# Air Shows Are Thrilling



## sitarro (Nov 2, 2009)

Went to Wings Over Houston Yesterday............ World War 2 reenactments. Seems like the last place for kids to hear the truth about WW2.


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## sitarro (Nov 2, 2009)

Vietnam era and present technology was also represented well. They even mentioned John MCain........





This is an A-4, the type of aircraft that MCain was flying when he was shot down.


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## hjmick (Nov 2, 2009)

The Blue Angels never fail to inspire awe.

Very nice shots Sitarro. I can remember going to an air show or two at NAS Kingsville as a kid. That thrill had me going to Point Mugu NAS as an adult for their shows.


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## sitarro (Nov 2, 2009)

hjmick said:


> The Blue Angels never fail to inspire awe.
> 
> Very nice shots Sitarro. I can remember going to an air show or two at NAS Kingsville as a kid. That thrill had me going to Point Mugu NAS as an adult for their shows.




Thanks, still trying to get used to the new camera....... very heavy. I got lucky when I walked way over to the right and found a great unobstructed view, a security guard tried to get me to leave but I talked my way out of it.
I have seen The Thunderbirds many times and it always amazes me how much closer the Blue Angels fly next to each other. The 3 Mustangs were called The Horsemen, that was great to see and hear them, reminded me of my dad. The F-15 put on a killer show, in afterburner most of the time. The Blue Angels C-130, "Fat Albert" was really incredible. He took off and climbed at an amazingly steep angle *without* the JATO rockets.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw2bAJGgCZI&feature=related]YouTube - HIGH QUALITY Blue Angels Clips 3[/ame]


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## hjmick (Nov 2, 2009)

What camera are you using?

I've been shooting with a Canon 40D and love it.


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## Zoom-boing (Nov 2, 2009)

Thank you_ so_ much for posting these.  My dad was an avid air show goer until about 6 years ago or so.  He's 86 and he just couldn't do the walking and standing anymore.  He loved going to these.  He always drove out to Oshkosh, WI and many other places.  He never, ever, ever got shots like these.  What kind of camera are you using?  The Blue Angels . . . perfect precision.  Fantastic shot.


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## hjmick (Nov 2, 2009)

Hey Sit, while I'm thinking about it... How long have you lived in the area? I ask because you may know:

For some reason I have the memory that NAS Kingsville used to be an Air Force base, late '60s early '70s was when I went for the shows. Maybe I'm wrong. Just wondering. I suppose I could Google the answer...


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## Mr. H. (Nov 2, 2009)

Extra cool photos. Yeah air shows kick ass.


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## Oddball (Nov 2, 2009)

I've seen a lot of those fly-bys with modern jets flying in formations with the prop jobs....It takes everything the pilots of the jets can do to keep their planes from stalling out.


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## sitarro (Nov 2, 2009)

hjmick said:


> What camera are you using?
> 
> I've been shooting with a Canon 40D and love it.



I have a Nikon D300 with a Nikkor 18-200 DX lens with vibration reduction, I should have brought a tripod because the camera is quite heavy. 

I saw some photographers in a special photo area(found out later it was 75 bucks), they had huge lenses, 500 and 600 mm I would guess.


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## namvet (Nov 2, 2009)

my mom helped build this during the war. my aunt help build the engine on the P-47 Thunderbolt. 






I don''t need to go. they fly right over thd top of my home. awesome.


Vietnam. yankee station. maybe 67 or 68. taken from a service ship i served on


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## sitarro (Nov 2, 2009)

hjmick said:


> Hey Sit, while I'm thinking about it... How long have you lived in the area? I ask because you may know:
> 
> For some reason I have the memory that NAS Kingsville used to be an Air Force base, late '60s early '70s was when I went for the shows. Maybe I'm wrong. Just wondering. I suppose I could Google the answer...



I don't know about that...... sorry.


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## sitarro (Nov 2, 2009)

[IMG]http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv299/Sitarro2009/F-15heritageflight7083.jpg[/IMG]


Dude said:


> I've seen a lot of those fly-bys with modern jets flying in formations with the prop jobs....It takes everything the pilots of the jets can do to keep their planes from stalling out.



Yea, they had 3 different ones yesterday. They call them Heritage flights, there was one with the F-15, 2 P-51s and a P-38.


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## Toronado3800 (Nov 16, 2009)

I saw this Confederate Airforce show at Scott AFB one year.  GREAT stuff.  Too bad I only had the 1st of the digital cameras to take pics with


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## sitarro (Nov 16, 2009)

sitarro said:


> [IMG]http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv299/Sitarro2009/F-15heritageflight7083.jpg[/IMG]
> 
> 
> Dude said:
> ...



