Welcome!
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

The 2008 Geneseo air show was one of the best air show experiences I’ve ever had, as far as flying went. I drove about 6hrs to be there and it was well worth the time and gas money — which in this day is saying a lot! This year, the folks at the Historical Aircraft Group (HAG) tried to wrangle in a large gathering of P-40 Warhawks. I really like it when an air show puts a concentrated effort on a specific type of plane, because it means I’m more likely to see planes that I haven’t before. Sure, I’ve seen P-40s fly, but there were 2 there that I’d never even seen!

Chompers
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Because the air show is so close to Canada, they draw in quite a few Canadian planes, which is always neat to see. I get to see some Canadian planes at the Thunder Over Michigan show, but not in these numbers! But, because there was a focus on certain plane, I saw P-40s from the western part of the United States, which was a real treat considering the extreme costs associated with bringing in such a rare warbird.

I wasn’t sure how I should handle traveling for this trip. I wanted to  maximize time around the airplanes and minimize travel expenses. Thankfully, living in eastern Michigan, getting into Canada isn’t a terribly long trip at all. I decided that I’d leave the Thursday before the show at 11pm, cross into Canada, drive across Ontario during the night, and enter the United States in Niagara. From there, the show site was not far. I ended up at the show site just as they were opening — most of the HAG crew wasn’t even awake! They let me on the grounds and showed me where I could park for the day. I took a quick look around and ended up falling asleep in my car until some biplanes flying overhead woke me up.

I roamed around the grounds a bit and got a “feel” for the layout. A large portion of the field was roped off — I never realized that it was okay to wander about in there. I wish that would have been made clear; not everyone is familiar with the show! The announcers/program never mentioned that the roped off area was only a designation marker for largely static aircraft and that people could pretty much wander in/out of the area. As a result of my not knowing this, I missed many photo opportunities. Live and learn!

Stearman takeoff
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Throughout the Friday morning and afternoon planes trickled in. There were lulls and periods of heavy activity, but for the most part there was a steady stream of activity. Stearmans would be going up, a flight of Harvards would arrive, but the highlight of Arrival Day for me was seeing the Russell Group’s Hawker Hurricane and Spitfire Mark IX arrive. The Hurricane landed just fine, but the Spitfire made a really neat bounce. I was surprised by how close I was able to get to thewar birds landing and taxiing. The crew at the show kept us at a safe distance — but let us get our shots. I commend them for this. There are few things that turn me off to an air show more than pushy overbearing ramp crews. Safety is paramount, but being reasonable should also factor into the equation.

Arrival day turned into Practice day as F-16 East tore up the sky. Having a morning rain meant there were great conditions for a lot of vapor shots. The sky was a really bright grey, so photography of the F-16 was a bit difficult for me. I admit, I’m still learning!  I was impressed by some of the maneuvers the F-16 was doing, and I’m sure part of that was because the vapor added “drama” to the the movements of the F-16. Also, how many heritage flight photos do you see that involve vapor!?

Heritage flight with vapor!
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Saturday morning, I arrived as early as I was told that I could. Again, had I been familiar with the show, I would have been aware that I could have arrived much, much earlier (I arrived at 6am). I got some of the best (well, the only) morning warbird shot’s I’ve ever had the pleasure to capture. There weren’t many people out there, 50 at most, taking pictures and looking at the planes. I only ran into 3 or 4 people who constantly walked into my shots and lingered — with no regard to the people trying to photograph the planes. Now, I know I’m not perfect at this, but I try my best to stay out of the way.

Spitfire Mk. IX
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

While most of the planes had their canopy covers on, thankfully the Russell Group’s Spitfire did not. I was elated at this. It meant I could get some great photos without a canopy cover! I understand why canopy covers are used and can appreciate why they are on these planes, however, I really think that owners/pilots should either be out there to remove them for photos or should allow a couple of authorized/trained air show personnel to remove them in the dawn for photographers and put them back on at an appropriate time. I really don’t think it’s too much to ask and would make for some great photos! Sadly, Sunday the Spitfire had what looked like a tarp loosely tied over the canopy — click here to see. It looked awful.

