The Selfridge Air Show - 2024

I found out that Selfridge was having an air show, so I decided to head over to it.

First up was a stunt plane.  We didn't actually go into the show but I found a nice spot to watch it.

The show itself was free but neither my dad or I was up for walking.

The is a CF-133, but it is painted to look like a P-80 Shooting Star.

This particular plane was used for training, so it was called the ace maker.

The plane coming at me.

I kind of like this angle.

Coming in for a landing.

Next up was a demonstration of the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

The plane comes from VFA-22 out of Naval Air Station Lemoore out of Calfornia.

The squadron is attached to the USS Nimitz.

A heritage flight with a Corsair.

the Corsair coming in for a landing.

A vapor trail.

Then I got to see the US Air Force Thunderbirds.

They are always cool but I am still partial to the US Navy's Blue Angels.

One of the solos.

The diamond passing by.

Another of the solos.

The diamond again.

I'm not sure what this formation is called.

One more pass of the diamond.

The delta formation before breaking off at the end of the show.
 

And a Bonus

 As I was catching the last ship, I looked at the time.  There was an air show going on at Selfridge.  I realized that I might have time to catch the last part of it.

The last part of the air show was an F-22 demonstration.  Unfortunately, I missed much of it but there was still one pass.

I pulled over to a spot where I could see it.  It was a pretty good view as the F-22 was going through its paces.

It passed by.

Did another turn.

And headed our way.

There was just enough moisture in the air to get some trails from the wing tips.

It was pretty cool.

It passes pretty closely and the light was just about right.

I kind of like this shot.

And I got a beam shot out of this.

So for only getting one pass, I think I got some pretty decent shots.

A KC-135 Tanker Flies Overhead

On Thursday I decided to head up to Port Huron to catch a couple of ships.  As I was stuck in traffic near Selfridge, I saw this guy fly over.    I had to stop quickly to grab a picture.

The only camera I could grab quickly was the camera on my phone, so this picture was taken with my phone and blown up a bit.  I apologize for the quality of it but it was the best I could do.  Anyway, it is a KC-135 Stratotanker operating out of Selfridge.  It was pretty cool to see.

The Selfridge Air Show - Part II

I didn't want to put all my pictures from the Air Show into one post.  If you enjoyed the first part, you should enjoy this one.

 The Grumman OV-1 Mohawk was used by the US Army as a military observation and attack aircraft.  When the US Air Force was formed in 1947, the US Army was forbidden from using fixed wing aircraft but I don't think that included propeller aircraft.
The OV-1 program began as a joint Army-Marine program.  The Marines didn't want the sensors the Army wanted, so they dropped out.  The Air Force didn't like the armaments of the Mohawk and tried to get it killed.    The Army managed to continue with the program.  The first flight was in April of 1959 and production started that same year.  A total of 380 were produced.  The program continued into the mid-90's.

 Next up was an F-100 Super Sabre.

 I've seen this plane before.

 They did a mock dogfight with a MiG-17.

 I really like this shot.

 Next they did a demonstration of a pilot rescue using the aircraft of Selfridge.

 Selfridge is home to the 107th Fighter Squadron which flies the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

 It also home of the 927th Air Refueling Wing which flies the KC-135 Stratotanker.

 The A-10 Thunderbolt is an awesome aircraft which does its job pretty effectively.

 Originally designed in the late 70's as a counter to the large Soviet tank forces, over the years it has seen it's missions expanded.  It's main armament is the 30 mm Gatlin gun in the nose.  It can also be equipped with various other armaments depending on its mission.  It can carry 16,000 lbs of munitions which is almost the same as four B-17's configured for a long range mission.

 It also has a fairly long loiter time which means it can stay on station for a while.  This makes it a very effective platform for the wars that we are currently fighting.

 Unofficially it is nicknamed the Warthog but I think it is a cool looking aircraft.

 They used the HH-65 Dolphin as the rescue helicopter.

 The KC-135 was developed from the Boeing 707.  Early in the game, the Air Force discovered that a jet tanker would come in handy.  When refueling early jets, the KC-97 was flying at full throttle and the jets would have to angle up to maintain stall speed.

 The first KC-135 flew in 1956 and production began in 1957.  After eight years of production, 380 were produced.  I think this version was re-engined.  The Air Force is in the process of procuring the replacement.

 A pair of A-10s flying cover for the downed airman.

 the Airman rescued, the Dolphin returns to base.

 Next up was a demonstration of the F/A-18 Hornet.

 It was pretty cool to watch.

 A Piper Cub going through it's paces.

 And landing on the back of the truck.

 We got to see a very brief demonstration of the F-35.  The Piper Cub act was drawn out too long, I think.  I would have rather seen more of this plane.

 Next up was a Pitts Special powered by a 540 horsepower Lycoming engine.

 It was pretty cool watching this plane go through its paces.

 Especially in some of the maneuvers.

 Of course the main thing that most people were interested in was the Thunderbirds.

 The Thunderbirds are the aerial demonstration unit of the US Air Force.  They were formed in 1957 (after the Blue Angels btw).  They operate out of Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas.

 Here they are in their famed diamond formation.

 Even though it's not a great shot, I always love getting a passing shot.

 Of the solo planes.

 Since it was cloudy and windy, I think they did their low altitude show.  This was the low profile bomb burst.

 The diamond formation before ending.

And the first rule of aviation....take offs are optional but landings are mandatory.