Offutt 2007 Airshow pics

[Jay Chladek]

Well, no Blue Angels this year due to what happened a few weeks ago. Team Aeroshell opted to fill in at the last minute. But, the weather played havoc all weekend with the festivities. On Saturday I didn't go due to an event going on at the nearby SAC Museum in Ashland, NE (a talk given by Apollo era mission controller Sy Liebergot). Weather was rainy early in the day with lightning strikes until about 10:00 or so, but cleared up nicely in the afternoon, which is why I was shaking my head when Offutt cancelled Saturday's festivities completely. As such, Sunday looked worse for the most part, but no lightning. There was a delay getting into the gate due to a brief shower early on. But we were cleared to go in by 10:00AM. Static aircraft on display were more or less the usual stuff (A-10s, F-15C, some T-38s from Vance, a C-17, a couple warbirds). I also was able to get up close and personal with an RC-135V. The flying display had some interesting aircraft planned, although it looks as though some cancelled and left on Saturday due to weather so there was no flyover from a P-40 Warhawk or an OV-1 Mohawk (owned locally). But they did get some flying in.

No, these are not all the pictures I took, just a small sampling. I was doing a little practice with a Nikon D70S camera I acquired last year with a 90-200mm lens. I need to get a 300 though as in my pictures of the F-16 demo (done by the East demo team) it looked like a dot for the most part. Larger aircraft I had better luck with and I probably could have had some decent formation shots of Team Aeroshell if the weather hadn't finally moved in by 2:30 to cancel flying for the rest of the day. But, I had some pretty good luck. Here are five of my best shots:

For starters, an E-2C Hawkeye from VAW-121 was transiting through on its way to Victoria, BC and decided to stay for the airshow. Since E-2Cs are a rarity in this area, I shot a whole walkaround series on it for reference and possible decal reference. Now we just need to get some company to do a 1/48 kit in STYRENE!!!

This is a quickie cockpit shot of a top secret airplane passing through. I couldn't get any exterior shots due to security being so tight on it. But all the special gear is hidden and the cockpit is rather low tech by comparison. When these finally retire in two years, a great capability will be lost. ;)

Caught on landing is the E-4B, the largest aircraft based at Offutt. Two are based here and at least one other is based at Andrews. Since the President has that spiffy VC-25 to fly on now, this one in time of nuclear strike would be used by other members of the Presidential staff, such as the Secretary of Defense. In peacetime, this plane has a couple other roles. One important one is it can be deployed by FEMA to weather ravaged parts of the country to act as a communications link. Its last use in this capacity was at Homestead AFB in the wake of Hurricane Andrew since outside phone service was COMPLETELY lost to that area for a few weeks. The plane at Andrews is used often by the VC-25 crews to practice aerial refuelling since they don't want to risk scratching the paint on the big blue monster.

Nice to see that the field pyrotechnics were still nice and dry as this CAF A-26 does a simulated bomb strike. I love the smell of Napalm in the Morning! Other pyros included simulated strafing runs done by the P-51 Gunfighter II. I had pretty good luck with non blurry shots this time as I was using the camera's sports setting, but the gray sky played havoc with the lighting.

"This is Red Ghostrider, permission to buzz the tower?" A MiG-17 put on an impressive aerial display, including some nice high speed passes at low altitude. This tower attached to one of the 55th's hangars is I believe utilized for ground handling operations on peak days. Today it was unused. Offutt does have a traditional control tower out beyond the runways. The MiG got a lot closer to the field line then the F-16 was able to (due to airshow limitations) and it made for quite a sight.

I would say that having this airshow in May was nice in that the weather was cooler. But it puts things right smack in the middle of thunderstorm season. Hopefully next year we can get both the Blue Angels back and maybe Team Aeroshell so they can put on a more spectacular show. I just hope they have better luck dodging the weather next time.

[Kelly Quirk]

Great pictures Jay!

[jetmanf14]

Awesome pics, and for some reason I like that Mig shot. I know the lighting was terrible, but it looks cool.

Paul

[J.C. Bahr]

Hey Jay,

The hill below the Mig looks kind of barren... I take it they finally got all the old housing tore down that was marked for demolition when I was up there back in 2005? Any ideas as to what they plan to do with that area?

[David Walker]

That MiG picture is fantastic!

[yardbird78]

Nice photos. Thanks for posting. That brings back memories of when I spent a bunch of TDY time at Offutt in the 1960s. Yeah, I know, that was like several centuries ago.

Darwin

[Aggressor Supporter]

Really like the A-26 wall of fire and Mig-17 pics.