Warbirds line up
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Saturday morning, I was able to track down the airboss frequency. I really like being able to do this down as it gives you an audio equivalent of a backstage pass to the air show. There seemed to be a lot of chaos as to incoming planes. Most of the planes did not realize that the airport was NOTAM (notice to all airmen) closed and that no plane could land unless they had a spot reserved for their plane. I completely understand, the airport only has so much space and can only accommodate so many planes. However, all the information on their website leading up to and during the air show read that planes were welcome to come in and did not mention anything of reservations. Most planes were turned away to surrounding airports. I heard something about a shuttle being offered — but not sure just how effective that was. I understand how difficult and time consuming it can be to keep a website up to date, but something that important should have been a high priority.

Maitland John C Super ACRO 1
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Flying started Saturday with a lot of biplanes. One of the biplanes that caught my eye was N4359k, a Maitland John C Super ACRO 1. I’ve never seen anything like it and I thought it was really, really neat. The pilot made several passes and I wish I could have gotten some more info from the announcers about the plane, but they were too busy with other things. Another plane that caught my eye as it arrived was N6386K, a Grumman  RC-3 “Sea Bee” I’d never seen one before and I’ve always thought it was a rather unique aircraft.

Mailcall!
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Flying picked up with more biplanes and some mail carrying planes. Again, it was amazing to see such awesome biplanes. They look so strong, rugged, and powerful. The planes were pretty on the ground but were beautiful in the air. It was quite a sight and if you could ignore the announcers and their non-stop chattering, it was an amazing sound. I really feel lucky to have seen such rare planes. Another plane that stuck out, for me, was a PT-22. I’ve never seen one before and the sound was amazing! It was almost as if you could hear every single piston firing!

As the day progressed there was a P-51D aerobatic demonstration that yielded some amazing passes that photos do NOT do justice! There was a massive P-51 launch that included a Corsair. One after another, just as one was lifting off, another was barreling down the runway! The P-51s did some high circuits/racetracks as the B-17 “Memphis Belle” passed in front of the crowd a few times. It was nice to see, but the P-51s were too high up/far away to really photograph and the B-17 was really only making flat passes — a magnificent sight, but not particularly good for taking pictures.

P-40s waiting
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Weather was starting to look a bit gloomy about this time and the crowd got rained on for a bit (10min or so). The P-40s waited with their engines off for the rain to pass before they took off. Once the rain cleared, the P-40s went up one at a time and did some solo racetrack passes and in a few minutes, they went off for a photo flight. Not much went on at the air show site during this time. I was a bit disappointed that the air show’s main attraction flew AWAY from the air show, during the air show, for a photo flight. I drove 7hrs, paid all the gas money, lodging, admission prices — happily, in big part, to see a gathering of P-40 Warhawks. And the fact that the main attraction was taken away from the show site for a private photo shoot really upset me. I understand it’s an incredibly rare gathering as well as why this private photo shoot was a big deal. Also, I am totally accepting of and cool with with a private photo shoot, but I get a bit aggravated when it’s happening during and/or away from the air show. The formations, the sights, and the sounds should not have been limited to the select few on photo flights. Call me what you will — it’s just not right. Taking the P-40 formation flight away from the air show, during their slot was a really bad move, in my opinion. The closest things we got to a flyover of the P-40 formation was when 3 came in to land. They requested a break pass as they set up to land. There must have been some communication malfunction between the P-40 flight and the airboss — I’ll just say that I’m glad the pilots chose to do the pass!

Rare Sight
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

F-16 East came back Saturday for their performance. Having had rained, there were some great shots for vapor. The heritage flight was really neat, and is the first time I’ve captured vapor during a heritage flight! This particular heritage flight was very unique as it was a P-40 and an F-16 — a formation I’d never seen. I’m not sure if it’s ever been done with just those 2 aircraft before outside of the training sessions, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had, but I’ve never seen it and I thought I was a really neat formation!

