Airshow pics - F-35, F-16, F/A-18, Blue Angels and much more.

[Gomig-21]

E-2C Hawkeye and the latest navy version was very cool to see up close. @MICA

This was pretty cool, an SH-60 Seahawk with an air refueling probe. I tried tugging on that thing and loosening that end cap but nothing budged!

I took a closeup of the helo's MAWS which I thought was really cool. Definitely some serious technology behind those bumps. @Hamilcar @HannibalBarca @fachfouch @Mootaz-khelifi
So I asked the pilot who flies this thing about those MAWS and my question to him was how does it exactly operate, does it basically ring an alarm to you and tell you "INCOMING MISSILE...INCOMING MISSILE" and that's it? Or does it work with the flares and chaff and is automated with the release of whatever countermeasures?

His answer........"yeah, that's classified, sorry." lol
My buddy Steve says "yeah, in other words you don't know!" because the guy was really young and he thought he might still be learning but I think he was right. It was probably OPSEC to divulge that kind of info. These guys (including many of the fighter pilots that I talk to all the time at the shows) are VERY disciplined, whether they're Navy, Airforce or Army. @gambit @jhungary

More from the heritage flight, 3 generations of excellence in aviation, although one of those still needs to prove it's mettle. You can really see how bulky that F-35 is compared to the sleek F-16. @DavidSling @500 @Windjammer @The Accountant

US Naval Academy jump team did some pretty cool parachuting jumps out of a C-130.

 

[HannibalBarca]

E-2C Hawkeye and the latest navy version was very cool to see up close. @MICA

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This was pretty cool, an SH-60 Seahawk with an air refueling probe. I tried tugging on that thing and loosening that end cap but nothing budged!

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I took a closeup of the helo's MAWS which I thought was really cool. Definitely some serious technology behind those bumps. @Hamilcar @HannibalBarca @fachfouch @Mootaz-khelifi
So I asked the pilot who flied this thing about those MAWS and my question to him was how does it exactly operate, does it basically ring an alarm to you and tell you "INCOMING MISSILE...INCOMING MISSILE" and that's it? Or does it work with the flares and chaff and is automated with the release of whatever countermeasures?

His answer........"yeah, that's classified, sorry." lol
My buddy Steve says "yeah, in other words you don't know!" because the guy was really young and he thought he might be still learning but I think he was right. It was probably OPSEC to divulge that kind of info. These guys (including many of the fighter pilots that I talk to all the time at the shows are VERY disciplined, whether they're Navy, Airforce or Army.

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More from the heritage flight, 3 generations of excellence in aviation, although one of those still needs to prove it's mettle. You can really see how bulky that F-35 is compared to the sleek F-16. @DavidSling @500 @Windjammer @The Accountant

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Definitely a very recognizable silhouette.

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US Naval Academy jump team did some pretty cool parachuting jumps out of a C-130.

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You should have taken home some relics... like that wiper Blade... or at least a screw

 

[Gomig-21]

You should have taken home some relics... like that wiper Blade... or at least a screw

lol. As free as they let us get up close and even move the flaps or the H-Stabs on some of the fighters, there's ALWAYS someone on the lookout, besides the MPs. They let you do whatever you want, for the most part but I'm sure there's a limit lol. Once I start breaking out cordless drills and screwdrivers etc, I'm sure I'll be jumped on in 3 seconds.

We used to be able to get into this Grimreaper F-14 Tomcat, one of the very few left in the country that is actually on display, but they closed the canopy a few years ago since everyone was abusing the stick, the throttle, switches, rudder pedals lol. The cockpit is probably vandalized by now. But what a beast this thing is. @AmirPatriot

 

[500]

You can really see how bulky that F-35 is compared to the sleek F-16.

* When clean.

 

[Gomig-21]

* When clean.

I have seen that comparison pic. But it can't carry those GBU-12s internally, though. That's one of the munitions that it'll have to mount externally and then lose its low-observability a bit.

The one thing that my friend Steve pointed out and I hadn't realize until he did, was the size of the F-35's nozzle. Being that it's powered by the F135 beast and it needs to power a rather heavy and pudgy aircraft, the engine is GIGANTIC and the LO nozzle is HUMONGOUS!

If you ever see the Israeli F-35s, take a look at the size of that nozzle, holy cow.
Hard to tell from these pics but when you see it in person, it's easier to judge size.

BTW, is it true that the Rafale carries more fuel than the F-35 and has greater range, even combat range? I thought I saw that on one of the "vs" videos posted on another thread and thought that was pretty interesting, if true. @randomradio

 

[500]

BTW, is it true that the Rafale carries more fuel than the F-35 and has greater range, even combat range?

F-35A - empty weight - 13,300 kg, internal fuel - 8,278 kg

Rafale C - empty weight - 9,860 kg, internal fuel - 4,700 kg.
External for Rafale - 4710 kg in 3 subsonic tanks or 2940 kg in 3 supersonic tanks.

