Hello friends and Hivians. Oh what a hot couple of days in my locale! On Sunday I went to an air show at the nearby Air Base here. I hoped to capture all the amazing aerial stunts, tricks and happenings in the air. Unfortunately my camera phone is just not up for the task. However I quickly noticed still photography was producing shadows like crazy. So let me share with you my experience at the ground level.
First up in the line up is the shadows of some legendary and current jet fighters. From top to bottom they are: F-35A Lightening, F-15E Strike Eagle and the aging F-16A Fighting Falcon. All three can rattle the air and more than likely set off a car alarm or two. I can attest because I seen most of these land before the air show and again when they left to go back to their home stations today (Monday). My favorite is the shadow of the F-15E.
The first two above are American era World War II (WW II)aircraft. The P-51 (first pictured) was the go to aircraft for the Tuskegee Airman. They were a group of all African American pilots. This one is painted in tribute to them. The second pictured is Vultee BT-13. It was a trainer aircraft for the then Army Air Corps.
The last aircraft is Nanchang CJ-6. This is a Chinese aircraft that was used by the People's Liberation Army Air Forces. It was introduced in 1960 and was primarily used as a basic trainer. Out of the three I think it's shadow is the best.
Alright before I start telling you about these aircraft I realized something right away. I was not the only shadow hunter. There were hundreds of hunters. With it being around 100° F (38° C) many were taking refuge wherever they could find cover sitting on the shadows. You can add a few more digits to the air temperature because being on the flight line was like being in an oven. It was probably closer to 110° F (43°C). I mean I was collecting sweat everywhere even on my eyelashes, hehe.
The first picture above is an A-1 Sky Raider. It was a post WW II aircraft that was used in both the Korean & Vietnam wars. The second photo is that of a Nieuport 28 aircraft. A French aircraft that seen time in the first World War. The third aircraft is a PT-17 Stearman another WW II trainer aircraft, this one later became popular for crop dusting. Last we have the PT-19 Cornell. Another American WW II era aircraft. I have to give it to the oldest aircraft here, the French Nieuport 28, for casting the best shadow out of the four.
Hey people just didn't find shade underneath aircraft wings. Look at all the people under the helicopter blades of this CH-47 Chinook. I don't get see a lot of helicopters and I missed both the landing and taking off of this cool looking machine. I really wanted to see this one in action.
I tell you once you entered through the gates everyone got issued a follow me shadow 😂 Basically anything the sun had contact with had its own shadow. The aircraft pictured above is an EC-130 Compass Call. An aircraft that is in use today for electronic warfare.
The shadows people que in lines to get an assortment of foods, treats and drinks. They had just about anything you can imagine a vendor would be selling at venue such as this. I seen hot dogs, sausages, cheese burgers, corn dogs, funnel cakes, kennel corn, nachos, hot pretzels, snow cones, ice cream and yes even cold beer. These things are always pretty expensive but I really wasn't tempted because...
I settled myself before coming to the air show with an Ultimate Cookie Blizzard paired with some cheese curds from Dairy Queen. The blizzard is loaded with three different kinds of cookies: Oreos, Chips Ahoy and Nutter Butters. I must say it's the crunchiest blizzard I have ever had. Definitely hit the spot and it made it easy not being tempted at the air show. Hey you can even see a faint shadow on the table. The shadow appeared because it even approved 🤪
What you see above is 6 F-16 aircraft. Not available for static display because these ones gave aerial demonstrations. These are all part of the USAF Thunder Bird demonstration team. They put on an awesome show and at times come within 18 inches from each other while flying. The roar of the jet engines and crazy maneuvers bring a crowd in awe. This was the main draw for this years air show.
I got to see them in action before, during and after the air show. Unfortunately I didn't get to get up super close to them like I have in the past. Today I got tasked to assist an EC-130 crew with loading some loose cargo but had to head back to the shop immediately after. I was out there again but didn't have the opportunity to go check the Thunderbirds out.
So a hot time with many shadows everywhere at this years air show. It was decent show not the best I've seen but far from the worst I've seen and I've seen plenty of them. I hope you enjoyed the different aircraft I shared. I also have some blooper shadows that were taken by accident. If interested in seeing them ask in comments.
Take care, stay safe and enjoy the rest of your week. Until next time!