Another rare sight!
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

And if all of that weren’t enough, there was still Triplanes, Sopwiths, Manfred Radius (inverted in a glider 15’ off the deck!), wing walking, a Spitfire, a Hurricane, the Flying Farmer routine, and a B-17 flying around!

The flying and the action were almost non-stop. I was amazed at how, from the moment the airspace closed how jam packed with flying the show was. It was impressive and took a lot of coordination and brilliant execution on part of the HAG.

What I hated about Geneseo 2008…
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Sadly, there’s no such thing as a perfect air show and I think the 2008 Geneseo show, while spectacular, could have been much better. One example of something that could change is not ending the show with the main attraction leaving for another photo flight. We were told something along the lines of “..and the P-40s will be coming back for a formation pass before they leave the area, oh wait, no they won’t. Well, that’s it folks!”  it was a bit heartbreaking and I felt myself deflate after hearing it. I understand one of the announcers is full of stories, and I love hearing stories — but the stories came at the price of hearing aircraft as well as getting information on the aircraft in front of me. I’m pretty savvy at finding out information on a plane, but sometimes I’d just like the announcers, since he/she’s going to be there blabbing away anyways, to give me some info about what I’m seeing. I understand that some photographers managed to get field passes during the show,  which is great, but I wish that them getting their photos didn’t have to ruin mine.

I’d like to mention, I did request media access to this show and never heard back. In my request I made available some of my photography and a note saying why I wanted media access. I offered to pay my admission to the show etc and I only requested that I be allowed to arrive early, stay late, and maybe get some help arranging an interview or two with pilots. I sent a total of 3 emails to the HAG (well in advance) and was given a phone number for an organizer apparently handling media, whom I called and left a voicemail for. I heard nothing back. Nothing. Now, I know this website isn’t exactly Warbird Digest (although my photography appears in the Sept/Oct #22 issue!), but I would have liked to have heard something — even if I was declined. If I had been made aware my request was declined, I could then have inquired as to what I’d need to do to make sure I got approved for next year’s show. I really don’t believe that asking the HAG to get back with me is asking too much, and I think it’s quite deleterious to not have the sense to even get back with a media outlet trying to promote your cause.

Click here for the Geneseo 2008 photo gallery

Click here to view videos from the show

Click here to vist the Historical Aircraft Group

Just a quick note before I start the review. I’m having trouble integrating Flickr with Wordpress, so for the time being, things may be a little flakey. I’ve found a way around the problem, but it involves some tedious coding. Hopefully by the time I make posts available (after this one), I’ll have the coding done, but it’s putting posts a bit behind schedule. You can always check out the Flickr page to view our albums, though!

Battle Creek A-10
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

This year’s Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival was one of the most diverse air shows that I’ve seen in quite some time. The line up was full of new acts that were new to the show, which made things particularly exciting for me. It’s always fun to see a performer’s first time at a specific show. I’d say that the majority of the acts were performing at this specific location for the first time! It was actually my first time seeing quite a few acts and I can’t wait to tell you about them

One act that was new to Battle Creek was the Starfighters in their F-104s. Until this show, I’d only seen a few pictures of them, but had never had the chance to see their show. It was a real treat for me to be able to see them twice in one weekend. They did not perform on Saturday, as they performed at the Goshen air show, which exchanges some acts with Battle Creek. I heard some people in the crowd on Saturday saying they were looking forward to seeing the Starfighters and were quite displeased to learn that the planes were not performing that day. I think what made it worse was, for the entire show, the Starfighters were parked in their staging area where people could see.

F-104 Starfighter
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

I had made arrangements with one of the Starfighters’ crew to go over to their ramp and see the planes and take some photos. For some reason or another, they never got back to me – or a few other people they were working on getting over their. I understand that sometimes things just don’t materialize or something comes up – but it’s always nice to let people know what’s happening (if possible).

