OK - So its not a hike in the woods with trees, bushes and streams. We planned to go out this weekend and spend 3 nights in the woods if that matters? Since plans fell through we decided to take a different kind of a hike. How about an 8 hour hike on an Air Force base? Yes it was the air show weekend and we were lucky enough to go! Here is how it went down....
We went to the air show in 2006 with some close friends. It was a blast! We learned a lot that year and so this year we came prepared. Foremost learning experience; take a wagon to carry all your stuff! It is much easier. But pack it thin so you still can fit in between the metal detectors. Second item we learned; take a cooler for cold water, snacks and a packed lunch. This saves tons of money and less time standing in food lines! Third thing we learned from previous trip; umbrella! It is tons nicer having a wife that isn't grouchy when the sun isn't baking on you!
So we arrived at 10:00 AM. Just in time for the beginning. It took us a bit to get on base and find our parking spot. I was a bit worried seeing everyone parking outside the base and walking in. Once we found our spot on the flight line we walked around and checked out the static displays. It was a bit breezy so much of the actual air show was delayed. The picture below shows our view looking north from where we were sitting. Perfect view of the C-5 Galaxy and the front of the B-1 bomber.
You can see the crowds! It was estimated over 400,000 visitors. We left early enough to get a good seat, and thank goodness! First flight up was the Forest Service's DC-3 which was going to drop some smoke jumpers. Since the wind was not in their favor they just did a few flyby's. Wussies! Then they announced they would be flying higher and out pops the Air Force Academy's jump team. The Star Spangled Banner starts to play and the parachute in the middle has the American Flag sailing behind him. Everyone stood up, removed their hats, and waited till every man landed. Then like always, the cheers erupted. What a way to start the show!!!
After a bit of watching some newer specialized aerobatic planes fly around it was time to go see the static displays. Below is the C-5. This plane is awesome to watch fly in and out of Hill.
Below is the front end of the B-52 bomber. Everyone was hiding under it's wing span for shade. They should have brought an umbrella!!
Next up, the C-130. This is one of my favorite planes. Hill services them and therefore they fly in and out frequently. I would be working in the yard and hear the props coming and have to stop and watch. Dad used to jump out of these planes when he was in the Army. Every time he sees one I can tell he grimaces at the memories he had jumping. A reason this is one of my favorite planes is when an "A" is placed before the "C" it makes an "AC-130 Gunship." If you have never seen an AC-130 gunship in action then you are in for a surprise. AWESOME capabilities! Someday I will have an opportunity to see one in person, at least I hope anyways.
Another plane the base services is the A-10 Warthog. The plane specializes in the .30 caliber Gatling gun mounted in the nose. The whole plane was designed and built around the gun.
This year they had an E-3 AWAC (Airborne Warning and Control System) parked on the flight line. I believe it is a Boeing 767 specially rigged with a radar disc on top. Inside is nothing but wall to wall consoles with a million plus toggle switches and lights. It puts a whole new meaning to mobile command vehicle!
Also on display they had two Minute Man Missile trailers. They didn't have the missiles inside but the shear size and functionality of the apparatus was really cool to see.
Here is a Navy plane out doing demonstrations.
Here is the back end of the C-5. This plane is the largest item in the Air Forces inventory.
Here is an F-14 on display. It was pretty big compared to the F-16's sitting next to it.
Hill Air Force Base is home to three F-16 squadrons. They each had a plane on display. This first one is from the 388th Diamondbacks. The 388th is a special operations squadron. The next one is from the 421st Black Widows. They are a fighting squadron. And the last one is the 41st Fighting Rams, also a fighting squadron.
Below is an old WWII plane. It as an Army C-46F with the name China Doll. As far as old WW-II bombers and planes, this was about it. I was a bit disappointed they didn't have any B-17's or B-24's. However I know they are on permanent static display at the Air Museum located North-West of the base.
Some more Navy planes:
Here is the DC-3 ran by the Forest Service for firefighting operations. If you look closely at the second picture, you can see my hero. I want to grow my beard just like his!!
I wish they had more helicopters, especially my favorite CH-53E. But the blackhawk, Apache and the UH-1 will have to do!