[Jay Chladek]

Gee, I am surprised nobody from the Tweet mafia picked up on the T-37 cockpit pic I posted. :) Oh well, maybe it was too subtle a clue for them. :) The two instructor pilots did inform me the Shepherd AFB will continue to operate Tweets for about another two years before they fully switch over to T-6 Texan IIs.

Yeah I'm not sure what they plan to do in that area J.C. as I've been out of the Offutt loop for a few years. They do have two runways active now though, so perhaps the removal of that housing may have had something to do with the second runway being brought online. BTW, you would have loved it as they had a CFM engined Rivet Joint on display with no ropeoffs (PM me for details). As for Offutt's layout Yardbird, it is pretty much the same as it was during the 1960s. My family moved here in the early 1980s and we had visited a couple times in the 1970s. Things have stayed very much the same layout wise with only one major hangar that I can recall getting demolished in 1986 or so. Right now there is some serious revamping going on in the BX parking lot area as it is now a big dirt pit that was suitable for mud bog drag racing on Sunday with all the rain in the area.

That MiG buzz is indeed a cool shot. He did two high speed passes like this and I caught him both times. This was the better of the two shots I got. Gunfighter also did a pass from that side as well which I caught, but it doesn't look quite as neat with a P-51 doing it as opposed to a MiG on a high speed pass. The wall of fire A-26 shot was the most spectacular bit from the warbirds display as on other occassions the fireball touched off with the plane too far out of frame to get a decent shot. I also got some nice shots of the E-4 on touchdown with its thrust reversers deploying. I am saving those for possible future book use though as seeing the GE engines deploying reversers isn't something one normally sees in pictures.

All in all, I had some good luck with the Nikon this time even with the crappy lighting. But I do need to invest in a better telephoto lens for stuff like this.

Edited May 10, 2007 by Jay Chladek

[Spruemeister]

Glad it wasn't a total loss, Jay. Wish I had been in the area, but farm work is keeping me pretty well tied down for now. Maybe next year. This year was aweful early wasn't it for an Offut open house? Usually I can swing it later in the summer.

Would also be interested in some of those RV details, too.

Rick L.

[Jay Chladek]

Glad it wasn't a total loss, Jay. Wish I had been in the area, but farm work is keeping me pretty well tied down for now. Maybe next year. This year was aweful early wasn't it for an Offut open house? Usually I can swing it later in the summer.

Would also be interested in some of those RV details, too.

Rick L.

Yes, this show is normally held in late July/early August. Scuttlebutt has it that they planned for a May show since that was the only time period they could get a Blue Angels date when they put in the request. Last year there was no airshow due to the work being done on the runways and they were trying to attract a big crowd for this year. Well, the Blues are always a big draw. But we all know what happened last month to put that idea on hold. I am hoping that maybe Offutt will be on the Blues schedule for next year given the circumstances beyond both parties control, but we won't know that for a few months yet.

[Trigger]

Gee, I am surprised nobody from the Tweet mafia picked up on the T-37 cockpit pic I posted.

Well, Jon's at SERE training, I dunno where Waco, Murph or the others are and I'm just now looking at this thread... Too much Tweetness can cause a person's head to explode and no one wants that, do they?

When these finally retire in two years, a great capability will be lost.

SO SAY WE ALL!

I saw this MiG-17 run it's demo here a couple of years back and I was really impressed by it. I hope to see it return soon. Which reminds me, I need to get on the local planning commission for our airshows...

[Tophat25]

For starters, an E-2C Hawkeye from VAW-121 was transiting through on its way to Victoria, BC and decided to stay for the airshow. Since E-2Cs are a rarity in this area, I shot a whole walkaround series on it for reference and possible decal reference. Now we just need to get some company to do a 1/48 kit in STYRENE!!!

Isn't this one of two units still assigned to CVW-17,I think Fuji posted my question/answer related to VS-22,last week...

Also my local news reported an SH-60F from HS-7 crashed at Fallon with again sad results of the full 5 crew members...checking my CA magazine 2004 Navy lists HS-7 had been with -17 now with CVW-3/CVN-75 Truman?

And that this CVW(-17) will join, when in service the last Nimitz-class carrier CVN-77 GHW Bush...!!

Nice markings style and Lt Blue sun rising!!

I have pics of VAW-125?/CVW-8 on 'TR', at Quad City Airshow at Eldridge/Davenport,IA from June 2002 post OEF cruise with 9/11 badge behind cockpit

Never gone to Offutt for a show,but visited SAC Museum,the RAF Vulcan bomber and speed record holder B-57 was a plus!!

Went again to Lincoln last couple years,very busy!! last year all RED before the game, my first time for a B-2 flyby!!

A VFA-86 lo-viz(310/AB) and a VFA-122 Bugs too.

Tophat25

Edited May 12, 2007 by Tophat25