Regardless, their show was fantastic! I cannot stress this enough, if you have a chance to see the Starfighters, go see them. It’s that simple – just go. You will not only be impressed with their flying skills, but the show they put on and the sound of their very unique engines. It was worth the price of admission just to see their act.

Another act that was a first time for me was seeing the Aerostars in their Yak 52 TW (the TW presumably for the tail wheel). It’s a 3 ship demonstration with their maneuvers being mostly very coordinated formations and precisely timed breaks. They put on one heck of a show. They even came by the media/photo area where I was shooting and said hello to us. I didn’t have an opportunity to talk up this site, but I think it was really great of them to stop over and say hello.

There are a few acts out there that use older propeller-driven airplanes, but I can honestly say that the Aerostars are one of my favorites. Their timing was crisp and their formations were incredibly consistent, tight, and very aesthetically pleasing. I was genuinely impressed. Way to go, Aerostars! I hope to be seeing them in Alpena, MI for their scheduled performance there!

Bill Stein’s Edge 540
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Another performer that I was seeing for the first time was Michigan native, Bill Stein. He has a paint job on this plane that is just out of this world. His act was high energy and mesmerizing as he made his Edge 540 tumble through the sky. He had some series of maneuvers where he’d climb into the sky and come into the rest of the string with such speed and energy that it was just incredible to see. He’d snap into the vertical and just shoot up into the air like a bat out of hell before making his plane tumble.

Bill Stein’s Edge 530 and it’s paint job
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

One thing you’ll notice about Bill Stein’s Edge 540 is the paint job – it changes colors right before your eyes. The colors most noticed are a teal/green, blue, and purple. I asked Bill how many colors his plane was and he said that it’s actually only one color! There is some kind of a prism within the paint job that reacts to light differently on different sides, therefore producing the appearance of multiple colors! It truly is a one of a kind paint job that I encourage you to see for yourself!

I’d really like to thank Bill Stein for inviting me out to view his plane. It was a great experience to get out there and take a close look. I also must thank Bretten Bailey of ARCP that helped arrange the visit. It was really great to get close to a show plane and talk with the pilot a bit — I hope I get to do more of it!

Skip Stewart’s plane
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Skip Stewart’s performance was also one of the highlights of the show, for me. As you watch him fly, your mind is constantly wondering, “How’d he do THAT?!” because it’s hard to wrap your mind around just how he’s making him plane do some of the things it does. Skip was another performer that came over to our little photo area to say hi and talk for a bit, it was a pleasure to meet him.

F-15 West Coast and P-51D
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Dale “Snort” Snodgrass flew in the P-51 “Excalibur” and gave some very great low level high-speed passes. The way he flies a P-51 is truly exciting to watch. I’ve seen Mr. Snodgrass fly many times and each time I consider it a treat. Seeing the P-51 alongside an F-15 was quite neat. The planes were set against a blue sky that couldn’t have been more perfect. The heritage flight program is always neat to see, no matter how times you see it.

The F-18 Hornet demo was something I’d never seen. I’ve seen the SuperHornet demo a couple times, now, but never the Hornet demo. I was very please to be seeing it for the first time. The vapors and compression bubbles produced by F-18’s maneuvers were incredible to watch through my lens and I was able to document them as best I could.

F/A-18 and T-2 buckey legacy flight
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

F/A-18 pull into vertical
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

What made the F-18 demo even more special was that afterwards, I got to see a Legacy flight, the Navy’s version of the USAF’s Heritage program. The vintage plane flying alongside the F-18 was none other than a beautiful T-2 buckeye. The T-2 is a plane that screams of a trainer and looks like it could be put into a nice spin to train pilots how to get out of. I’ve only seen a T-2 one other time (Thunder Over Michigan 2007) and the announcer said that there are only 4 in civilian hands. Seeing this plane was amazing and is another one of my highlights of the show.

