Davis Monthan Air Show, Tucson AZ, April 12-13, 2014

http://www.dm.af.mil/library/d-mthunderandlightning.asp

OK, so it's WAY early, but I'm already so excited! The last show in 2012 was great - I got front-row seating at the flight line, an interview with an A-10C pilot (Capt Kyle Lanto), and a back-seat ride in an A-10! Ok, there was no ride, but being so close to those planes and smelling all that glorious JP5, it's hard not to fantasize a wee bit.

There's no calendar of events posted yet, but if any of you folks happen to be around Tucson in April, come on over, it's a great show!

***JP8***

There were plans for my unit to go back in May...but plans are changing. I missed the show in 2012 even though I was there twice. Once for a month long Advance Guard/Snowbird exercise (when we met up with Tom), and then Hawgsmoke later in the year. Kind of sucks because I really want another Sonoran Hot Dog from El Guero Canelo!

Next week! omgomgomgomg

From http://www.dm.af.mil/library/d-mthunderandlightning.asp

Hope that's true about the static, I was wondering how the military is handling these requests this year. It's always been a great part of the media day capturing static arrivals.

Just confirmed: guess who's getting an "incentive ride" in a B-25? This guy, that's who!

An F-14 static? Interesting...where the hell is it coming from?

Air shows are always a great experience. Not everybody gets to run around a military flight line, walk up to military hardware primed up to look like a million bucks (or billion, depending on the airframe). In addition to all the cool static displays, there are plenty of aircrew and ground crew who are more than excited to talk about their particular platform, souvenirs and tee-shirts to buy, and don't forget the $7 chicken sandwich and $8 beer. As if all that wasn't enough justification by itself, a whole slew of pilots and aircraft put on live displays right over your head.

The Davis Monthan Airforce Base always puts on a good show with one of the most impressive static lineups I've ever seen. This year, my first stop was the AH-64 display. This particular Longbow was on display without its cheese-wheel fire control radar, but the cockpit was open and I was able to lean in and take a bunch of pictures. TIL: the forward gunner position has a fully function controls set, including cyclic, collective, and rudder pedals.


Nothin' like a little 30 mike mike to liven up any occasion.


Here's hoping Thrustmater and Eagle Dynamics collude again on a new controller/sim pairing!


Ooo! Buttons buttons buttons buttons!


Her gruff exterior belies her sensitive nature.


The static displays literally go on for miles. This is just the "big plane" section.


The C-5 Galaxy is so large that it can only actually fly by intimidating gravitational forces. True story.


What airshow experience would be complete without a bouncy castle, conveniently placed at the one-mile marker from your parking spot?


This aircraft just looks bad to the "bone". A Sniper pod is obscured behind the nosewheel.

Recognize this aircraft? Hint: this isn't its business side.


"Heavy Metal" was the AC-130 featured in Michael Bay's Transformers. I'm not sure the Decepticon stencil is really warranted as they only damaged Scorponok in the movie, not killed him, but I'm pretty sure the four gingerbread men are out of the picture.


The eyes of the AC-130 are positioned on the forward left side of the aircraft. The AC-130 is designed so it can only target and shoot targets on its left. This sensor set includes wide and narrow field of view cameras and IR sensors for all your bad-guy identification needs.


"Oh, the A-10 has a 30-mm cannon? That's cute." - actual words from an AC-130 mission commander. Here you can see the 40mm bofors autocannon on the left and the 105mm howitzer cannon on the right. Yes, I said howitzer.


You'd think a 105mm howitzer gun barrel jutting from the side of an aircraft would be intimidating. It is.


There are three flavors of pain this aircraft can deliver - 105mm, 40mm, and 20mm.


"And they were all like 'bring the rain', so I brought it." "EPIC!"


There were no attempts to disguise the fact that this gun was ripped directly off of a field artillery piece and stapled to the side of this aircraft.


The AC-130 is one of the few big aircraft I've been in that is also huge on the inside. Inside the back of the plane, forward of the guns, was a big box, that kinda looked like a separate office or game room. Inside were three operator positions with oodles of gauges, buttons, dials, screens, switches, cables, lights and other doodad gadgetry. A lot of fun happens in here.


so...many...buttons...


Even the cockpit is so big that folks can just hang around, sipping their Lipton ice tea, chatting about how cool it is to fly a plane with a howitzer sticking out the side.


The cockpit looks just like you'd expect a Vietnam era aircraft to look like: lots of steam gauges, old-style yoke controls, lots of color-coordinated and human-factor-engineered switches, knobs, levers, etc. etc.

It's always good to see the Big Ugly ... Flier. This particular aircraft was 63 years old and had over 20,000 flight hours. The two dome looking things on the chin are integrated sensors - low-light TV and infrared. The aircraft can also carry targeting pods, such as the Sniper and Litening.


This KC-135 had a walk-through available but the line was ridiculous all day long.


While nowhere near as big as the C-5, the C-17 Globemaster is still impressive and always seems to to be grimacing or scowling, making it seem that much meaner.


The lovely Lady Alice actually flew in the airshow. If Tom hasn't already put out a skin for this aircraft, I hope we see one soon! (I've got plenty more pics, Tom!).


I love seeing Hawgs getting mobbed. It's such a shame that they're even being considered to be decommissioned from the Air Force.


This B-17 Flying Fortress actually still flies with the Arizona Commemorative Air Force.


GBU-31 mock up - it's impressive to see just how little extra is actually added to the bomb to make it smart - the MIL-STD-1760 connector on the top and the single GPS antenna on the tail are the only real indications this weapon does more than just drop.


"Rifle! Rifle!"

