Warbirds and Airshows
By David D Jackson

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2017 Airshows
Brunswick, GA   B-25s at Urbana, OH   B-25 Fly-Over the National Museum of the USAF   SC National Guard Air and Ground Expo   Dayton, OH   Goshen, IN   Tarkio, MO   Westfield, MA   Wings over Waukegan, IL   Colorado Springs, CO

Dayton Airshow Warbird Photo Review

Warbirds at Dayton Airport, Vandalia, OH - June 24-25, 2017 - Photos taken Sunday, June 25, 2017.


This is the photo I came to Dayton to get!  The F-35 and P-51 Heritage Flight.  My first.  This has been a long time in coming. 

Dayton was not on my destination list until about a week before the event.  It had been several weeks since I had been to an airshow, and I was starting to go into airshow withdrawal.  I had just purchased a new camera that I wanted to try out, and the weather was looking very pleasant for the weekend.  In looking at the schedule, I noted that the show was having the F-35 Heritage Flight, which I had not yet seen.  I had not even seen an F-35A fly, let alone do a Heritage Flight.  Also, the Lockheed-Martin TX-50A was on the schedule for a demo.  I had not even known this aircraft existed until this May, when I saw one in South Carolina.  Therefore, I decided to do the show, as there were some new aircraft flying.


I typically try and arrive early in order to obtain a good location along the crowd line, and get as close to the show as possible.  For this event, I arrived sometime after the gates opened, expecting to sit somewhere back in the crowd, and not worry too much about being in the optimal photo location.  Upon arrival, I found that there was still a spot open in the hot ramp area directly nose-on to the F-35.  While the hot ramp is some distance from show center and the show line, being able to be close-up to the F-35 and watching its ground operation might work out better than sitting back in the crowd near show center.  It turned out to be a very good decision.


There were a couple of warbirds on display, including this Skyraider.


Even for a airshow enthusiast like myself, there were still new aircraft at the show for me to see.  I was unaware that Boeing had teamed up with Italy's Leonardo to offer a militarized version of the Leonardo's AW139, as a possible replacement for the USAF's UH-1N Hueys.  The USAF is in the process of replacing its aging Hueys, and is looking to purchase 84 new helicopters.


This B-17 tail gunner's section is from the restoration of "Champaign Girl" at the Champaign Aviation Museum in nearby Urbana, OH.


A close-up view of the gun sight.


 This flyer was on the other end of the tail gunner's section.  Further information indicates that the Air Force Museum will be dedicating its new display of the Memphis Belle on May 17, 2018.  This is 75 years to the date after the Belle completed its 25th mission.  The aircraft has been in restoration after being removed from Mud Island in Memphis, TN, where it was rotting away.


I was unaware that the US Coast Guard had eighteen HC-144A aircraft.  This is an Airbus military CN-235. 


I originally was introduced to the Lockheed-Martin T-50A at the SC NG Air and Ground Expo in Columbia, SC in May.  Later in the day aircraft TX-2 would give a short demo.  There are only two of the aircraft, and both were at the show.


The F-35 Heritage Flight Team had a tent set up at the show.  One of the special helmets F-35 pilots wear was on display.


Getting the F-35 ready for the Heritage Flight. 


TX-2 taxies out for its demo.


The demo consisted of three flat passes.  Here the T-50A is doing a dirty pass. 


Sean Tuck does a low pass as the F-35 begins its preparation for the Heritage Flight.  While the two civilians were in front of the aircraft, the F-35 started by what is known as the Integrated Power Package, an auxiliary starter which is a small gas turbine engine.  When the main engine starts, the decibel level goes through the proverbial roof. 


So who are the civilians?  My guess is that they are related to the pilot to be that close during the start procedure.


The Geico Skytypers were at the show, and the B-25 "Champaign Gal" did a Doolittle re-enactment.


P-51 "Fragile but Agile" taxies out for the Heritage Flight.


"Champaign Gal" making one of several passes for the crowd.


The Mustang takes off as the F-35 taxies down to the other end of the runway.  The F-35 will be taking off with a very brisk quartering tail wind.  I have noticed at several shows that the F-22 will also frequently take off with a tail wind.


It's not like the F-35 needs the headwind to take off. It was airborne in 1,500 feet and then rotated to the vertical. 


Here I am looking back behind the crowd to the south as the F-35 forms up on the P-51.


Inbound for the first pass.  Great clouds!

 


Just like the F-22 Heritage Flight, the second pass was back in the opposite direction.


And then for the third pass, the formation comes in over the crowd from behind, and then does the criss-cross.


The pilot taxied up closer to the crowd than where the aircraft had been before. 


 The refueling point is besides the switches in the service bay, which is the big red round cap on the left.


Pilot Major Will Andreotta with his helmet on.


Major Will Andreotta is the commander of the F-35 Heritage Flight Team.  He appears to be looking directly at me as I took this photo.  This makes it all the more interesting, as I was the first person in the crowd whom he approached and shook hands with.  At that moment, I also remember the two of us locking eyes as he came over to me.


One of the crewmen handed up the blue covering to the Major, so he could put his helmet on it for display.  It remained there until he was done greeting the crowd.


Major Andreotta spent his time talking with the crowd, shaking hands, and posing for photos with the spectators, all within 50 feet of my location.  If one was in the premium seating or the chalets at show center, they missed all of this!


Back to normal.  The helmet is gone.  Only security and the maintenance team doing its post flight work are at the aircraft.

My pick of this location, upon my arrival several hours earlier, was fortuitous.  It made for a unique and new experience at the Dayton Airshow.

It was a good day!  More than I ever expected.

 

 


 
Home  Indiana Museums    Indiana Tanks on Outside Display   The Beginning    Revisions   First Flight of P-38F Glacier Girl  
USS Theodore Roosevelt    WWII Aircraft Manufacturing Sites    Gateguards
 2007 Airshows   2008 Airshows  22009 Airshows   2010 Airshows    2011 Airshows    2012 Airshows   2013 Airshows   2014 Airshows    2015 Airshows  2016 Airshows    2017 Airshows    2018 Airshows  
2019 Airshows   2020 Airshows   2021 Airshows   2022 Airshows   2023 Airshows   2024 Airshows
Aviation Museums of the Pacific Northwest
   Display Helicopter Locations   CAL FIRE   PV-2 Harpoon Photos     F6F Hellcat Photos
   Warbird Sightings   WWII US Air-Air Victories   Guest Photos    Indiana Warbirds   Featured Photos  Other Items   Links

Historic Sites   Historic Forts   Historic Texas Independence Sites   Pre-Historic Sites   Historic Manhattan Project Sites   GM Heritage Center


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