Plane of top of a car 2
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

The last new act that I want to talk about was The Alabama Boys. They did the typical flying farmer routine, which is always fun to sit back and watch – but they added a couple twists that made it very fun for me to watch. One of the things they added was to “shoot” a tire off of the Piper Cub that was expertly being tossed around the air. The other thing they added was landing the plane on top of a truck. Yes, they landed the plane on a platform that sat atop the truck! It was amazing to watch. The skill and coordination was something that commands respect. I was in awe of what I saw. They also were people that stopped by and said hello, which made the experience a little extra special.

Thunderbirds in formation
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

A highlight for many who attended the air show was seeing the USAF Thunderbirds. I’ve seen them quite a few times over the past 2yrs, and their show doesn’t change much from year to year. I noticed a few different patterns that were being flown by the solos, but that was about all. The sneak pass on Sunday was amazing from my vantage point and you can find it on the AirShowBlogger.com YouTube page.

I could go on and on about the Battle Creek show, but this post sums up what my favorite parts of the show were. Yes there was Dave Dacy, wing walking, shockwave, and other great performers and they all did a marvelous job. But, if I wrote something about each and every single performer and what I thought about them, it’d take you a long, long time to read this review and I want to keep things as simple and sweet as I can. Feel free to go through the photographs and videos from this air show and if there’s something you want a review of, let me know! Also, if you were at the show, feel free to comment with what you liked, didn’t like, or would want to see in the future at the show.

A big thanks to Suzanne Nanos-Gusching and especially Patti Mitchell for helping with media access where they could. Thanks to them and their hard work, I was able to get some really great photos and videos. I hope that I get to work with them next year, as they were quite helpful and never once gave me bogus or bad information! Thank you both!

Battle Creek 2008 Videos

I’ve always found it quite helpful to have a checklist around when I’m preparing/packing for an air show. When you are rushing around in the morning before departure for an air show, it’s incredibly easy to forget something. We’ve all done it and will probably do it again, sometime.

I typed up a little checklist of items that I think are must-have items and another list of things that are nice to have/that I like to have sometimes. I’m sure I’ll forget something that should be on either of the lists and fix it and a later date, but if I do, I will be sure to update the file and make a note of the change(s).

Although I’m putting up a checklist, I think that there are more things to keep in mind. Leave yourself plenty of time to get in and out of an air show. If you’re traveling more than a couple of hours to a show, think about keeping a cooler in your car with some snacks and water. Also, if you’re going out of town and can arrive a day early, DO SO. Drive the route you’re going to be taking to the air show and familiarize yourself with the lay of the land and have an idea of what’s around you.

I found this quite helpful when I went to Thunder Over Louisville in 2007. We arrived in Louisville the day before the show, went down to the site, familiarized ourselves with the route/which lanes to be in/which exit to take and we even scoped out a GREAT parking spot quite close to the water. We out of the area and almost to our hotel in Cincinnati, OH when most people were stuck in traffic. Also, if you go check things out before the day of the show, sometimes you’ll get to see the planes practice and perhaps you’ll see something that you might not see in the show the next day!

Keep in mind, you may not be able to get on the actual grounds of the air show due to safety/crowd control reasons, but you should be able to practice most of your route. Some air shows have “arrival day” and/or “practice day” events that you can attend!

If you think of anything that should be on the checklist, that is not already on there, please feel free to leave a comment. Keep in mind, this is a generic checklist and YOU are responsible for knowing exactly what is/is not allowed at the air show you attend!

Left-click and Save:
Air Show Checklist.wps

NOTE: I’ll have the file in .PDF form soon so that it’s a little more accesible!

Just thought I’d give a quick update to let you know about things I’ve been working on!

