Saturday, June 19, 2021

The Yankee Air Museum Evening Air Show

 I finally go around to sorting through my pictures of the Air Show last weekend.  So now I can post said pictures.

The Yankee Air Museum decided to do another evening air show.  They had almost the same performers as the last time they did it.  They were able to ask the Snowbirds and the Canadian CF-18 demonstration team to perform here again.  They were doing a show in Windsor and I think the Yankee Air Museum folks asked them nicely.  It turned out that the air show in Windsor was canceled, so they only had this show.

It was a cool air show and the pacing was nice because they had one group right after another.  Unfortunately, it wasn't cool this time.  Also, they had the crowd in the normal air show spot meaning that once again, we had to shoot into the sun.  Oh well, I managed to get some nice shots despite the challenges.

The Cessna was not performing in the shot but I figured a picture of it before the show would be fairly cool.
This PT-19 Kaydet was getting ready to take off.  Unfortunately, I was getting a little heat haze.
Once it took to the air, I was able to get better pictures of it.
I don't think I could have asked for better light on this shot.  The yellow just stands out.
It kept getting better until it got right in front of me.
I kind of like this shot.
One more.
The Yankee Air Museum got their hands on a UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) helicopter a couple of years ago.
They do rides on it every so often.
They were putting it through it's paces on this night though.
The lighting was better over here.
One more shot of it.
This was an O-2 Skymaster.  It was used by the Air Force for a number of things.
It was used as a forward air controller.  It would orbit around the area that was about to be bombed and put smoke where the bombs were supposed to go.
It was also used in search and rescue missions over Vietnam.  I think they would put rockets on the wings so that it could be used in an attack role.
It has a pusher/puller propeller configuration.
ONe more shot.
The Yankee Air Museum repainted their B-25 over the winter.  I was able to get some pictures of it when it returned.  It used to be an unpainted aluminum.  I'm not sure I like this scheme.
Their C-47.
Another angle.
They also added the "Rosie's Revenge" nose art on the plane.  Rosie the Riveter actually worked at the Willow Run bomber factory.
I kind of like this shot.
One more.
They also brought out the B-17, Yankee Lady.
They must have had a problem with her because she wasn't out on Sunday.
I would like this shot more if the bottom were a little brighter.
I like this shot.
She passes by.
They repainted their C-47 a couple of years ago.  It is now known as Hairless Joe.  The paint is like the scheme used in the Burma theater.
Another of the Yankee Lady.
A photo pass from the B-25.
A photo pass from the C-47.
I love this shot.
A photo pass of the Yankee Lady.
I don't remember the name of this performer but he was pretty cool.
Unfortunately, at this point in the show I was shooting more into thesun.
But I still managed to get some decent shots.
I like this one, the smoke gives a sense of motion.
And it passes by.
One more.
And then the Snowbirds took to the air.  They came over from Windsor which is about 50 miles away.
I think they were doing that for COVID precautions.
I would like this shot more but for the lighting.
They did a loop.
Passing by in their formation.
Another shot of that.
The formation breaks up.
Another shot of that.
A lone Snowbird passes by.
I like this shot.
It's not often that I get a passing shot.
A pair flying by.
A mirror formation.
Another pair.
And they break off.
They were forming a heart.
A crossing maneuver.
They called this the halo formation.
Another mirror formation.
The last show of the evening was the CF-18 going through its paces.
Canada is one of a handful of allied nations that use the CF-18.
I think they are going to use it for a while as they haven't signed on to the F-35.
Despite the light, I like this shot.
There was enough moisture in the air.
Another passing shot.
And it took to the skies.
The dirty upside down.
I think I caught it at the moment where it formed a shockwave.
But it was just approaching the speed of sound.
Probably my favorite of the bunch.
One more.

All in all, it was an enjoyable air show.  As I said, they kept a pretty steady pace but I think that was because they had to end it by 7:00 per FAA rules.  I just wish they would have set it up so that people weren't shooting into the sun.  I seriously hope they do more shows like this.


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