I moved the shot that was originally in this post so I'm reentering it.


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## AllieBaba (Nov 16, 2009)

Fantastic pics.

However, as I tell my brother who is an air show freak, it's all fine and good until SOMEBODY PUTS AN EYE OUT.


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## sitarro (Nov 16, 2009)

Some other shots..........


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## Mr. H. (Nov 16, 2009)

Two P51's, F15, Lightning? Awesome.


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## sitarro (Nov 16, 2009)

Mr. H. said:


> Two P51's, F15, Lightning? Awesome.



Yea, that P-38 is called Glacier Girl, recovered from under 200 feet of ice and rebuilt. This site tell the story and has some beautiful footage.

Glacier Girl - The Lost Squadron (Recovery of a P-38 from beneath a Greenland ice cap)


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## WillowTree (Nov 16, 2009)

sitarro said:


> Some other shots..........



wow! talk about a "short field takeoff!"


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## Andrew2382 (Nov 16, 2009)

GREAT PICS!

I just attended the Homestead Air Force Base Air Show last weekend.  I took my wife and my son.  I thought my son would love it because he loves going past the airport and seeing the planes take off and taxi.

Bad idea.  Worst idea ever!!!

We got there and he saw a P51 go by and was all smiles.

About 30 min later an F-18 went by doing close to Mach about 500 feet off the ground and well let's just say the reaction wasn't pretty.  Blue Angels weren't there but the Thunderbirds were.

Unofrtunately I had to go because my son couldn't take the sound .  I did luckily get to see the P-51, F-18 and F-15.  

I missed the Thunderbird and the B2 Spirit they had there 

Now I know next year to leave the kiddie at home


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## namvet (Nov 16, 2009)

I have some photos around here somewhere of air shows i went to in the past. including the confederate air force. my mom helped build the B-25 mitchell bomber. we took her to and air show. she climbed in one and starting showing us all the stuff she installed. there were also to WW2 vets who flew one. they shook her hand. she had a ball


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## Mr. H. (Nov 16, 2009)

sitarro said:


> Mr. H. said:
> 
> 
> > Two P51's, F15, Lightning? Awesome.
> ...


Sweet! I saw a documentary about that. Can't belive they got her airworthy so quickly. 



Andrew2382 said:


> GREAT PICS!
> 
> I just attended the Homestead Air Force Base Air Show last weekend.  I took my wife and my son.  I thought my son would love it because he loves going past the airport and seeing the planes take off and taxi.
> 
> ...


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## Andrew2382 (Nov 16, 2009)

Mr. H. said:


> sitarro said:
> 
> 
> > Mr. H. said:
> ...




good luck putting those on a 3 year old with autism


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## namvet (Nov 17, 2009)

Kee Bird -B-29 Frozen in Time

The Kee Bird was an American B-29-95-BW Superfortress, 45-21768, of the 46th/72d Reconnaissance Squadrons, that became marooned after making an emergency landing in northwest Greenland during a secret Cold War spying mission on 21 February 1947. Although the entire crew was safely evacuated, after spending three days in the isolated Arctic tundra, the aircraft itself was left at the landing site. It lay there undisturbed until 1994, when a privately-funded mission was launched to repair and return it.

After months of painstaking work on the aircraft and setbacks such as the death of the mission's chief engineer, the repairs were completed and the aircraft prepared to take off from a frozen lake nearby on 21 May 1995. As it was taxiing to its takeoff position, however, a fire broke out inside the rear fuselage, from an auxiliary power unit mounted there, and quickly engulfed the whole fuselage. The entire crew on board escaped unharmed, but the Kee Bird's fuselage and tail surfaces were completely destroyed. When the lake thawed in the spring, the wreckage (with nearly intact wing panels and engines) sank to the bottom, where it now lies.

The attempted repair and return of the Kee Bird was documented in the 1996 NOVA television episode "B-29 Frozen in Time".





The Kee Bird in 1994 on the lake. Photo taken prior to recovery attempt.





















I saw this nova program when it aired. what a shame. it was like watching your team lose in the closing seconds of the game.


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## Ringel05 (Nov 17, 2009)

2009 Reading Air Show/Living History (The nations largest)


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## namvet (Nov 17, 2009)

she's a combat vet. I took the tour of her when she was here at the downtown airport many years ago. I hope she's still around

[youtube]4hXahtZkk9E[/youtube]​


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## Ringel05 (Nov 18, 2009)

Namvet:

Fifis' website:

Welcome to the home of FIFI and OL' 927.


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