Thunderbirds

Mirrored

The finale and highlight of ShawFest 2010 was the Thunderbirds' performance. I had hoped to get some nice photographs of them, but was thrilled with some of the ones I actually managed to capture. The photograph above is one of my favorites with the two soloists performing a close pass. I love how the vertical stabilizers are matched together in the shot.

Follow the jump for another shot of these two planes.


Really Close

Now that is close! The aft fins near the rear of the engines look like they are actually staggered together. In other words, they are closer together than the planes would measure vertically. Like I said, it is Close!

Also, look very closely at both planes. They are number 5 and 6. Click the links below the photographs for larger images if you need to. The numbers are painted near the front of the engine intakes. Notice something odd about them? The number 5 plane is the inverted plane in each photograph. See anything odd about his number now? His number is right-side up in each photograph, yet his plane is inverted. He is the lead soloist and inverted in most of his passes past the viewing area. Thus, his number is painted upside down on his plane so that the number is right-side up when he makes one of his many inverted pass in front of the spectators. I thought it was kind of neat when I saw that the first time in these pictures.

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Thunderbirds' History

Thunderbirds' History

One of the demonstrations later in the afternoon was of a restored jet fighter. I don't remember the name and designation of this particular fighter, but it was one of the first, if not the first, jet fighter in the newly formed US Air Force. This was the first US jet fighter to encounter MiG fighters in the Korean War. It was also the first jet fighter used by the Thunderbirds demonstration squadron.

The picture is an odd shape because I had to crop out someone's head and then even out the composition. There were something like 70,000 visitors at the air show that day. I have quite a few photographs of the backs of people's heads. Still, I like the image. It is kind of a history meets the present sort of thing.

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Mustang

P-51 Mustang

One of the demonstrations that really catch my attention at airshows are the old warbirds. These are usually reconditioned WWII era fighters and bombers. I am fascinated that some of these planes are still flying and impressed that there are people who care enough for these aircraft to keep them in the air.

This particular plane is the P-51 Mustang which escorted Allied bombers on bombing missions deep into Nazi territories. Thousands of these planes were manufactured for the war effort. Only about a hundred or so are still flying according the airshow's announcer.

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Out on a Wing

Wingwalker

In addition to the military demonstrations, there were also civilian aerobatics. This wingwalker was quite impressive. You couldn't get me to do that ... ever. Fly in an open-cockpit biplane? Sure. It would be fun. Hanging from the wire supports during take-off with no straps holding me in? No way! Climbing around on a fabric covered plane in mid-air where a wrong step will put my foot through the wing? No chance in you know where! It was fun to watch, but I wouldn't want to do it myself.

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