke of all the acts moves on to new venues all across the country sure to excite fans everywhere!

PhotoRecon would also like to send a special thanks to Captain Mark Hubbard who was flying the Bearcat for some special access on Friday Night following the Blue Angels Pep Rally to get some great night shots of his aircraft along with the Commemorative Air Force’s Texan!

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TICO is the annual fundraising airshow for the Valiant Air Command down in Titusville, Florida.   The airport is literally in the shadows of the Kennedy Space Center on the east coast of Florida.  Since what seems like the beginning of warbird time TICO was the best show of its type in the country.  In the years that have passed, there has been much competition for the best show, but in Florida, it’s the best.  The Florida sun in the spring is something that’s hard to beat.

FIFI is getting back on the airshow circuit after being grounded for several years with engine problems.  Thanks to the generosity of Jim Cavanaugh, FIFI has new engines and the CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron has moved its base to Addision, TX.   I first saw her back in the early 1980s in Kalamazoo Michigan at one of their first airshows.  She was still wearing the paint from the movie “The Right Stuff” and looked great.  Fast forward to Oshkosh about 3 years ago, I’m staying at the Super 8 in FonDuLac and also there is the B-24’s pilot Paul Stojkov, who also flies FIFI.  I talked to Paul a lot (probably more than he wanted) and learned a great deal about how the CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron works.  To say the least, if you should ever own a B-29, Paul is the guy to entrust it to.   Good man and a heck of a pilot.

TICO managed to get FIFI  to be the main attraction of the event.  Crowds of people literately surrounded the airplane, many went for rides, which can be bought on site or in advance on the CAF website.  I didn’t fly on FIFI (I should have), but a group of us sent a good friend.

Everyone has their “airport buddies” and we have a group of “airshow buddies” who meet several times a year at airshows across the country.   We swap emails everyday.   Mike Rehbaum, Chris Heller, Chris Cosfol,  Steve Savino and James Cochran were in the original group and we adopted Mike’s father Karl Rehbaum to be with us.  Karl is an interesting guy.  He was a career Navy photographer and retired to FL, he’s a member of the VAC museum and often works the airshows marshalling (parking) aircraft.  Karl did a lot of deployments at sea on carriers, including one of the last TomCat Cruises.  He also shot many of the photos and video of the initial trials of the then “new” F-18 at Pax River.

Karl loves airplanes and flying; unfortunately, Karl also has cancer and the problems that go with that.   He’s been fighting it for long time and we’ve been supporting him on it.  I was the only one in the group (other than his son) who has met Karl in person.   We are all going to meet up in TICO and get together.  So I get an Email from Chris Cosfol one day out of the blue, that says “I want to buy Karl a ride in FIFI, want to split it?”  Sure, no problem,  pretty soon the cost was split several ways and the surprise was on.

Karl’s wife Sharon managed to get him there on time and to say he was surprised didn’t even begin to cover it.  He was overwhelmed that he got to go for that B-29 flight.  He couldn’t put it into words then and I can’t now.  The photos pretty well cover it, Karl is the man in the orange hat, and probably the most active he’s been in a long time.  After the ride, he sat down in a chair to watch the show.  He was supposed to help move planes, but was hurting too bad to get up.  We’ve chatted a few times since then, he’s still over whelmed about his experience.    It got Karl thinking.  He wonders now what it would have been like to be going out on the B-29 for a 10 hour mission instead of 30 minutes.   The crew, most under 21; with a pilot who may have been 23 or so, flying off to Japan to take the war to their homeland.   It really gets you thinking.

It’s hard to put a price on a memory.   The VAC allows us to all participate in an event that we are going to remember for a long time.  I live 900 miles away and have been a member of the VAC for 3 years.  It’s well worth it to help insure that they can continue operating in the future.  A flight in FIFI is cheap at any price and the memory will last a lifetime.  A day at the VAC Airshow is another memory too.   Wait for next spring and go, it’s well worth the trip.

I would like to thank, VAC Public Relations Officer Col. Terry Yon, CAF B-29 pilot Paul Stojkov, and the guys that got Karl his ride for this story; Chris Cosfol and Parr Yonemoto for the use of several pictures.   You can contact the author and photographer  Mark Hrutkay at TNMark@Me.Com.   The VAC is at www.VACWarbirds.org.  and the CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron at www.CAFB29B24.org.

NAF El Centro is just about in the middle of nowhere, it is always hot, and there are no permanently stationed squadrons.  Having said all that, the El Centro drew a huge crowd and had top notch performances; not to mention the El Centro plays host to the Blue Angels’ season opener.

The aircraft on static display were interesting and varied; this is one of the few places I can think of where the static displays varied from a P-51 to a Super Hornet, a B-52 to a T-6 Texan II, or a Spitfire to a S35 Bonanza.  Guests were welcomed up the rear ramps of a V-22 Osprey and CH-53 Sea Stallion to get a close look at some of the transports our soldiers are well acquainted with.  Airstairs were positioned next to the open B-52 cockpit window where guests could see the elusive eight throttle levers of a B-52 and more steam gages to monitor than a power plant.  Next to the left wingtip of the B-52 the Metal Mulisha had setup two ramps 75 feet apart and were doing their own aerial display on dirt bikes.

Walking to the crowd line at El Centro is a fair bit different, in that the crowd area is dirt rather than the standard concrete ramp.  Not having the sun reflected back up at you as well as the slight cushion under your feet from dirt was a nice change of pace from the standard concrete.  Even if dirt is, well, dirty; the whole area was packed with people eagerly watching the aerial performances.

