So I'm at an airshow convention...

Manic Moran

I go to the oddest places, sometimes, it's really just an excuse to go to Vegas.

I'm looking through the brochure, there is interesting competition going on between all sorts of people, from airshow announcers through the guys who provide the railings.

Most interesting, though, are the various demonstration/performers all vying for your attention. Did you know there's a privately owned Sea Harrier FRS.2 on the airshow circuit? F-80 Shooting Star, there can't be too many of those runnig around. A team of privately owned AH-1 Cobra gunships doing a routine, they also have Hueys and Cayuse for that true Vietnam experience...

Night airshows, with LEDs on the props or shooting off pyrotechnics seem be be a new thing as well. At least, I've never heard of them, but there are a number of people advertising 'night or day.' Local city councils must love hearing about those...

NTM

xflyer

Back in '89, I was returning to Ireland, after getting a green card, and attempting to get an Instrument rating and joining the US Army. What was I thinking?

Anyway, I had just flown into an FBO in Memphis airport with my Instructor. Not much to report.

Later as I sat in a DC9 taking off for St Louis, I looked down at the FBO to see two AH1 Cobras, a T37 Tweet and a Mig 15 sitting on the ramp.

Unbelievable, only in America.

That's America for you, everything seems possible.

Manic Moran

Talking to a couple of lads at dinner, they fly an unusual aircraft at shows.

So I ask them. "Well, for example on ATC I'm "Cessna 64E with the manufacturer in the callsign, what do you guys use as your callsign"
"November 12345X" (Or whatever)
"Ah, so no giveaways then"
"Nope, but coming here, we were asked by ATC at one point to 'Say Type'. So I say 'Mi-24'. He says 'a what?' , I say 'Hind.' He still had no idea..."

They have two of them, Delta models.

Nforce

Are the Hind's in private hands?:eek:

Of course you can also get privately owned MiG-29's and Su-27's in the US. I've recently heard rumours of a private EE Lightning (possibly an ex-Cape Town Thunder City example?) being prepared for the air show circuit?

Manic Moran

Nforce wrote: »

Are the Hind's in private hands?:eek:

Yep. Apparently after they bought them, they found a Bulgarian mechanic to teach them how to maintain them, and then scoured English language manuals to learn how to fly them. Apparently there was exactly one FAA examiner certified to grant type certificates for the aircraft in the country.

NTM

Faing

A Lightning on the airshow circuit? That would be the most exciting thing to see. I remember seeing them most days of my younger life when we lived in Lincolnshire and pairs of Lightnings were on constant patrols and exercises from RAF Binbrook. BK was the airshow display plane and we used to watch it regularly practising its display routine. If you've never seen (or heard one close up) in flight then you are missing something in your life.....lol