2009 Airshows
  Branson, MO   Barksdale AFB, LA   Chino, CA   Monticello, IN   Indianapolis, IN   Middletown, OH    Kokomo, IN   Geneseo, NY 
Oshkosh, WI    Van Wert, OH    Selfridge ANGB, MI   Huey Reunion, Peru, IN   Marion, IN   Urbana, OH   Waukegan, IL  
Scott AFB, IL   Houston, TX   Randolph AFB, TX

Wings over Houston Air Show 2009
October 31-November 1, 2009
Most of the 84 photos I have included were taken on Saturday, with a few where I had better position on Sunday.  This was my first visit to the Wings over Houston Air Show which celebrated its 25th anniversary with excellent weather and not a cloud in the sky either day, a huge crowd, and an excellent selection of warbirds.  Also included in the show were demos by the H-65, F-18, C-17, A-10, AV-8B, and F-15.  The Blue Angels were the headline act and civilian aerobatics were thankfully kept to a bare minimum.  The warbird portions of the show which I have documented below included three heritage flights, a thirteen ship Tora routine (their normal road show is 8 aircraft but this is Tora's home location), and WWII and Vietnam Airpower Demonstrations.  This is a show for the warbird and/or single ship military demo enthusiast to put on their list of events to attend.  I plan to go again.
 

Rare Photo of the Collings Foundation S2F Tracker.  It is based at Ellington Field in Houston where the show took place.

Below are the Tora Aircraft as they are taxiing out for Saturday's show.

This is the first time a C-17 and a WWII transport have done a Heritage flight.  In this case it was Rick Sharp's C-47.

Due to the fact the show started at 10:30 in the morning and this was the third act and we were facing east, the best shots of the aircraft to capture their color was to shoot to the west as they were coming back around.  Sometimes one has to show through a flag pole to get the shot.

Loose formation as they pass in front of the crowd.

Special Delivery taxies out.

Ray Kinney taxies out in the CAF P-40.

The BAC 167 Strikemaster is part of the Collings Foundation's Houston operation at Ellington Field.

Heritage Flight.


Some of the Flight Line.

Collings Foundation T-34.

Tora Tora Tora!!

The crowd stood up and watched four acts during the day; the Harrier, Tora Tora, the Vietnam Pilot Rescue Scenario, and The Blue Angels.

The P-40 chasing Zeros.

B-17 Thunderbird from the Lonestar Museum on take off with gear starting to retract.

Collings Foundation T-33.


One forgets how big a Phantom is for a fighter until you get the prospective of size of the persons sitting on it.  Collings Foundation F-4.  It did not fly this weekend but did the following at Randolph AFB in San Antonio, which would be its first flying appearance in several years due to an engine change.

This BT-13 would have cost $25,035 in 1941.

B-24A in a photo pass.  This is the first time I saw it fly in 2009 as it no longer tours in the Midwest.

This A-26C is operated by Rick Sharp's Marine Aviation Museum and cost $192,457 in 1944.

Thunderbird in a very nice photo pass for the crowd.

The only flying Curtiss SB2C in a dive.

The Collings Foundation A-4 taxies by the crowd in anticipation of the the Vietnam scenario.

Collings Foundation MIg-21.

P-51 in a nice roll.

A-26 "Guns for hire".

Howard Pardue in his FM-2 during the WWII Airpower Demo.

P-51 rolling out after the Airpower Demonstration.

This Rod Lewis Grumman F8F Bearcat was only at the show on Sunday and was static only.  Here it departs in mid afternoon.

This O-1 was part of the Vietnam pilot rescue act.  Below are others involved also.

This UH-1 is owned by Rick Sharpe.

The second Huey at the show is from the Collings Foundation located right at the airshow airport, Ellington Field, and is in US Marine Corps markings.  This is an actual Vietnam Veteran that served with the USMC as a gunship with VMO-6, VMO-2, HML 367, and HML 167.

 
Show time!!  Lots of smoke, noise and aircraft in the air to get the crowd out of their chairs.

One of the crowd pleasers were Vietnam era re-enactors with two M113 APC, and various jeeps and Deuce and a half trucks, either firing blanks from the their weapons, or having them gas operated as was the case with this machinegun.  You can see the red and green hosed running up to the gun.  Even the Viet Cong had a period truck.

The AC-47 gunship Spooky was providing simulated cover fire from above in coordination with the pyro team on the ground.

The Douglas A-26C was also included in the demo.

Nice pass by the Collings A-4.

The Douglas Skyraider may be big, but it can do a roll just like the fighters.

A Douglas fly-by.

The Horsemen, performing formation aerobatics with North American P-51 Mustangs.

Steve Hinton starting P-38 Glacier Girl for participation in the last two warbird acts.

P-47 from the Lonestar Museum taxiing by to get ready to participate again in the show.

As the Thunderbolt lifts off the pyro crew waits for air boss Ralph Royce to give them permission to cross the active runway.

This Mustang is also part of the Rod Lewis Collection out of San Antonio, TX

The last of three Heritage flights of the show.

Steve Hinton taking Glacier Girl through a nice victory roll during his portion of the single ship Heritage fly-by.

To end the warbird flying for the day Wings over Houston but up this four ship warbird formation.

B-17 Texas Raiders has been down for almost 8 years in working to comply with the FAA AD to replace the wing spar caps.  According to one member of the crew about two years of that time was spent as they were forced to move from one hangar to another at neighboring Hobby Airport.   Here it starts number 3 engine Sunday after the show to go home.

Taking off for home.  Although it was static at this event the crew plans to get it back on the airshow circuit again next year.

Branson, MO   Barksdale AFB, LA   Chino, CA   Monticello, IN   Indianapolis, IN   Middletown, OH    Kokomo, IN   Geneseo, NY 
Oshkosh, WI    Van Wert, OH    Selfridge ANGB, MI   Huey Reunion, Peru, IN   Marion, IN   Urbana, OH   Waukegan, IL  
Scott AFB, IL   Houston, TX   Randolph AFB, TX