On the right-hand side of the journal, you will now see “AirShowBlogger.com Additional Material” which has links to our Youtube.com account so you can watch some videos, our Flickr.com gallery so that you can look at more pictures, and just yesterday I launched the AirShowBlogger.com online store! As of right now there is only one design available, but I’ll try to have more in the near future. I chose to put our design on primarily light-colored clothing because if you were to wear our gear to an air show, the light clothing will help ward off some heat. When I get some new designs, I will be sure to post about them.

Working on the next post, now. I’ll be doing a post that is designed to help people who might not be terribly familiar with air shows. It will include some tips and a helpful checklist that you can print out and use for the next time you go to an air show!

B-25 “Axis Nightmare”
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

B-25
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Thunder Over Michigan 2007 was the year of the B-25, and what a sight it was! I am lucky enough to have family within 15 minutes of Willow Run airport, so the show has been a staple of the air show season for my family. The Yankee Air Museum does one of heck of job putting on one the best air shows in the country, every summer. They do something that is quite neat, they have a specific group of aircraft that they try to concentrate on. In 2006 it was Spitfires, in 2007 it was B-25s, and in 2008 it will be P-47 Thunderbolts! The amount of time and energy spent on contracting the few warbirds that are left in each group is quite a daunting task, to say the least. However, the Yankee Air Museum does an incredible job and have clearly forged very solid relationships with many warbird owners and pilots — and it shows.

Special Delivery
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Arrival day was quite a departure from the 2006 show. During the 2006 season, people who attended arrival day couldn’t wander the tarmac (for obvious reasons), but we were able to get MUCH closer to the action. There planes taxing by 25′ (7.6m) away from me and I was able to get some neat shots of pilots waving and what not. For the 2007 air show, that kind of access seemed to be reserved for a very select few people. I assume the photographers were either media or friends with someone who was part of the air show. Did I mention, it’s about who you know? While I greatly enjoyed the 2007 arrival day, I felt that 2006 was much better. The big change in the way arrival day was presented was because of the new air show layout for 2007, something I’ll cover in just a bit. I fully understand that the Yankee Air Museum wants people to be close to the action, but due to the size of the B-25s, the amounts of them, and the focus on safety, the layout had to be changed.

P-40 Warhawk
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

The layout for Thunder Over Michigan was changed drastically, as I understand it, to accommodate all of the B-25s, the Blue Angels, and to have ample parking as well as the safest possible layout for spectators. The previous layouts simply would NOT have yielded enough space for crowds and B-25s to safely move around, The Yankee Air Museum did a great job finding a logical solution. There was quite a distance between the crowd line and the static displays, however. A long enough distance, where I didn’t feel it was worth the walk or the hassle with crowds to trek all the way over there. One thing I noticed was that many elderly people who attended had to walk these great distances. With the field being full of un-even ground (it’s the infield of a busy airport, no big surprise there), the distance, and the lack of carts to shuttle some people around, I feel that many senior citizens did not get the full experience of the air show. I did see the Yankee Air Force busting their butts to fix this problem, which was great and I’m sure they learned some very valuable lessons.

Blue Angels systems check
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Saturday’s show was amazing. There was almost non-stop action. The only real down time was during the Blue Angels Pre-flight routine. There are some people out there who don’t like big acts like the Blue Angels, but I must say that because all of those extra people were drawn to show, The Yankee Air Museum furthered their rebuilding efforts by leaps and bounds. There were a number of highlights for me during Saturday’s show. I always get a kick out of seeing an F-86 at Thunder Over Michigan. Thankfully, one was able to make it and gave a few great passes. Another great moment for me was seeing Sean Tucker in the Oracle Challenger. Sean has captivated me from the first time I saw him fly. His passion for flying is infectious and exudes out of every pore in his body. There was a neat moment towards the end of the show as he drove down the crowd line to get somewhere. No one was cheering him on — they had no idea what the guy in the red plane looked like! I sprang to my feet and gave him a holler and clapped my hands (as did my girlfriend) in appreciation for his performance. He slowed down, waved, pointed and cheered right back at us. I felt like I had gotten noticed by a legend. Yes, I admit, I am a huge Sean Tucker fan!

