Navy Oceana, VA (NASO) Air Show 2025
Story by Daniel O. Myers. Photos by Carl Kruse, Howard German and Bob Finch
With Air Boss Wayne Boggs controlling the flying and announcer Ric Peterson calling the action, the 2025 annual NASO show got underway live and on internet streaming. Kicking it all off was the American National Anthem being sung by Mihika Sakharpe, a junior at Ocean Lakes High School’s Math and Science Academy and Civil Air Patrol Cadet Captain. Jumping from their Sherpa, the American flag was brought to show center by the Suffolk, VA Skydive Team. Once safely on the ground, a VFA-125 F-35C chase jet blasted in from behind the crowd as pyrotechnic explosives filled the air.
The first flying act up, from Virginia Beach’s Pungo District, was the Virginia Military Aviation Warbird Museum flyby. The museum hangers an inventory of 70 planes from the first fifty years of military aviation, most of which have been amazingly restored to their original flying condition. The museum also boasts one of the largest private collections of WWI and WWII era military aircraft in the world. For the weekend, their Grumman F4F Wildcat and TBF Avenger, Vought F4U Corsair and Douglas A-1 Skyraider flew in racetrack formation.
Each year, NASO air show fans travel from near and far for the traditional signature Fleet Fly-By and Air Power Demonstration. This year’s “Sound of Freedom” Air Power Fleet demo was represented by locally based squadrons: a VAW-126 E-2D Hawkeye and seven F/A-18E/Fs Super Hornets from VFA-11, VFA-143 and VFA-81. Opening with an intercept and escort demo, two F/A-18s from the left intercepted an unknown “bad guy” coming from show right, then escorted him from the area. Strategic and high-speed attacks were then executed by the seven F/A-18E/F’s Super Hornets FREEDOM FLIGHT with pyrotechnics exploding in the background. The Firewalker International Pyrotechnics team returned to NASO, providing their epic pyrotechnic show. These elite professionals brought the heat, thrilling the crowd with unforgettable explosive balls of flame and black smoke!
The F/A-18s then took on much needed fuel via an extended drogue hose from a VFA-81 SUNLINER. The Fleet was welcomed back home in a seven ship formation lead by the E-2D CLOSEOUT. The E-2D is equipped with six radios and a radome that can conduct 360-degree electronic surveillance. The entire act was finished off with an F/A-18 “zoomie” sneak pass! Once again, the Navy’s Atlantic Carrier Air Wing fleet aircraft had demonstrated the capabilities of a fighting force that can support national tasking anywhere in the world.
Each show act was accompanied by an eclectic set-list of music consisting of various genres for all ages. From Elizabeth City, NC, a red and white USCG C-130 passed by the crowd, showing bright against a brilliant blue sky, to the lyrics of will.i.am’s “Big And Chunky.” Following the C-130, its colleague USCG MH-60 performed a Search and Rescue (SAR) demo. After Sunday’s performance, the USCG C-130 departed the show with a wing-wave to the crowd as the USCG MH-60 received an appreciative acknowledgement from the audience. Both returned home to Elizabeth City NC where they got back to work saving lives.
Entertaining civilian acts then excited the crowd. They included the T-33 “Ace Maker,” a beautifully restored T-33 Shooting Star, the U.S. Air Force’s first operational jet trainer.
Next up was wing-walker Sam Tryggvason, harnessed to a Grumman Airshow-Cat biplane piloted by her husband Mike Tryggvason. This daring, gravity-defying act was the first time performing at NASO. Also, WARBIRD THUNDER flew two meticulously restored WWII-era T-6 Texans in a wingtip-to-wingtip mirror image tight formation. The two pilots flew loops and rolls with smoke-on trails that filled the sky and ground below. The RED-LINE father and son team Ken and Austin Rieder, based in Cincinnati, OH, executed an expertly choreographed formation aerobatic routine in their two-seat tandem Van’s RV-8 experimental aircraft. Mike Goulian wowed the crowd with his thrilling performance before racing Smoke-N-Thunder. Driven by Hayden Proffitt II, the 12,000-horsepower flame-belching jet engine truck blasted down the runway in full afterburner. All weekend, several humongous large screen displays, spread thought out the show ramp, showed the air show live with especially entertaining live views from inside the cockpits of the civilian aerobatic performers.
Loud jet noise returned to the NASO air with the U.S. Navy VFA- 125 “Rough Rider” F-35C demo. Call sign PANTHER 01, the single ship led off showcasing the Navy’s newest fighter and only 5th generation stealth aircraft by performing a variety of aerial maneuvers. Upon completion, PANTHER 02 join as a second F-35C doubling the noise, heat and intensity! The tandem pair demonstrated the advanced training taught to every F-35C Navy and Marine Corps Aviator. More navy jet noise followed with NASO’s own VFA-106 “Gladiators” Super Hornet RHINO demo flown by LT Wyatt “Donkey” Rudasill, LT Mason “Scooter McGavin” Louthan, and LCDR Michael “Longshot” Segalla. The pilots and naval flight officers demonstrated the capabilities of the Navy’s fleet Carrier Air Wing workhorse high (.96 mach /700 mph) and low (High Alpha with less than 90 mpg) ground speed capabilities.
NASO welcomed back the U.S.A.F. F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team from nearby Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA. The F-22 executed complex tactical maneuvers, beyond the capabilities of any other fighter aircraft, that included the F-22 climbing straight up in full flaming afterburners while simultaneously popping dozens of flairs.
Almost annually, the Blue Angels have highlighted the show. Again this year, the flight demonstration team flew a tight choreographed routine that included skills taught to all navy jet pilots. On Sunday, the Blues flew a flat show featuring their newest maneuver for 2025- the Delta Aileron Roll.
