Once I learned of the existence of the Breckenridge Air Show, I went 13 out of 15 years (those two missed years I was sick in bed!). It was great to be able to sit so close to the taxiway that bomber wingtips passed over our heads as we sat in our chairs! This was a true enthusiast's show. There were never huge crowds of spectators (perhaps one reason the show died?) so it was always easy to shoot photographs, and always easy to find a great place to sit and watch the action once the flying started. The sights, the smells, the sounds... there was nothing else like it! I got to see MANY types of warbirds that I'd never seen before, and in many cases, have never seen since. One year, there were eight B-25s present, and all of them flew in the show. Another year, there were 16 Mustangs, and all of them flew in the show (they did a simulated "fighter sweep" of the airfield!). There were always a few interesting vintage jets there. My first look at a B-1B came at Breckenridge. One of them flew in from nearby Dyess AFB and made several passes and a touch-and-go on the fairly short runway. The mass formations of AT-6/SNJ were awesome. From time to time I dig into my photo archives and mourn the loss of one of the greatest warbird shows ever.
Going to Breckenridge every year with the same group of friends was my annual "guys' road trip", kinda like the classic hunting or fishing trips where the guys head out to do some serious male bonding. The whole trip was steeped in tradition for us. We headed out at "O Dark Hundred" for the 3+ hour drive. We ate breakfast at the same McDonald's every year on the way out. We ate chili dogs from the CAF PX every year (and somehow, by the grace of the Lord himself, we're still alive!). We stopped for a snack at the same Dairy Queen every year on the way home. For the next several days, we all whined about our sunburn. It's all gone now. Even my air show buddies are gone (they all moved away, except for one who passed away). Good times, they were...
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