The airshow started with the Leapfrogs parachute team bringing the SEALs and American flag down from altitude while the Star Spangled Banner was sung.  Shortly after the C-2 Greyhound jump plane had recovered, Bill Cornick took to the skies in his Pitts biplane putting on an amazing gravity defying acrobatic performance.  Spencer Suderman took off in his Meteor Pitts – so named because it shoots along like a meteor – and proceeded to put on an aerial display as well as a little harassment of the Rocketbilly Jet Truck who, after succumbing to aerial abuse and a number of coats of smoke oil, throttled up and ripped down the runway at 300 miles per hour.

After the back and forth between Spencer Suderman and the Rocketbilly Jet Truck, a Super Hornet from VFA-122 took to the air wowing the crowd with the capabilities of the Navy’s latest active duty fighter.  From the high speed pass, g-inducing maneuvers, and low speed capabilities of the aircraft, now is as good time as any to have the US Navy running interference.  After the Super Hornet recovered, another launched along with a Bearcat for a heritage flight.  The Bearcat being deployed in the mid 40’s and the Super Hornet in the late 90’s, the advances in just over 50 years is absolutely amazing.  After the Super Hornet and Bearcat had landed, I noticed a guy walking out in front of the crowd wearing an orange flight suit and helmet.  He could only be a victim; well, a mock victim for the NAS Fallon search and rescue demo.  As I was putting the pieces together, the distinct sound of a MH-60 throttling up came across the field as the Longhorn crew came zipping across the deck to hoist their crewmate – confirming my suspicions.  It is always amazing to see how well the UH-60 series helicopters perform at low heights above the ground, easily managing high speeds and steep banks.

After the NAS Fallon SAR demo, the Leapfrogs again took to the air again putting on a parachuting spectacle; some of the Leapfrogs performing today were the actual actors in the movie Act of Valor.  After the last Leapfrog had landed, Bill Cornick and Spencer Suderman took to the air for an acrobatic race.  Acrobatic racing is a relatively new craze, there is a set of ten standard acrobatic maneuvers – whoever finishes first wins.  Surprisingly enough, there is a fair bit of strategy involved; energy management is paramount so finishing one maneuver in a longer time than your competitor isn’t exactly bad, you could have more energy going into the next and come out ahead.  The lead in the race must have changed at least 6 times based on how the two pilots managed their energy sometimes by as much as half a maneuver – both pilots were in nearly identical Pitts biplanes.  After the race concluded, the high energy and dynamic performance continued – Tim Weber took off in the Geico-sponsored MXS, a very modern all carbon fiber acrobatic monoplane.  The MXS is reported to have a max load factor of 16g’s, only 10g’s being pulled on a routine basis – at only 10; I’d feel like 1900 pounds for an instant.  With full span ailerons, the roll rate is one and a half revolutions per second, which should be enough to centrifuge all the blood to your head after it is drained out in a wild high-g pitch up.  With the dizzying MXS performance, it was time to bring the wild maneuvers back down to reality, slowly.  Torrey Ward in his Glassair took to the skies with a performance not pushing the absolute limit as much as the MXS, but still very impressive compared to most airplanes in the world.  Once again increasing the separation from absolute performance, it was time for the pre-Blue Angels C-130 demonstration.  Normally Fat Albert does the honors, but not this time…  Fat Albert, with the strenuous mileage each year, is undergoing maintenance so Ernie did the honors.  Ernie, like Fat Albert, is a legacy C-130 on loan while ‘Bert undergoes a little work.  Ernie performed the same routine Fat Albert does, showing there is no modification which makes Fat Albert any more capable than any other C-130 supporting the war fighter – a real testament to this aged cargo plane’s performance; although, Fat Albert does have that snappy paint job to distinguish it from other C-130’s.

Now for the moment everyone had been waiting for, the 2012 season opener for the Blue Angles.  Per standard practice, the precision by which the pilots walked out, the preflight checks were completed, and engines started was impeccable.  There was no unnecessary gesture, everyone was orderly, and everything was done with the utmost speed without sloppiness or mistake.  To say the preflight routine was perfect would be an understatement; an indicator of the care and pride our Sailors put into their job.  Everything went off without a hitch until Blue Angle 5 told the Boss there was a problem and was quickly shuttled off to Blue Angel 7 on the other side of the ramp as the other five taxied out.  Boss called for a last minute wind check before having the guys push the throttles forward bring the four-ship formation into the air.  They make it all look effortless.  Blue Angel 7 (or was it 5?) booked it down the taxiway to line up and wait along with the other solo Blue Angel.  Shortly after the diamond passed overhead, 6 and 7 each took to the air.  As with all other Blue Angel performances I’ve seen, the four-ship diamond performs what appear to be the laziest of maneuvers – except the separation with which they fly makes every lazy maneuver all but impossible to everyone but the most skilled pilots.  The two solo pilots put on their individual performances, each equally impressive in their own right – including two sneak passes, no doubt a crowd favorite.  Finally all six formed up in the delta formation to show while each person has a specific job to do, at the end of the day we’re all on the same team.

Sure El Centro is in the middle of nowhere, hot, and dirty but I know I’ll be going back next year.  Thanks are due to all the men and women who put in thousands of hours to make El Centro 2012 a success.

The author can be contacted at matt.shinavar@gmail.com

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