F-35 range - 2200 km (internal fuel)
Rafale range - 3700 km (with 3 subsonic fuel tanks)

 

[Gomig-21]

One of the biggest highlights of the show, the Shockwave Jet Truck. This thing is great, lol. Always brings everyone right up to the ropes to feel the heat and to get pulverized by the huge cloud of smoke it leaves behind that engulfs the entire airport looo.

It's equipped with 3 - J34-48 Pratt & Whitney jet engines that were taken out of a US Navy T2 Buckeye and braced onto this thing. It's basically powered by 3 F-16 engines to simplify things.

36,000 combined horsepower producing 21,000 lbs of thrust propelling it to 375 mph. It races planes.

 

[AmirPatriot]

lol. As free as they let us get up close and even move the flaps or the H-Stabs on some of the fighters, there's ALWAYS someone on the lookout, besides the MPs. They let you do whatever you want, for the most part but I'm sure there's a limit lol. Once I start breaking out cordless drills and screwdrivers etc, I'm sure I'll be jumped on in 3 seconds.

We used to be able to get into this Grimreaper F-14 Tomcat, one of the very few left in the country that is actually on display, but they closed the canopy a few years ago since everyone was abusing the stick, the throttle, switches, rudder pedals lol. The cockpit is probably vandalized by now. But what a beast this thing is. @AmirPatriot

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Come to Dezful sometime and look at flyable and flying ones. Though they still won't let you get inside because apparently these old cats are still a major part of our air force

 

[Gomig-21]

Come to Dezful sometime and look at flyable and flying ones. Though they still won't let you get inside because apparently these old cats are still a major part of our air force

Even though I would love to go to Iran to see them fly (or even just to see Iran), I am old enough to have seen US Navy Tomcats flying several times. This is an amazing jet and a friend of mine was an F-14 crewman on the USS Theodore Roosevelt and he talks about it all the time and how there isn't any other fighter that comes close to it and the pilots loved it etc.

Then these guys finished off the show with their usual amazing flying performance. I'm guessing someday soon they might switch them to Super Hornets. I haven't talked to too many Blue Angles guys except some crewmen, but I have talked to several Thunderbird pilots. Those are some of the NICEST type-A personalities you'll ever meet. A couple were actually doing F-16 training missions in the ME for Egyptian & Israeli & Moroccan pilots. Talking about that stuff was out of this world for a guy like me, you can imagine.

@LeGenD I think this guy was giving me the "Hey YOU!" lol

One of the solos and his usual low altitude take-off and sudden pitch up. You can actually see the wings flex from the extreme pressure.

Some of their incredible formation flying routines.

 

[Gomig-21]

This was a "jet-powered" biplane. Pretty cool the way it has the engine under-hung and the pilot would turn it on and you can see the sudden jolt of power it gave the aircraft.

"Fat Albert," the Blue Angels' C-130 doing some of its own stunts.

Every once in a while they display an oddity here and there. In this case, an ex-Polish MiG-17. Thought that was pretty cool.

Vietnam-era Cobra.

Former Marines A-4 Skyhawk.

 

[Gomig-21]

Let's bump this thread. Anyone with some interesting airshow pics (even if they're not yours) post them.
A-10 and a close-up of it's most famous possession, the gatling gun.

Osprey.

I have a lot more I'll post them as I run into them.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Let's bump this thread. Anyone with some interesting airshow pics (even if they're not yours) post them.
A-10 and a close-up of it's most famous possession, the gatling gun.

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Osprey.

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I have a lot more I'll post them as I run into them.

I was at Hanscom in the early 90's (92?) and there was this F16 pilot doing some sliding turn maneuvers right above the crowd REAL low (rather dangerous and certainly couldn't do that nowadays). Will have to search for the pics.

 

[Gomig-21]

I was at Hanscom in the early 90's (92?) and there was this F16 pilot doing some sliding turn maneuvers right above the crowd REAL low (rather dangerous and certainly couldn't do that nowadays). Will have to search for the pics.

Yeah that would be awesome if you could find it and post it. This is a good escape from all the crap going on, ooof. I'm finally back to work tomorrow God willing so today I'm going to try to keep my mind off any negativity.

Reminds me of the first time the Blue Angels got to meet their Russian counterparts in the Swifts and I think it was the captain of the BA (guy who flies the #1 plane) got into the backseat of one of the Swift's MiG-29s and they went for a crazy ride and I think the Russian pilot -- from what I remember -- did an inverted flight over the runway at a super low altitude lool and after they landed, BA pilot was commenting on how great it was and later in a more private interview, he talked about that inverted flight at such a low altitude and over the runway and how they'd get thrown out of the Navy or Airforce if any of them attempted anything remotely close to that in the US lol. I think their liberties have changed a bit since then because they certainly do some cool and borderline crazy stuff now. But this was in the mid-1990s IIRC.