When the Blue Angels went up, the crowd was more than ready. They’d baked under the sun all afternoon (it was a scorcher!) and were ready for what a large number of them had come to see. I always get excited to see the Blue Angels (although I’m a bit partial to the Thunderbirds) because they fly such beautiful formations and the demo is so incredibly energy packed. I felt as though they were closer to the crowd than any of the other acts (not sure if that is reality or just the feeling I got) and it really made for a neat experience. They put on a solid show, but I could see where some safeties were going to be taken. I was glad to see that by Saturday, the jet without a number had one painted on and that the maintenance crews had found a solution to whatever problem they were having on Friday.

Blue Angel pulling vapor
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

The best part of the air show, hands down, was the massive B-25 launch and fly over. The sounds were just amazing. There are no words for me to describe it for you, but hearing all of those engines purring over head as the formations meandered about was simply awesome. The B-25s felt very far away and the pictures from my lens were pretty bad given that I didn’t have much reach, but I do have a video of the massive flyover! Do check out our youtube account (details at the bottom of this post) and you can watch it and hear the sounds for yourself!

I was at the show for arrival day and for Saturday, sadly I wasn’t able to go to the show on Sunday. However, I did make it for the photo tour on Sunday morning. I must again, applaud the Yankee Air Museum for letting some photographers into the gates a couple of hours early. It was nice to be out there with the planes without hordes of people to contend with. I had a great time with my dad, snapping photos of the planes and being able to get up close and personal with them, it was quite nice. Despite how amazing it was, I really wish that all of the B-25s could have been in one place, at one time. It would have made taking pictures much more efficient and it would have allowed me to photograph all the B-25s that were there. The experience was great, but I think it could have been just a tiny bit better in a couple ways.

The bottom line for this air show is that the Yankee Air Museum did a hell of a job. With the weather being rainy during the week and the logistical nightmares faced by the coordinators, they pulled off an excellent air show. It was amazing that they were able to get so many B-25s on one ramp and up in the air at one time. It really says something about them and their organization, not to mention how well they can coordinate and execute an air show. The only real complaints I can have about the show are ones that HAD to happen for safety’s sake, and that is totally understandable. I learned a lot regarding photography after reviewing my pictures from this show. I now realize the importance of documenting just which planes are there, to make sure I have an accurate representation for myself and whoever reads this site.

I cannot wait for 2008’s Thunder Over Michigan, it’s going to be incredible!

Don’t forget, you can click the pictures to see the enlarged versions! Also, there are MORE PICTURES on the AirShowBlogger.com Flickr account. If you have a Flickr account already, feel free to add AirShowBlogger and see all of our pictures and leave your comments! And same goes for the AirShowBlogger.com youtube account!

GML 2007 line up (Thursday)
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

Taxi
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

The Gathering of Mustangs and Legends was held in Columbus, OH at Rickenbacker International Airport (KLCK), Sept 27-30. There was gossip that around 100 mustangs that originally were to be a part of the event. Due to incredibly bad weather for the majority of arrival day, some planes didn’t make it or had to come in later than expected. I still have not seen anything that’s being a called a firm number on exactly how many P-51s attend at some point during the weekend, but all the numbers I have seen hover in the 75-80 range. Having that many P-51s, no one can really complain about the ones who didn’t make it.

I had a lot of fun at arrival day. I haven’t been to many air shows where the arrival day has been even 1/2 as active as this arrival day. I got to watch around 35-40 P-51s come in. It was quite a site for me because until that day, the most P-51s I’d seen in one place was 7. I was amazed at how they just kept pouring in. Seeing P-51s fly over the site, in formation, then peel off and land was beautiful. Moments after landing and checking in, the planes were towed into a hanger where they were photographed by a great bunch of people. I didn’t catch names (they were really busy and I wanted to stay out of the way), but they were impressive how quickly they moved. I cannot wait to see the pictures — they said they would be putting out a book. When the book becomes available, I will make a post with all the information.

