Share your favorite air show moments! Videos and photos encouraged

[FLS]

Rob Holland pushing the possible.

[Ratsy]

Any time I got to hear the Vulcan Howl:

RAF Brize Norton - 5th Grader at recess - Vulcan 'from up north' flying closed pattern touch and goes on the B47 (long) runway - drawn by the Vulcan Howl - wandered from the school to the flight line - breath held at each pass - eventually busted by a passing air policeman - much parental concern about priorities - memory - priceless.

 

[Ratsy]

The picture is from 1988 Ramstein.

Whiskey Whiskey.

 

No words.

[Scherf]

Holy crap Whiskey.

[Gman]

Fantastic WW, thanks for sharing that, pretty incredible and heroic.


I think my favorite airshow story memory is one of heroism as well.  My home airbase is home to the Canadian air demo team "The Snowbirds".  A school mate of mine, Cliff Dejong, had a father that was lead  solo pilot when we were growing up.  His aircraft had a major structural issue during a show, and if he ejected he would have lived, but it was uncertain if the aircraft would have cleared the crowd or not.  He stayed in it, radioed that he was making sure it would clear the crowd, which it just barely did.  Unfortunately making that choice meant his ejection failed, and he died.  We have no Medal of Honor up here, but we should, and Captain Gordon DeJong should have received it IMO.

Personally, the best memory I have is the first time the Russian/Soviet Mig29 came to North America, to our Abbottsford International Air show.  They even let a Canadian F18 pilot fly backseat in it during the show, in their Mig29 trainer they brought. He wrote an excellent article, and was able to give a lot of intel to western pilots on the plane and its capability.  Anyhow, seeing that Mig29 crank on its 9g+ turns at low level made me forever fall in love with it.  IIRC this was 1989 or 1990 or so.  Great write up regarding the events of that airshow/first weterner to fly the Mig29 here -   https://books.google.ca/books?id=CPXN5nm31o0C&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=captain+douglas+martin+mig+29&source=bl&ots=xJlq5zeS2K&sig=_aJG0ZBU3INy3_kbu3wcKakAqV0&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=captain%20douglas%20martin%20mig%2029&f=false

[WWhiskey]

Fantastic WW, thanks for sharing that, pretty incredible and heroic.


I think my favorite airshow story memory is one of heroism as well.  My home airbase is home to the Canadian air demo team "The Snowbirds".  A school mate of mine, Cliff Dejong, had a father that was lead  solo pilot when we were growing up.  His aircraft had a major structural issue during a show, and if he ejected he would have lived, but it was uncertain if the aircraft would have cleared the crowd or not.  He stayed in it, radioed that he was making sure it would clear the crowd, which it just barely did.  Unfortunately making that choice meant his ejection failed, and he died.  We have no Medal of Honor up here, but we should, and Captain Gordon DeJong should have received it IMO.

Personally, the best memory I have is the first time the Russian/Soviet Mig29 came to North America, to our Abbottsford International Air show.  They even let a Canadian F18 pilot fly backseat in it during the show, in their Mig29 trainer they brought. He wrote an excellent article, and was able to give a lot of intel to western pilots on the plane and its capability.  Anyhow, seeing that Mig29 crank on its 9g+ turns at low level made me forever fall in love with it.  IIRC this was 1989 or 1990 or so.  Great write up regarding the events of that airshow/first weterner to fly the Mig29 here -   https://books.google.ca/books?id=CPXN5nm31o0C&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=captain+douglas+martin+mig+29&source=bl&ots=xJlq5zeS2K&sig=_aJG0ZBU3INy3_kbu3wcKakAqV0&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=captain%20douglas%20martin%20mig%2029&f=false

Excellent story!! Salute to your Lost friend!

Talking about the Mig 29s,,I was stationed at Wackernheim, McCully BRKs Germany during my stay and when I wasn't in the Field ,
 The Unit was 1/59ADA 8th Infantry Division, the first time I saw the new Mig, we had went on alert and had been ordered to bring up all the Chaparrals and Vulcans , line them up and light them up, get ready to track!
 most of them didn't know what was going on, but a few of us did since we were planning on going to the same place they were, Paris!
 Pretty soon Two Mig29s came in about 1000agl with two F16s in tow about 1500 back, every move being tracked as they made there way to Paris, all the Chap and vulcan guys got a big thrill that day! I'll bet the mig drivers got a bit of a thrill as well getting painted by 100 or so ADA guys, tho not the thrill they had hoped for!
One of those Migs never made it back!  Anatoliy Kvochur went in after  a bird ingested into the right engine!

[RSLQK186]

My mom became a single parent of 5 when I was 10. She decided a family vacation was long overdue and took a vote. 4 boy vs 1 girl. Transpo '72 is was. She and my sister suffered a 1,000 mile round trip for a gang of pre teen thugs.

But nothing compared to what Maj Joe Howard suffered. Never take Wikipedia at face value. What I am reading now is that he parachuted into the fireball of his crashed Phantom or that wind carried him into the fireball. i believe the sudden turn his chute took was caused by the backdraft feeding the intense fire. The huge crowd cheering him to the ground for what looked like a good eject that led to instant jaw dropping silence is one of the few things that I remember from the trip. That and the long drive back.
You think that this would have changed my desire to become a military pilot, but it only magnified it. My odd lack of weight for my height put the breaks on that. Was years later that we found out it was due to insulin dependent diabetes.
24 years later I took my son to a local airshow. He was 2 and does not remember being allowed to run all around in the Delta Airlines DC-3, but I do.
And Memphis Bell a couple of years back. He remembers that.