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2004 Airshow Schedules


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Many schedules aren't finalized until later (ESPECIALLY Blue Angels) but here's a good start:

http://www.stevesairshow.com/fighters04.html F-14/15/16/18, A-10, etc

http://www.stevesairshow.com/jet-teams04.html TBird/Angels

F-14 demos are down a lot from last year, several squadrons disbanded or transitioned (VF-2, VF-154, etc). However, nowadays if you get a Tomcat demo, the odds are VERY high it'll be a Super Tomcat. Fewer Hornets, too. (Though it could just not be finalized, the Navy isn't nearly as "into" airshows as the Air Force---they finalize later, do a lot fewer shows, and have no official sites for the demo teams)

Edited by David Hingtgen
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Thanks for the heads-up!!

Wish the Angels were a little more accesible for me (in MA) rather than the T-Birds....although a Nantucket show seems very intriguing.

Got an F-14 listed for RI!! Great!

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Hey, if anyone wants, we see them everyother year (Selfridge) off the north channel of Lk St Clair (6th great lake ;) ) and the Angels were thier last year and should be thier next year. Ill send out an invite to go out in the boat's to all in the area. They get so close to the water you can taste the kerosine :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
As usual, I'll heading to Seattle to watch the Angels during Seafair week.

Hehe. I work at the I-405 and 1-90 interchange. I see the Blue Angels every year. They setup over my office. I got some cool pics last year. I hope to get more this year.

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too bad tomcats are getting wiley this year The super hornet can never replace it

Aint that the truth. I did to actually see one and have my picture taken with one. F-18 Super hornets are good but the Tomcat is the best in my book.

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Wisconsin shows are always a possibility for me. Have to check exact distance and what's there. I'll drive quite a ways for a Tomcat, but anything less---I really have to evaluate rarity, how many times I've seen one, etc.

Iowa totally sucks this year. A-10 demo only. (Hey, we had F-18, A-10, F-117, F-16, and the Blue Angels all flying last year, and a static Super Hornet) I'll of course go to the 45 mins away show, if for no other reason than the static displays.

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There is a show on April 17 & 18 near me at NAS Meridian. I'll probably go since it is: (1).Free Admission & (2).Only a thirty minute drive from my home. Although I will have to be honest...the Blue Angels nearly put me to sleep the last air show I went to (that lone jet coming in low over the crowd from behind only gets you once.... ;) ) I really hope there are other things lined up for the show. Not that the Blue Angels are bad...just anticlimatic since the first part of the show usually features privately owned aircraft demonstrating everything from fancy stunt flying to wing walking.

Edited by trueblueeyes
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That is a problem, even I get bored at airshows waiting for the "good stuff". 3 hours of hammerheads/torque-rolls gets old. Just alternating jets and props would help a lot. Even a Cobra manuever would get old after the 25th in a row that day...

Honestly, since single-ship military demos aren't all that common, most of the time I go simply for the static displays, to get up close to modern military jets.

Of course, if there's an F4U flying, I could watch that all day. Best-sounding plane ever. (Sorry, P-51's sound great, but the F4U sounds even better)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Super Hornet schedule's up:

24 SEP - Barksdale AFB

15 MAY - Andrews AFB (possible)

26 JUN - Quad Cities*

16 JUL - Tri-cities

28 JUL - NAS Whidbey

13 AUG - Abbotsford

4 SEP - Toronto

11 SEP - McChord

26 SEP - Oceana

1 OCT - PT Mugu

12 NOV - NAS Pensacola

16 NOC - Lackland AFB

*--really close to me. :)

This is the West Coast demo team, BTW, VFA-122 F/A-18F. I believe there is another team, East Coast, VFA-115 F/A-18E.

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I'm going home (to Maryland) next week to see the show at Andrews. From the looks of it, it's going to be a good one. I just hope the weather holds this time (the last couple of years I went the weather was low overcast so nothing could fly). Hopefully my mom will let me borrow her digital camera so I can get some good shots. Any requests?

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Hmmn. Depending on what's there:

F-18 speedbrake/well, any type. (Almost impossible to find pics of, they're rarely deployed, and they're not painted like other Navy planes')

Good odds for Langley F-15's, I'd love pics of the 94FS.

Any and all wing or squadron commander/CAG planes, etc.

And just in case any F-22's show up...

Sigh--I never ever need a pic of something until AFTER I've seen a plane. I'll know exactly what I need pics of 2 months from now. :)

PS--I've heard VF-101 got new colors recently, so definitely get pics of that if you see one. (F-14 squadron, they do the demos, but often show up for non-demos too)

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The F/A-18 speedbrake might be tough, I was under the impression that they had been wired shut with thier actuators removed to save weight. Don't they use oposite rudders for brakes now?

1st TFW F-15s arent' as likely as you might think, last time I was there the F-15 was an A modxel from the Massachusetts ANG.

F-22 looks doable, according to the shows website it will be on static display. The Andrews show is normally a pretty good place to see aircraft that aren't yet in service. I remember as early as '96 or '97 they had a Super Hornet on display (complete with all the most advanced weaponry hanging off the wings JSOWs, AIM-9Xs, SLAM-ERs and JDAMs). There should also be a V-22 and JSF on the grounds (I'm guessing the X-35C sinc the A/B is sitting in the New Air and space meuseum with it's engine out. That and Pax river is just across the bay).

I will of course get as many good tomcat photos as I can

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I've finnally goten a chance to go over the pictures I took (over 125Mb worth!), and right now I'm organizing and resizing them to post. The air show was good, but I'll leave the full review for my thread with the pictures.

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125MB! Wow, even I never get that much. Of course, there's never 125MB worth of stuff to photograph in Iowa...

Can we have a quick little preview? Like 1 pic and a paragraph listing highlights to whet our appetites? :)

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I took nearly a 100 Megs worth of pictures and movies with my camera at the Offutt air show last summer.

Hope the Raptor and Super Hornet finally make their way to this year's air show!

No Raptor for us, but NAS Meridian actually had a Super Hornet demo this year (with two planes actually...one static on ground display and one flight display). Pretty cool....We even got an F-14 demo (that wasn't even listed as being planned on the program). I have lots of pics if anyone wants. Lots of things on the air and on the ground. F-18's (vanilla & super), F-16's, A-10's, Harriers, and lots of old warbirds (P-51, F-4U, B-25, B-17, Avengers, even a replica Zero)... Was a great show for us this year. I enjoyed it so much (the static displays most of all) that I am thinking of traveling to Pensacola in July for their show. :)

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Any CAG/Wing Commander/Squadron Commander plane pics are always appreciated.

Boy do I have a treat for you! ;)

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