MacDill Airfest April 3, 2004

[Mark Sman]

I took 358 photos today between 11 am and 4 pm. Here are some of them. I may post more later, but I have things I have to do right now, so here is some of the stuff. First 3 are out of order.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air1.jpg
An F…14 from VF-101 does a "knife edge" flyover above an F…177 on the flightline of MacDill Air Force Base on
April 3, 2004.


http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air2.jpg
Achtung. Some guys from Coalition Village.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air3.jpg
Here is a patch you don't see every day.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air4.jpg
Paying homage to Air Force history, an F-15 Eagle, top, a P-51 Mustang and a F-16 Fighting Falcon fly low over MacDill
Airfest 2004.


http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air6.jpg
F-15 flyby

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air7.jpg
F-16 taxi past the show

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air8.jpg
Ed "Hamster" Hamill performs in his Dream Machine.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air9.jpg
same same

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air10.jpg
Ian Groom levels off after performing 37 snap rolls in his Su-31. This guy was really good.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air11.jpg
N42RF "Kermit The Frog" a WP-3D Orion based at MacDill is a hurricane hunter with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air12.jpg
B-17 static display

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air13.jpg
B-52 static display

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air14.jpg
Everybody pile into the C-5A Galaxy from the 97th AMW.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air15.jpg
So I'm taking a picture of this Mustang, but whats that noise behind me?

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air16.jpg
Sneaky. An F-117. So thats why they call it stealth. It ain't the paint or the angles, they just put a P-51 in
front of you, and then attack from the rear.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air17.jpg
F-14 approach

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air18.jpg
F-14 departure

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air19.jpg
Hmmm what is this MH-47E from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment doing?

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air20.jpg
Could it be the Special Operations Command Parachute Team jumping from that MH-47E. It could, and is.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air21.jpg
Nice canopy.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air22.jpg
"Fat Albert" The Blue Angel's C-130 transport flys over the 6 F-18s of the Blue Angels on the flight line at MacDill April 3, 2004.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air23.jpg
Serious thrill issues. Sorry guys, no more time for captions. The rest are the Blue Angels anyway.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air24.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air25.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air26.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air27.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air28.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air29.jpg

[ChuckThunder]

Aren't the Germans the only guys that has military bases in the U.S.? If yes, where.

[Wilco]

I like them, real nice :D

[flickme]

That was today??! Ahhh man i kinda wanted to go to that. I havnt heard anything about it until now. Are they gonna do it again tomorrow or next weekend??

[Mark Sman]

Sunday is the last day in Tampa. Get there early! Like 8 am. Bring sunscreen and water. No coolers. Take any multi tools or swiss army knives you normally carry and leave them at home. Think "Metal Detector"

[ChuckThunder]

Sunday is the last day in Tampa. Get there early! Like 8 am. Bring sunscreen and water. No coolers. Take any multi tools or swiss army knives you normally carry and leave them at home. Think "Metal Detector"

Did you make that mistake?

[Mark Sman]

Nope, but I see it all the time at events. My boss had to ditch a Swiss army knife he had since he was a kid at a Lightning game.

I even took my p-38 off my keychain this morning.

[Merik]

Damn Mark, you got to see the high altitude performance from the Angels. I was in Panama City last weekend and watched the airshow at Tyndell and there was just too many clouds for it so the Angels just did there normal routine. Lucky sob. ;)

[haze99]

No, the Germans are just one of a dozen-plus, international personnal at MacDill AFB.

Canadian's
Italian
Nigerian
Mongolian
and Norwegian to name a few!

[chauncy republicans]

Did you get any F4U-Corsair shots?

[Mark Sman]

Sorry, didn't see any Corsairs. More is the pity. I'll go through the other 250 or so pics sometime Sunday. Probaly post a few more in the future. But it has been a long day.

I was on the flight line at 8:30 am, its now 3 am the next day. I'm going to do what any responsible person would do at this point. Im goping to go get drunk.

Type at you manyana.

[millhouse]

This year was one of the best for airshows. I was lucky to be at two of them.

Rose Parade 2004: The first time these bad boys have flown together publically. (press photo)
http://www.imageshack.us/img1/5600/r549319750.jpg

Rose Bowl 2004: A few hours later. (press photo)
http://www.imageshack.us/img1/1784/108752475jzPzEo_ph1.jpg

Edwards AFB Air Show - The Centennial of Flight
This is also a first, right after the B1 broke world records in speed and payload. (my photo)
http://www.imageshack.us/img2/9320/stealthandbomber1.JPG

[LJK]

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air13.jpg
B-52 static display



Damn, that's massive. ;)

[chauncy republicans]

I was on the flight line at 8:30 am, its now 3 am the next day. I'm going to do what any responsible person would do at this point. Im goping to go get drunk.
Good man.

[AVZ]

http://www.flgausbzlw.net/html/english/index.html

Just one of the bases.


http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air2.jpg
http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air3.jpg

They are the german liasion officers and seargents at the USCENTCOM at Tampa, Florida.