CONA Alert July 30, 31st

[The Inspector]

NAS Whidbey will celebrate the Centennial of Naval Aviation CONA July 30th & 31st @ NAS Ault in Oak Harbor, WA. Only two ways to get there, drive around the North end of the island or take the ferry from Mukilteo and drive up the Island on two lane roads so plan on leaving early if you're going!!

[The Inspector]

BUMP

[StudeDave]

I don't know exactly how my weekend will play out just yet- but I plan to be there on Saturday. And if all goes well- my '65 Studebaker will be in one of the car shows as well. Yup- she's the same car I drove for most all of my 20 years in the NAVY, including my three years in VA-128. I wonder if anyone will remember her? (I left NAS WI in 1994)


Here's a link to some of the events going on~

http://www.navylifepnw.com/site/433/CoNA-Events.aspx

[StudeDave]

I was just poking around checkin' out the schedule and saw that
a PBY will be 'slashing down' at 2PM over near the SeaPane base!!!
Whose bird is based outta Arlington?

The rest of the birds are on this list~
http://www.navylifepnw.com/Portals/_Rainbow/images/WI/CONA/CoNA_Display_Aircraft.pdf

[WallyB]

[b] I was just poking around checkin' out the schedule and saw that
a PBY will be 'slashing down' at 2PM over near the SeaPane base!!!
Whose bird is based outta Arlington?

N85U

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt ... 94692.html

[StudeDave]

N85U
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt ... 94692.html

That article is from September, 2009...
I wonder what the odds are that it'll be the same bird...?

I'll know in a few hours, I suppose.

[The Inspector]

Far as I'm aware, 85U is still @ KAWI, it was flying last month, and KAWI is about 10 minutes (2 hours by PBY ) from Ault Field.

[StudeDave]

Welp~ word on the street is that the PBY will not make it...

we'll know for sure in the morning, I'm sure.

[67Cougar]

I'd be interested to know how many of the CONA painted aircraft showed up for this event. Only 5 on the list is really disappointing. I know that TW-1's T-45 was participating in the NASCAR flyover at Indianapolis this weekend, and TW-2's T-45 was sitting on the ground at Alliance A/P in Ft. Worth.

Keith

[ltdann]

16 CoNA aircraft were at Oshkosh this week. Boggest concentration since North Island Open House

[StudeDave]

16 CoNA aircraft were at Oshkosh this week. Boggest concentration since North Island Open House

That would explain the weak showing at this 'Celebration'!!!

There were only five of them at NAS WI~

P-3C, EA-6B, EF-18G, and F/A-18 (x2)

Throw in three 'other' Hornets and a handful of Warbirds- there's your show.
Due to an 'FAA issue' the PBY did not appear for it's water landing.
I did get to see the SkyWarrior, though!!!

Here are a couple of pictures I took~

[The Inspector]

Looks like the crowd was pretty thin on Saturday too, and Sundays weather was awful. Did anything fly? because I didn't hear any noise. I was unable to attend either day due to other issues.

[StudeDave]

Looks like the crowd was pretty thin on Saturday too, and Sundays weather was awful. Did anything fly?

I think I got there sometime after 11AM on Saturday. I'd say my pics above were taken sometime after 1300. But you are right- it was very lightly attended. Before I got there I heard some birds in the air- if I had to guess- I'd say it was the SkyRaider and a few Texans. I had seen them fly in from Bellingham on Friday afternoon. Around 1430 the B-25 was gonna fly followed by the SkyRaider and SuperBug going their thing. But since I had seen them practice it on Friday-



and the folks I was with were oh so very bored by that point- I left.

All in all- I was shocked that NAS WI even bothered doing it at all.

[The Inspector]

I'll bet they went ahead with the show after getting hammered flat over cancelling 'Thunder on the Rock' so many times in the recent past mostly due to 'security issues in the world' (security level currently CREAMESICKLE ORANGE).
It's too bad that so much Centennial stuff seems to have been back in WI that weekend, it remains to be seen whether or not McChord has a show this season, haven't heard a peep about one-I guess we'll just have to hope KIRO TV does a good job of covering the Boeing SEAFAIR AIR SHOW this Sunday during the boat races.