Extreme Close-up #1
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

There was a lull in the warbird arrival and all of sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, a pair of F-16s came screaming across the field! Moments later, a few more came into the patternn. The Thunderbirds had arrived in Columbus! I’ve seen them before, but I’d never seen the arrival process they do. It was incredible to watch them buzzing around the area. At times, I could like I could reach out and touch the planes.

Because it had rained pretty much all morning, when the Thunderbirds arrived in their F-16s, there was a lot of vapor to watch. I’ve always been fascinated by watching air bleed off of the edges of an airplane, especially the F-16. It was really a sight to see them swoop in and instantly gather almost everyone’s attention.

Arrival
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

The air show itself was amazing. That’s the only word I can use to describe it. The pilots and the organizers were hustling to get things in place and to keep the show moving. Heck, I saw Ed Shipley scurry out of a P-51 only to hop onto a golf cart to go to work in the TV truck! It really was evident that people were doing their best to keep things going along and most off all, to keep things safe for everyone. It was incredible to watch the dedication everyone put into the show.

The only slow point during the show, was the time before the Thunderbirds took to the air. They were in a spot where all their pre-flight check/routine was pretty far away from the crowd. So as far as the crowd was concerned, there was about 30min of engines warming up behind them. On one day, it was especially bad because Thunderbird #5 reported trouble and planes had to be swapped out. I believe that barnstormer John Mohr went up to keep the crowd entertained during some of the wait. He’s an incredible pilot, especially with his “gotchya” move. I would have to say he’s one of the most exciting civilian barnstorming acts I’ve seen in recent years. His “Falling Leaf” is absolutely amazing.

The only part of the show that really bothered me was how the GML media representatives treated the “smaller” press. I was covering the event for a large Michigan-based news service than carries stories for many of our papers, that had interest in the pilots that fly often in Michigan, the veterans words, and what people thought of the gathering. I was promised certain shooting opportunities, and interviews. In addition, I was told I’d have the ability to come to the show early so I could get shots of the planes, free of people, and that I could stay late and shoot dusk/evening shots. To put it bluntly, none of that happened. The media that got to come in early/stay late were people who were friendly with the pilots, it’s all about who you know. I understand that the logistics of an event like this are incredibly hectic and crazy, so things change often. I heard media members that flew in from Europe talking about how frustrated they were with their media flights vanishing and the media reps not returning phone calls.

F-22 Raptor
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

The media credential did allow me to get access to one of the USAF’s newest aircraft, the F-22 Raptor. Paul “Max” Moga came out to have a brief talk with the photographers and to answer questions before he went into pre-flight. He was a really nice man and he said it was an honor to be flying such a machine at such an event. “Max” was a pretty nice fellow who answered all of our questions and was incredibly humble in regards to flying a $200,000,000 (USD) aircraft.

Paul “Max” Moga and his ride
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

I didn’t read many forums leading up to the event, because I wanted to be surprised. I was perhaps a little unprepared because I didn’t read as much as I could have, but I sure am thankful I chose not to read. The reason is, at the end of the air show on Saturday and Sunday, the flying was closed with a formation of P-51s flying a giant “51″ in the sky, right over the audience. It was an amazing formation to see and well worth the wait as they formed up.

51 Formation
Originally uploaded by airshowblogger

The end result of all the effort was a world class air show. One can easily understand why shows like this cannot happen every year, but I don’t see why they can’t be held every 5 or so. I think it was incredible to see all these planes, owners, and pilots come together to have the planes there, but the logistical side of things on the ground seemed to have gone pretty smooth. The layout was a bit big, but with an event like this it has to be. I’m happy to report that all of the planes made it home/to their next stop with no bent metal. What an amazing weekend, I sincerely hope that this is not the final round up.

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Hello! Welcome to Airshowblogger.com! Right now I am just getting things up and running, expect some sort of content in the very near future! Our first blog post will be a full review of GML2007!!!!