NAS Oceana Air Show 2008

For the 50th year, the skies above Naval Air Station Oceana came alive with the roar of jets and the buzz of propellers as the 2008 Oceana Air Show took flight. The base's first show was back in 1953, featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels demonstration team flying their then state-of-the art F9F Panthers. With few exceptions (1956, 1959, 1961, 1967 and 2001), the air show has been back every year since. This year was no exception, with the Blue Angels headlining once again, now flying their F/A-18 Hornets.

In addition to the Blue Angels, there was a wide variety of military hardware up in the air. This included demonstrations by the US Navy F/A-18C Hornet, F/A-18F Super-Hornet, and E-2C Hawkeye, the US Air Force F-22 Raptor, and C-17 Globemaster III, and the Canadian Forces CF-18 Hornet. While the performer list may seem a little Hornet-heavy (an inevitability for a Navy show given the retirement of the venerable F-14 Tomcat back in 2006), I certainly wasn't complaining. The various demo pilots kept the routines interesting, and besides....the Hornet and Super-Hornet are fast and loud, which is what air shows are all about!

In addition to the big iron of the military, a wide range of civilian and war bird acts kept the variety going. Superstar aerobatics from Patty Wagstaff and Mike Goulian dazzled the crowd, as did performances by Bill Leff, John Moher, the Geico Skytypers and Manfred Radius in his sailplane. War bird participation in the air was a little light in terms of numbers, consisting of a pair of L-39s and Dale "Snort" Snodgrass in the P-51 "Little Horse", however the acts made up for it with some great routines. The L-39s put on a great show featuring both solo and formation passes, and Snort's flying never disappoints. The lineup was rounded out by Les Shockley's jet truck (the '57 Chevy version, as the Super-Shockwave was presumably still being repaired after it's accident a few weeks ago up in MA), and the British Red Devils and Blackwater Worldwide parachute teams. However, cloud cover on Saturday kept them grounded for our visit.

Overall the show was well done, as always. The biggest issue was the weather, with low ceilings and winds which canceling the Fleet Flyby/Air Power demonstration and parachute acts. However, the organizers did a great job of shuffling things around to keep stuff up in the air. And while we did not get to see the full Air Power demo, they were able to launch a couple of Super-Hornets from VFA-11, the "Red Rippers" to beat up the field for awhile complete with pyrotechnics, which was still a treat! On the flip side, though, the clouds kept it cool and pleasant throughout the day, and the high humidity provided plenty of condensation (vapor in air show parlance, but meteorologically speaking it's actually condensation) by the fast jets....always good for a photo-op.

I have to say, while I'm glad we went up for the show, the Oceana experience is definitely better when you can go for the whole weekend, and take in the Friday night and Saturday night beach blast shows as well. And while the show isn't quite the same since the Big Cat took its final bow back in '06, the hard work of the organizers and some top notch performers make this one of the top shows in the country and a great way to spend a Saturday!

Goshen Freedom Fest...better late than never

Ok, so 4th of July was a month ago......better late than never!

What better way to celebrate Independence day than with the roar of freedom filling the air. This was my first visit to Freedom Fest in Goshen, IN and I must say the fine folks in the Hoosier state put on a great show. Freedom Fest provides a different feel that most of the "big jet base" air shows that I'm used to going to. A lot more of a laid back family atmosphere, large grassy areas for sitting instead of hot tarmac, and not a metal detector in sight!

Despite the small-show feel, Freedom Fest managed to land some pretty big acts. There were several civilian acts, including The Hoppers, an L-39 formation team, Herb and Ditto, the Shockwave jet truck, the Alabama Boys and the Oregon Aero Sky dancer. Military hardware included the USAF F-15C performing a heritage flight with Dale Snodgrass in the P-51 'Excalibur', the USN east coast Legacy Hornet demo team, and an Indiana Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk demo and parachute jump.

By far the best act of the show was the Starfighters 3-ship demo team. It was my first time seeing their 3-ship performance and they did not disappoint. All I have to say is you haven't seen a high speed pass until you've seen the Starfighters! While we didn't stay for the evening show and fireworks, the folks in Goshen put on a great airshow in a fun, laid back setting. If you find yourself in northern IN around the 4th of July, I would definitely recommend swinging by Freedom Fest!

Memorial Day 2008

Happy Memorial Day, I think the picture speaks for itself.