The MQ-1 Predator is a interesting system, but this is just the flying part of it - I'd love to see a static display sometime with the takeoff/landing control cart or even a mockup of an actual control station to see how these things are flown and controlled.


I was waiting and waiting for this kid to go tearing off into the crowd.


Should I ask her if I can bring my HOTAS? Or if they can run Rise of Flight with an Oculus Rift?

Another TIL today: at first I just strolled past this unassuming-looking aircraft, taking it for yet another USAF transport aircraft that somehow made the static lineup, but then I noticed the satellite datalink antenna on top and the sensor ball underneath.


This is the MC-12 Liberty, an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft that is regularly operating out of Afghanistan. Crewed by two officers, and two enlisted, the aircraft closely coordinates with folks on the ground and folks in the air, finding targets, sharing coordinates, and generally playing a big part in the air-to-ground battles.


This CAF L-16 looked vaguely familiar to me, then I recognized it as a Aeronca Champion - a civilian tailwheel I flew a bit many moons ago. Apparently this aircraft type was pressed into military service as a "liason" aircraft, whatever that means. I have no idea why it has caution tape draped around it like tinsel - it certainly wasn't keeping anybody away from anything.


I have a special fascination with early jets, and the MiG-15/MiG-17 aircraft always strike me as the first jet aircraft that were *really* designed as fighter jets. This MiG-17 is a prime example of this aircraft, apparently in flying shape and shiny chrome everywhere. I hung around here for a bit, hoping to find the owner/pilot and ask them more about this amazing piece of history, but none could be found. Maybe tomorrow...


It gleams EVERYWHERE.

Always a controversial aircraft to discuss, the F-14 static on display was obviously towed over from the boneyard with very little work done to make her ready for show. Fluids were still seeping from the wing and she was covered with dust and dirt, head to toe. It almost felt like a POW that had been beaten and then dragged out into the courtyard as a reminder to the other inmates to behave.




Here's a pic of the tail numbers, if folks are interested in looking her up.


The mudhen (F-15E Strike Eagle) is also another crowd pleaser - an aircraft that looks much bigger in person than it does in the movies.


At first I thought I was seeing two targeting pods - sniper near and Litening far - but the far pod has no optics and appears to be some sort of ECM pod.


The static F-16 Viper had a Litening pod sucked up underneath the fuselage. I was expecting it to be much bigger but hey, size isn't everything...amirite?


I love the Warthog nose art on this 47th Dogpatchers Hawg.

The Army guys where there, too, scaring children and unsuspecting adults.


The RC-135 Cobra Ball is a no-nonsense reconnaissance aircraft with an impressive array of sensor capability for a relatively obscure aircraft.


The Thunderbirds Are Go! No supermarionation going on here, though, these are the real deal. If you've never seen their airshow, you should go out of your way to watch them from startup through parking - every detail is professionally coordinated and flawlessly executed.


Here is an awful shot of the B-25J Mitchell bomber, Maid in the Shade, which I had the amazing privilege of flying in on Thursday, April 10th. What a lady!


I won't give many more examples of my awful photography skills, but of all the aerobatic acts performed, my favorites are always the close formation fliers.


The CSAR demonstration is also a crowd-pleaser. To kick things off an "insrugent" pickup with a guy on a .50 cal back in the bed race down the flight line, firing off shots into the air. A Marine force is dispatched to take care of the threat, which they do, but not before one of their own takes a hit. The CSAR package - four "Sandy" A-10Cs, two "Pedro" UH-60 Blackhawks (Pavehawks?), a C-130 refueler and an EC-130 overwatch - is called in for the rescue. The A-10Cs clear the area with simulated gun and bomb passes, complete with explosions and gouts of flame and smoke.


Yay A-10s!

The Blackhawks make a dramatic run in, coming to an abrupt halt over the landing zone. The rescue team repels down to the ground, hoists the wounded aboard. In the meantime, the A-10Cs have established a wagon-wheel pattern overhead, constantly providing cover over the extraction crew. Once loaded, the Blackhawks tilt impossibly over, accelerating rapidly out of the area, presumably bringing their injured teammate to safety.


Yay team!

umm...no, you should ask her if she'd like to try out your new joystick over some dinner and a little wine. I would.

Nice shots, we have a air show coming up in a few weeks at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana.

Great pics thanks for sharing, haven't been to an airshow since the year before last.

Nice shots! Thanks for sharing!

Over the past few years the US presence at Canadian air shows has been diminishing. I was thinking I would take a trip down to Maine or New Hampshire this year but I can't find any shows running for the 2014 year? Doh?

Great pics........Hope Tinker Air Force Base (Oklahoma City) resumes its air shows this year. It has been cancel for the last 2 years do to the budget cuts.....

Posted this page to the Tomcat Lover's Facebook page. They should get a kick out of those Tomcat photos.

Great photos. The Bone looks like it was designed by the French..so damn sexy..

BeachAV8R

very nice shots, that is an impressive static line up. I hope Rhode Island has an equal lineup in May.

Tinker is back on the schedule this year with Thunderbirds attendance, but not a lot els on the schedule yet:

2014 Tinker Airshow

http://www.f-15e.info/joomla/en/technology/avionics/67-lantirn-pods

TIL! Thanks, Snoopy!

That Tomcat made me SO SAD! That's LAME!

Edit: Great pics otherwise, even of the Tomcat! I just hate to see a bird with that legacy like that...

Nice, clean shots - love the closeups of the statics!

Thanks, Ken! The sky was pretty overcast, which made an awful background for the flying aircraft. I also never did get a good telephoto lens, so I didn't bother taking many aerial shots.

I always love an airshow.

Enjoyed the photos. Thanks for sharing.


Wheels