2010 Airshows
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      Commemorative Air Force Airsho 2010, Midland, TX
October 7-8, 2010 

This is the first time I have had the opportunity to visit the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Airsho at its Midland, TX Headquarters, although I did attend two of the shows back in 1979 and 1980 at its previous base in Harlingen, TX.  This has largely been due the fact that it is out in the middle do nowhere in Texas and I did not have the time to make the trip while still working.  With the fact that the B-29 was going to be flying at the show for its first appearance in 4 years I decided to make the trip.  I was not disappointed.  The B-29, along with quite a few warbirds I had never seen personally before, made the trip very worthwhile.  For the enthusiast I suggest one arrive at 7:30 and head straight for the bomber ramp where hopefully in future years the B-29 will be taking paying passengers on rides as it did this year.  This is the only time you can get up close and personal with the B-29 as the ramp is sterilized and closed at 11 AM for the rest of the flying day.  Plan to spend two days to take all the warbirds in on both ramps, as the fighter ramp is a 1/4to 1/2 mile away from the bomber ramp.  If one is going to go all the way to the middle of nowhere to see this great show, one might as well spend both days.

B-29 "FiFi" taking off on Saturday morning before the show with 6 paying passengers.  This is the first time I had seen her take off in many, many years.  I do not remember the last time I had seen her fly.

Engine start!!  With all four R-3350s running the vibration shakes the ground and bounces off one's chest.  This was great.  You had to be at the show early and walk all the way down to the bomber ramp but it was what the trip to Texas was all about.

Ready to go flying.

CAF P-51 Red Nose taxiing out with a paid ride early Saturday morning.  This was the first aircraft the CAF purchased in 1957 and served with the RCAF during WWII.

Neils Agather from Ft. Worth, TX brought in this great looking C-45 "Texas Dolls" for the show.  This was another new aircraft for me.

There are only two flyable Lockheed PV-2s in the world and one was here at the Midland show.  I had never seen this warbird before.

"Attu Warrior" is owned by Warbird Aircraft Sales in Heber City, UT.

Martin James from nearby Odessa, TX had his great looking C-45 at the show.  Another new aircraft I had never seen before.

This is the first time I have seen this Douglas A-26C from the Cavanaugh Flight Museum at a show.

"Hard to Get" was built by Douglas at its Tulsa, OK plant in early 1945 and was assigned to the 10th Air Force in India in August of the same year.

It has both turrets and the periscope installed.

Mounted in the glass nose is a bombsite. 

The early morning sun really accents the yellow camouflage on this CAF C-45.

PBJ from the CAF Devil Dog Squadron in Georgetown, TX.

PBJs were operated by the Marines in the Pacific Theater as low level raiders which utilized the B-25/PBJ's ability to carry 12 forward firing fifty caliber machine guns.

Cessna UC-78 Bobcat from the Jayhawk Wing of the CAF.

Randy Sharpe brought in A-26C "Guns for Hire" from his Vietnam War Flight Museum in Houston.

This Invader was built by Douglas at its Long Beach, CA plant in November 1944 and supported 9th Air Force in European operations at the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945.

CAF B-17 "Texas Raiders".

CAF B-24A "Ol 927".

Show Time!!  Tora! Tora ! Tora!

Trainer Fly-bys.

The Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon "Attu Warrior" on a high speed pass.

The tail wheel should retract into the rear fuselage.  Also the bomb bay does not appear to operate on this PV-2.

CAF Curtiss SB2C Helldiver pulling out of a simulated dive.

PV-2 down low with the TBM turning in behind it.

Eastern Aircraft TBM Avenger.

Nice photo pass from the Harpoon.

Avenger from the CAF Colorado Wing makes a photo pass.


Columbus, OH built Curtiss SB2C in a photo pass.

CAF F6FGrumman Hellcat.

CAF F8F Grumman Bearcat.

CAF Vought F4U Corsair.

By setting up by the west taxiway one can photograph the fighters coming in and out.  Plus it sounds real good down there as the big radial engines go by.

Harpoon taxiing back with Helldiver rolling out in the background.

This is one big single engine warbird.

B-25 "Miss Mitchell" from the Southern Minnesota Wing of the CAF does a pull up to simulate the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo.


"Devil Dog" does the same.

B-24 recreating the Ploesti, Romania oil field attacks.

A-26C "Guns for Hire" makes a run through the smoke from the pyro.

A-26C "Hard to Get".

CAF B-29 "FiFi" sets up for a low speed pass with everyone getting ready to watch and photograph.

Forward Bomb Bay doors open.

"Texas Raiders" in a photo pass.  This was her return to Midland after spending 7 years getting her spar caps replaced.  Good to see her flying again.

"Red Nose".

North American P-51 "Gunfighter".

P-51C Red Tail operated by the Minnesota Wing of the CAF.

Midland during WWII was a USAAF training base.  Note the two long mounds in the background that would have been ammunition storage bunkers.

Cessna O-2A Bird Dog looks for the downed pilot in the Vietnam Scenario.

Bell AH-1 and UH-1 hold in the distance until it is safe to pick up the pilot.

The A-26 makes several passes to suppress enemy fire.

The Huey arrives for the pickup but has to depart due to ground fire.

The Cobra lends some close air support during the operation so the Huey can come back in and make the pickup.

The Huey returns with an armed escort.

Coming in to make the pilot rescue.

Sinister looking and ready to pounce, the AH-1 watches over its older brother as the Huey makes the pickup of the downed pilot.

The downed pilot is now onboard the UH-1.

Formation fly-by.

This something you will only see at this airshow.  Johnny Rutherford driving the Chaparral 2K that he won the 1980 Indianapolis 500 in.  Again, note the WWII ammo bunkers in the background.

Jim Hall of Midland designed the 2K along with many other Chaparral race cars during the 1960s and 70s.  At the The Permian Basin Petroleum Museum on the east side of Midland on I-70 there is a collection of the 2K and six other of Jim Hall's Chaparral cars on display.  Note the oil well and derrick in the background.  Midland and Odessa, TX are all about oil.

This car powered Johnny to the first of his three wins at the Indy 500.

Indianapolis, IN Metro Airport   Eglin AFB, Fl   Urbana, OH B-25 Gathering   B-25 Fly-Over at Doolittle Reunion, Dayton, OH    Chino, CA   Columbia, MO   Reading, PA   Indianapolis, IN   Kokomo, IN   Anderson, IN   Rockford, IL   Ypsilanti, MI   Windsor, Ont   Marion, IN   Waynesville, OH   Waukegan, IL   Scott AFB, IL   Midland, TX