Who Says you can't storm chase in NC

This past Friday brought me a pleasant surprise of which I have not experienced in some time. Being one who is typically aware of even the slightest chance for any kind of severe weather event days in advance, you can imagine my surprise as Miranda and I sat down to watch a movie Friday evening, only to have the weather radio start toning a severe thunderstorm warning on what I was expecting to be a rather benign evening. Much to my surprise a quick check of the radar revealed several well organized cells moving into our area, some even splitting and exhibiting supercell characteristics. As I sat listening to the distant thunder rolling across the night sky I began to become dismayed at the thought of another opportunity to watch an evening thunderstorm roll through dashed by the tree-filled landscape that is central North Carolina.
As I wracked my brain to come up with a suitable viewing spot, nothing along the lines of the traditional ideal lightning viewing vantage point (i.e. open farmland) came to mind as being locally available. Just hills and trees, trees and hills. Not a landscape conducive to viewing a thunderstorm, much less getting any lightning pictures. Then all at once it came to me. A mere two exits down the highway was RDU airport...offering not only a broad, open, flat space, but a seven level parking deck providing a great vantage point overlooking it all (not to mention a suitable shelter were it start to hail!). Within minutes Miranda and I were set up on the topmost level facing northwest, as one of the more long lived storms of the evening made its way towards the Triangle. The result was one of the lowest mileage, cheapest ($2 for the time spent in the parking deck, and probably less than a gallon of gas used), yet most productive chases I've ever experienced!

Patriot's Point

While in Charleston for the airshow Miranda and I visited Patriot's Point, home to the retired aircraft carrier the USS Yorktown, which is now a floating museum. While we were too late to go aboard for a tour, we were treated to a very picturesque sunset, as well as a flyover by a B-25 which was presumably in town for the airshow. From shore we could see a wide assortment of planes on the deck of the ship including an A-4 Skyhawk, F-4 Phantom, and my personal favorite, an F-14 Tomcat. We plan to come back to Charleston in the future (perhaps the next time they have an airshow) and allot sufficient time to take a tour of the Yorktown, as it looks as though it would be a lot of fun to explore.
In addition to being home to the Yorktown, Patriot's Point also offers a great view of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which, being nicely illuminated at night, is a sight in and of itself. Be warned, however, that the local salt marsh is home to hoards of biting insects that see photographers pointing cameras at the bridge as a grand buffet.

Charleston Air Expo 2008

Miranda and I kicked off our 2008 airshow season in Charleston, SC with Air Expo 2008 at Charleston Air Force Base. We had a beautiful day for an airshow, bright sunshine with some scattered cumulus clouds (just enough to provide some background to my pictures!), temperatures in the low 80s and just enough of a breeze to keep it from being too warm and to blow off the smoke that many of the aerobatic performers employ on their planes.
Being that the show was at an Air Force base, there was a strong military presence,
both in the air and on static display on the ground. Aerial demonstrations included the Army Golden Knights parachute team, a simulated combat air drop by Charleston-based C-17s and members of the 82nd airborne division from Ft. Bragg in
NC, tactical demonstrations by the U. S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, F-22 Raptor, and C-17 Globemaster III (based locally at Charleston AFB), and Navy F-18C Hornet, the Air Force Heritage Flight (F-22, F-15E and P-51) and a performance by the USAF Thunderbirds Demonstration team.


Civilian aerial performances included aerobatics by Patty Wagstaff, Vortex Aerobatics, the "Big Dog" T-33, Angel 7 (an L-39 painted in the Blue Angels scheme), the Red Bull helicopter, Dale Snodgrass in the P-51 Luscious Lisa, a warbird review including a B-25, P-51 and Japanese "Kate" bomber, the Air Force Reserve Jet Car and the Trojan Horsemen aerobatic team.
In addition to this plethora of acts in the air, there were a significant number of planes on static display, including Boeing's massive 747-based Dreamlifter transport aircraft, a Marine Corps V-22 Osprey, and Air Force Reserve WC-130J Hurricane Hunter, as well a multitude of other military and civilian aircraft.
As one might expect given the variety of aerial acts, the Air Expo 2008, provided pretty much non-stop flying action throughout the day. There was a nice combination of military might and agile acrobatics, including some different performances that you don't see at a typical airshow such as the simulated combat airdrop. All of the demo teams put in awesome performances, looking like they were in mid-season form. The weather held out for most of the show, with some thunder showers moving in shortly after the end, chasing us from poking around the static displays some more while waiting for traffic to thin out some. This however, was a far cry from 2006 when at this same show a severe squall line blew into town just as the show ended leading to a few tense moments of sitting in a Honda Civic in the middle of an exposed tarmac with tornado warnings ringing on the weather radio. Nothing of the sort this year, though, although the traffic jam to get out was just as long.

All in all Air Expo '08 provided a great kick-off for our 2008 airshow season. Plenty of planes, lots of noise, and a liberal application of SPF 50 that kept the sunburn at bay. We're looking forward to more good things next week at MCAS New River's airshow in Jacksonville, NC!

Opening Post

Welcome to the Afterburners and Camp Fires blog....a place where I plan to post stories and pictures from my photographic adventures, which tend to revolve around airshows (afterburners) and hiking (which sometimes includes camping, and thus camp fires...hey, we have a title!). My goal is for this to be a place to share stories and some pictures from my airshow and hiking trips, as well as whatever else suits my fancy at the time. So check back often and hopefully there will be new things to see!