My other passion - Aviation

[stefanosg]

We at the VAC had a beautiful airshow yesterday and I got some pretty choice pics. We were a little light this year on the vintage stuff, but the Airforce and some other put on a nice performace.

Gotta love this Eagle!



Heritage Pass



You don't see these often - F-104 Starfighter



Mig-17



F-86 Sabre

[Ron Smith]

Love the '86 and the Mig. I have a real soft spot for Phantoms. We were catching some heavy fire and requested air support. All of our gun ships were busy.

An Air Force Phantom picked up on our call. He was coming back empty from another run. He came in on the deck at afterburners and scorched their jammies for em. In their minds, "Phantom equaled Napalm", and they all took off. He saved our bacon without ever firing a shot or dropping any ordinance. I wish I knew who he was. I'd kiss him...

[shadow]

I saw that starfighter a couple of years ago. It was a slightly hazy day and on the high speed passes I never saw it until after it passed. that thing is fast.

There are more than a few members on this site that are into flying.

Nice photos.

Chris

[stefanosg]

We are currently working on a Phantom for static display. It will be several years before it is ready though. That plane is proof that if you put a big enough engine in something, you can get a brick to fly.

[lugerholsterrepair]

Ron, When were you there? Most of the support aircraft we had were prop jobs. I could kiss a few Cobra pilots myself...Ground pounder grunt infantry like me always appreciated a couple of Cobras showing up like the settelers did the Cavalry. Come to think of it the Cobras WERE the 1st Cavalry!
My Father the late Major Morris Burney was in WW2, shot down in Germany, went on to fly many thousands of hours in B47's during the cold war and later showed up in Viet Nam while I was there flying in C130's I grew up on Air Force bases and early on formed a love of aircraft. Jerry Burney

[Chuckc]

I hear the starfighter was like riding a greased broom stick. Very unstable.

I can't afford flying and lugers at the same time. Come to think of it, I can't afford either one. But we find a way.

[stefanosg]

Originally posted by Chuckc
I hear the starfighter was like riding a greased broom stick. Very unstable.

It does carry the nickname "Missile with a man in it", and with those short stubby wings, manueverability was not its strong suit.

[Ron Smith]

Jerry,

My first tour was on a Destroyer U.S.S. Lyman K Swenson DD729 "Rubber Duck"(decoy) patrols. We would sail up and down the beach to draw fire and radio the coordinates to the New Jersey who cruised about a mile seaward of us, and get out of the way. From May '69 to Feb. '70.

Tango Boat, October '70 to April '71. Around December '70 was when the Phantom saved us. We turned the boats over to the ARVN half way through my tour, and came home. Richard Nixon did one thing right. He got my butt out of Vietnam.

Ron

[Hugh]

Great photos.

[lugerholsterrepair]

Ron, You came to the party fashonably late...Hard duty drawing fire on a river...
Steven, good photo's! Hard to take far away and fast I guess? Jerry Burney

[waltherguy]

Great photo's. everyone should check out the "White One" foundation

http://www.white1foundation.org/

[stefanosg]

Originally posted by lugerholsterrepair
Steven, good photo's! Hard to take far away and fast I guess? Jerry Burney

Yeah I got some real good ones that day. My 35 can shoot about 6 consecutive shots before the camera's internal memory fills up faster than it can transfer it to the card. I'd say about 20% were keepers during those low high speed passes.