Grand Forks Air Force Base, July 22, 2006

featuring the USAF Thunderbirds

Dubbed “Thunder over the Red River,” the Air Show is slated to feature performances by Air Combat Command’s F-15 Eagle demonstration team, a Canadian De Havilland DHC-1 warbird and aerial acrobatic pilot Julie Clark in her T-34 Mopar aircraft. Planned static displays include: the NASA DC-8 Flying Laboratory, the T-37 Tweet, the T-1 Jayhawk, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the T-38C Talon, the T-6 Texan, NASA’s F-18 Chase Aircraft, the B-25 Mitchell Bomber, and the C-47 Skytrain, among many others.

 

July 26, 2006

I posted Photos from GFAFB

 

Further data see: show website, GFAFB Public Relations, and this PDF file.

 

The Air Show starts here at 9 a.m., Saturday, July 22 and is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit the Air Show section of the base web site or contact public affairs at 747-5020.

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Schedule

• 0900 Gates Open
• 1140 Opening Ceremonies
• 1145 Army Black Daggers Jump w/ Natl Anthem
• 1155 Army Back Daggers Mass Exit Show
• 1205 Oregon Aero Sky Dancer Demonstration
• 1220 USCG Search & Rescue Demonstration - I went for pizza, but Bob who stayed at the flight line didn't see this either.
• 1230 Warbird Flight (P-51, Corsair, etc.)
• 1250 USAF B-2A Spirt Flyby - This fly-by was at 10:30 AM
• 1305 USAF C-17A Globemaster III Demonstration - This fly-by right after the Black Daggers jump
• 1400 USAF Thunderbirds
• 1515 Julie Clark T-34 Aerobatics
• 1530 US Army Black Daggers Parachute Team Combat Equipment Jump- mission scrubbed
• 1555 USAF F-15C Eagle Demo
• 1700 Airshow Ends

-post show notes 7/26/2006

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Actual Schedule

(I wrote this tongue in cheek, long before the show)

• 0730 Leave Fargo after waking up Bob
• 0900 Bob gets strip-searched after bring in a 'Large' Camera Bag. Luckily the Sergeant doing the search is a cute blonde who is impressed by his big 'lens'.
• 1140 Bob and Craig find a good spot on the fence line. Bob grows hot in his parka. Even though it's 82 degrees outside, Bob isn't taking any chances.
• 1145 Army Black Daggers land on Bob. This turns out okay due to the cute blonde who turns out to be an Black Dagger. Bob gets a great photo up her 'chute'. Craig gets a great photo of the tangled lines.
• 1155 Bob and the Dagger disappear, but only for ten minutes and the Dagger's chute is repacked- whatever that means?
• 1205 While the aerobatic planes zig zag through the sky Bob and Craig get something to eat.
• 1220 USCG Search & Rescue Demonstration- The Coast Guard looks for water- without any success.
• 1230 A mock dogfight ensues but it's between Bob and Craig over which is the cooler plane- the Mustang or the Corsair.
• 1250 Bob and Craig wet themselves as they finally get to see a B-2A Spirt stealth bomber!
• 1305 Craig plugs his ears as the announcer drones on and on about the C-17 freight characteristics.
• 1400 After another insufferable wait the USAF Thunderbirds finally take off.
• 1515 The crowd files out as Julie Clark does aerobatics. Bob and Craig wait it out. Craig takes a nap.
• 1530 Craig is rudely awaken when the US Army Black Daggers Parachute Team Combat Equipment crashes right beside him.
• 1532:30 Bob comes out from under the cute blonde's parachute with a smile on his face.
• 1555 More photos are taken, film is shot, and cards are filled.
• 1700 Bob and Craig are escorted off the base, as they are the only two guests left on the base.
• 1705 Bob hides behind the seat as we pass the cute blonde Dagger and her enormous buff boyfriend. He looks none too happy and is cleaning his fingernails with eponymous Black Dagger.
• 1730 Chimicongas at Paradiso in Grand Forks.
• 1915 Fargo, and mission accomplished.
• 1920 As Craig is leaving Bob's house he notices black parachutes descending from the sky. Craig rolls down the window, points up in the sky and yells, "You're on your own", while putting pedal to metal.

 

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Static Display Aircraft

KC-135R Stratotanker- obviously at the show as this is the aircraft they fly at the GFAFB

C-5B Galaxy- You couldn't miss it, towering at then entrance

T-45 Goshawk- Canadian trainer

T-6A Texan II- four models on display: USAF, USN, Canadian

C-17A Globemaster III- one on display, one dropping the 'Black Daggers'

T-38C Talon- one on display in aggressor camo

A-10A Thunderbolt II- two on display.

EA-6B Prowler- none

T-37B Tweet- one on display in front of the A10s.

C-130H Hercules- one on display

B-52H Stratofortress- Fly over only. I didn't get any photos

MQ-1 Predator (UAV)- Neither Bob or I saw this. Odd as it's GFAFB's new mission.

UH-1H Iroquois- I didn't see any Huey helicopters. Odd as they're as common as dirt.

TBM-3E Avenger- part of the warbirds program.

EAA Aircraft Experimental Aircraft Association - a catch all term, any number of Civilian aircraft could have been there or none.

DC-8 NASA and UND- parked in the hanger with tours through it.

CT-155 Hawk- see T-45 Goshawk. I'm sure I heard the pilot say it was a Goshawk even thought the CT prefix seems more Canadian.

F-15C Eagle- Fly by only, high performance demonstration

T-34C Mentor- I may have confused this with some of the T-6A aircraft. Bob said only two had turboprops.

UH-60 Blackhawk

T-1A Jayhawk- none

B-1B Lancer- none

CT-142 Gonzo- none

F/A-18C Hornet- none

P-3C Orion- none

F-16C Falcon- one 'Happy Hooligan' from Fargo

HH-65B Dauphin- one from CGAS Traverse City, Michigan

C-21 Learjet- There might have been one there, but I don't remember seeing one.

KC-10 Extender- there was one off to the corner

P-51D Mustang- part of the Warbirds demonstration

F4U Corsair- part of the Warbirds demonstration, actually a Super Corsair

OH-58C Kiowa- none, Bell 'Jet Ranger'

F-18HARV Hornet, single-seat high-alpha research vehicle for NASA.

CT-156 Harvard II - See T-6 Texan, this would be the Canadian model.

 

And many more confirming weekly.

(what this really means is we'll be lucky if we see a Piper Cub.)- When we first walked in all I could see was a KC-135R, KC-10 and a 727 from Fed Ex. I was very crest fallen. But when we walked half a mile to the north flight line there were all the other aircraft.

Aircraft List as of May 22; my post airshow notes 7/26/2006

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