MacDill Airfest part deux

[Mark Sman]

MacDill airfest April 3, 2004.
Most of the Blue Angels pics are at the bottom. Enjoy.
http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air40.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air42.jpg
F-18, is it an E model? Don't know. I have detailed notes for each picture, but not with me. Oh well.



http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air43.jpg
http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air44.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air45.jpg
Again I don't have my notes with me. Anyone ID this?

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air46.jpg
T-38?

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air47.jpg
T-37 'Tweet' primary jet trainer.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air48.jpg
same same

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air49.jpg
T-6A 'Texan II'

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air50.jpg
same same

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air51.jpg
EA-6B prowler

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air52.jpg
F-117 Nighthawk

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air54.jpg
F-14 driveby. Check out the guys nose art in this higher res-version
http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air53.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air55.jpg
SOCOMM jump team lands in front of the Blue Angels.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air56.jpg
I think these are KC-135s from MacDill's 91st Air Refueling Squadron with the 6th Air Mobility Wing. They weren't part of the show, just parked down the runway. I was going to crop out the kids in the little red wagon, but there is something amusing about leaving them in.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air57.jpg
'Fat Albert'', the Blue Angels' C-130, not so much climbing as beating the air into submission.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air58.jpg
The pilot of number three ship was sick this day.


http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air59.jpg
But the show went on.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air60.jpg
Again, serious thrill issues.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air61.jpg
Wish I had a better picture of this. This is not photo shopped. I took this picture myself. This is just as crazy as it looks.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air62.jpg
Slightly less nutty.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air63.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air64.jpg
Enemy radar man "But I swear there was only one blip."

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air65.jpg
Pimped out F-18

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air66.jpg
Note, inverted status.

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air67.jpg
http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air68.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air69.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air70.jpg

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/mar/0403air71.jpg

Cheers all.

[Macs.]

Great Photos !

The Prowler rocks !

[Merik]

Wow Number 3 was sick still??? They didnt have him when I went to the Tyndell show the weekend before this one. And that Tomcat is with the Sundowners squadron. I cant remember their VF# because the one they used to have, VF-111, was disbanded in 1995.

[FallenAngel]

Pic #2 -> F/A-18E. You can tell easily due to the square intakes and the 3 hard points under the wings (versus the C versions circular intakes and two hardpoints.)

Pic #5 -> T-28 Trojan.

Pic #6 -> T-38 Talon.

Also, not to give it away, but when the pair of Blue Angles do their fly by in the one-inverted/one-not...they are not as close as they appear. They always fly in a line parallel with the bleachers and use 'force perspective' to create the ILLUSION they are really close together. They are actually about 30 feet apart.

[Sierra]

Great Pics!