The photo is supposed to align at the top of the frame. Damn html drives me crazy. Reno is better known for racing than its air show. None the less, they put on a worthy show. We learned on Saturday the Thunderbirds would not be in attendance on Sunday because they had another engagement. As things turned out, Sunday they were in Mountain Home, Idaho where one of the team members crashed. Fortunately, he ejected and was only slightly injured. |
Air Force Thunderbirds The ultimate in high speed precision flying, this was my first chance to see the Thunderbirds in action. In fairness the show is very similar to the Blue Angels, however, the F16s look great in their eagle colors. The top photo is a classic "just missed" shot. That's why pros shoot lots of film. It can take several try's to get these shots. Each day I tried to capture opposing passes. The second photo is one I managed to nail. |
|
|
Considered something of a national treasure, the aircraft was dismantled and shipped to the US for Reno. It flew the pylons each morning in a flight demonstration. The De Haviland badge on the spinner, having pushed through the air for almost 70 years, must have some interesting stories to tell. |
|
|
|
Kirby Chambliss Flying the Zivko Edge 540, Kirby is one of America's premier air show performers. As with all the current generation of ultra-maneuverable, light weight aerobatic planes, Chambliss puts his Edge through a series of seemingly impossible maneuvers. I remember when a tail slide was a big deal. Now, they do torque rolls while sliding backwards. All the tumbling maneuvers are amazing as well. |
|
|
Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes I'm not a great fan of wing walking routines, but the old converted Ag Cat was loud and colorful. One advantage, to make the wing walker more visible, all their maneuvers are done as close to the crowd as possible. |
|
|
Heritage Flight This is becoming a staple of air shows. Flight teams of current and WWII era aircraft are certified to fly formations together as part of the Heritage Flight program. This pair made an interesting contrast. It gave a feel for the tremendous size of the A-10, and its ironic to note the Mustang is probably faster. |
 |
|
The Army It just ain't an air show unless you drop a car! One of the group in our box seats got a ride in the Chinook. See him waving? Neither can I - the bum. The car drop is always accompanied by the PA announcer making jokes about illegal parking. He asks the crowd what should they do with the car. You can guess the response. Doug (our army dude) says the hulks over at the base are about two feet tall after they hit. |
 |
|
|
|
||