Here is our own Utah Air National Guard. They fly out of the base next to the International Airport. They fly the KC-135 Refueling Tankers. However during the Katrina Disaster they flew to New Orleans and brought back many of the Evacuees to reside at Camp Williams for a time. I was involved in the operations at the base when they flew in and have pictures of that if anyone is interested...
Here is another C-130. It looked a bit different than the others so I had to take a closer look. When I did I learned it was a specially rigged plane for combat rescue operations. They fly into hot zones to evacuate wounded. To the normal person it looks like another C-130 but on closer inspection you can see the small details that allow them to function in their own special way.
Here is another view of the F-14.
And an air show can't be an air show without your local EMS sitting around waiting for something to happen! I was interested to see how they had their operations set up and functioning. That is until I saw the small little unit driving around. I had to take a picture of it. I don't know if I wanted to be the one to drive this little buggy around or not. Take a really close look at the second picture and see what it says on the side of it.
For those of you who don't know, CBRN spells out Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear. If you see this thing coming; RUN! I was a bit disappointed this year for the fact they didn't have any F-22's flying. The F-22 Raptor is another one of my favorite planes. Their have been some recent controversy over this plane with politics vs. military. They have cut the funding for the F-22 so they won't be around as much. Sad, because it is a really cool and stealthy fighter plane!
Here is another look at the C-5 and the crowds.
Since the F-22's weren't flying they had to do something cool. So they brought out the C-17! Unfortunately I was standing in the bathroom line when it was out flying so I couldn't get the front row seat, which would have been really cool! Christy said it was a BBIIIGGGG plane to watch fly by. After it took a few passes and climbed the Air Force Academy Parachutes jumped out again. It was really cool. After they landed the C-17 did a low pass around crowd and tipped it's wings. That plane has some mobility!!!
By the time I made it back to the chairs it had landed. Then it did something I was really impressed with. It came to a full stop in front of the crowd, roared its engines, and started going backwards! It drove backwards for about a hundred feet! Freaking incredible. Then it turned on a dime a full 180 degrees and roared down the runway!! I was actually flabbergasted and by the time I had realized what they did my whole body had the chills! The runway is only 270 feet wide and for them to do that was insane. Especially considering the size of the C-17.
And of course theres Christy, sitting under the umbrella, reading her book, missing all the cool action!!! But hey, I still love her for taking me to the air show!
The plane on the left is the F-18 Hornet. It is flown by the Navy. They had a demonstration team here from California. They did a flying demenstration which was really cool. The plane on the right is the F-22. Atleast they had it on display.
These are a few pictures of the B-1 Bomber. It was really big for only being able to carry a few bombs. The third picture down is the jet turbine engine. The one after that is the bomb cargo bay. From the looks of it the capability is only 5 or 6 bombs.
And finally, to end the show; The Thunderbirds!! They have a whole program set up from the time they walk onto the flight line to the time they land! A pre-flight demonstration set to music and of course the in-flight aerobatics! If you have never seen these guys perform you are missing out! WOW! That is all I can say.
Of course, after the show the pilots come out to visit with the crowd and sign autographs. I had to get a closer look, you know me!
Here are a few video's I took of the planes flying. I tried to get some pictures but our camera is old. OK, not really, but I couldn't stop watching to take the time to get good detailed pictures.
After the show we pre-planned the exit strategy. If you figure it, 400,00 trying to exit an air base at the same time is almost disastarous. We saw many a frustrated drivers inching their way through the bumper to bumper traffic. So what did we do? After loading the wagon and cooler we set up the lawn chairs again, and pulled out the small DVD player and watched a movie. I am pretty sure we got a bunch of foul looks but who cares? There we sat in comfortable chairs, in the shade, drinking a cold drink, watching a movie. After the traffic died down we walked over to the BX and went to the bathroom. Then walked back and took us only 20 minutes to get off base. To end the night we headed over to our favorite restuarount; Roosters. While we were in having another cold beverage the F-18 Demenstration team walked in. It was about 5 or 6 guys wearing flight suits. When they all walked out and sat on the patio I motioned for the bartender. I asked to pay for their first rounds! Christy gave me a really stark look....hey, they were Navy boys and I support the Navy because of Nate. And second, they did a really cool show today. And if you want a third; they are serving our country and protecting our freedom! Overall the air show was a success! It was a really fun time and can not wait till the next one.
