To all the flight crews and supporters that attended thunder
Thu Aug 11, 2005 5:28 pm
On behalf of myself and co show director Kevin Walsh and everyone at the yankee air museum, we thank you for your support in our rebuilding efforts.
From what we have read from this board, it seems that all of you that attended enjoyed yourselfs, and that is what our show is all about.
We will always continue to improve on the show year after year to become the worlds best warbird air show.
again thank you, and we will update you on next years plans as we go.
As far as I can say at this time, we have started working on next year and in our view it will meet the standard we have created after this past year.
See you all at next years Thunder over Michigan 2006
From what we have read from this board, it seems that all of you that attended enjoyed yourselfs, and that is what our show is all about.
We will always continue to improve on the show year after year to become the worlds best warbird air show.
again thank you, and we will update you on next years plans as we go.
As far as I can say at this time, we have started working on next year and in our view it will meet the standard we have created after this past year.
See you all at next years Thunder over Michigan 2006
Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:21 pm
Michael--
Can't speak for anyone else, but I did indeed thoroughly enjoy myself at Thunder. Any show that predicts seven Forts and ends up with eight, cannot fail to impress. And the 109...aaahhh!
I found your display of the burnt-out Jeep at the gate poignant and effective; tossed in a bill, it isn't much but every little bit helps, I guess. Hope the plex box atop the Jeep was crammed by the end of the weekend.
Hope they do get I-94 straightened away at least somewhat by '06...I'd planned to arrive around 8:45, actually entered just after 11!
Whatever theme you decide on for '06 and after, I'm sure you'll do it up right. Can't, though, help offering a couple ideas...
1. The British Are Coming. Spits (70th anniversary next year), Hurricanes, Lanc, Swordfish, Furies, Fireflies, Meteor, Vampires, Venoms, Hunters...even a USMC Harrier demo would fit right in!
2. Early jets. F-86s, T-33s, L-29s/39s, A-4, F-100, F-104, F-4, MiGs, the Brit jets, and...surely the star of any such event...how about a Seattle Me262...?
3. Racers. These stole the show at Thunder a few years ago with only four present of which three flew; how then with say 20 or so, from Reno back to the postwar Cleveland days, or even prewar Cleveland via some of the replicas of W-Ws, Gee Bees, et al, around nowadays...
Whatever the next theme is, I look forward to more Thunder Over Michigan!
Cheers
Steve T
Can't speak for anyone else, but I did indeed thoroughly enjoy myself at Thunder. Any show that predicts seven Forts and ends up with eight, cannot fail to impress. And the 109...aaahhh!
I found your display of the burnt-out Jeep at the gate poignant and effective; tossed in a bill, it isn't much but every little bit helps, I guess. Hope the plex box atop the Jeep was crammed by the end of the weekend.
Hope they do get I-94 straightened away at least somewhat by '06...I'd planned to arrive around 8:45, actually entered just after 11!
Whatever theme you decide on for '06 and after, I'm sure you'll do it up right. Can't, though, help offering a couple ideas...
1. The British Are Coming. Spits (70th anniversary next year), Hurricanes, Lanc, Swordfish, Furies, Fireflies, Meteor, Vampires, Venoms, Hunters...even a USMC Harrier demo would fit right in!
2. Early jets. F-86s, T-33s, L-29s/39s, A-4, F-100, F-104, F-4, MiGs, the Brit jets, and...surely the star of any such event...how about a Seattle Me262...?
3. Racers. These stole the show at Thunder a few years ago with only four present of which three flew; how then with say 20 or so, from Reno back to the postwar Cleveland days, or even prewar Cleveland via some of the replicas of W-Ws, Gee Bees, et al, around nowadays...
Whatever the next theme is, I look forward to more Thunder Over Michigan!
Cheers
Steve T
Thu Aug 11, 2005 9:02 pm
Mister Luther,
On behalf of myself, I wish to take this opportunity to express my sincere Thanks for putting on, what I believe to be now as a very PREMIER Air Show. I have attended now, two years in a row and this was was well worth every minute of anticipation. I can only imagine that it will continue to grow and become even better. The folks at the Yankee Airforce have done themselves proud. Whatever your future plans for events, I think I will make every effort to attend. This year was trully a once in a lifetime event...
Again, my sincerest Thanks,
Respectfully,
Paul
On behalf of myself, I wish to take this opportunity to express my sincere Thanks for putting on, what I believe to be now as a very PREMIER Air Show. I have attended now, two years in a row and this was was well worth every minute of anticipation. I can only imagine that it will continue to grow and become even better. The folks at the Yankee Airforce have done themselves proud. Whatever your future plans for events, I think I will make every effort to attend. This year was trully a once in a lifetime event...
Again, my sincerest Thanks,
Respectfully,
Paul
Thu Aug 11, 2005 11:38 pm
On behalf of the 909 crew...we had a great time...particularly at the hotel bar, getting to know all the other crews. It was an honor to be a part of history.
JimH
JimH
Fri Aug 12, 2005 7:01 am
Hat off to Mr. Luther and everyone else at the Yankee Air Force. It was another fantastic warbird show. The symposium was also very well run and the site change was easy to deal with.
Looking forward to more of the same next year. Any idea what the theme might be? I kind of liked Steve's idea about the British theme.
Mike
Looking forward to more of the same next year. Any idea what the theme might be? I kind of liked Steve's idea about the British theme.
Mike
Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:39 pm
Thanks for putting on such a great show! I've been attending for 4 years now and every year continues to impress me more and more. Looks like it was a huge success, do you know what the attendance numbers were? Good luck working on next year's show, I'm sure it will be another outstanding show.
Sun Aug 14, 2005 8:58 am
I heard a "RUMOR" that you guys were looking into a "BIG TEAM" for an upcoming event.
I would hope not. The T-Birds came to Geneseo once. Enough said.
I would hope not. The T-Birds came to Geneseo once. Enough said.
Sun Aug 14, 2005 10:21 am
It just so happens that I know where a T-33, TA-4, and F-4 could be had with one phone call ! 
Sun Aug 14, 2005 11:39 am
Hi all--
Both the previous posts would be germane to an early-jets theme. T-33, TA-4, Phantom...most cool. Re a "big" team...if that is under consideration, the year to do that would be the year of an early-jets theme, and the team would have to be the CF Snowbirds...who still fly the type on which they formed 34 years ago (and which was already long in the tooth in 1971!). The Tutors are more than sufficiently vintage to fit right in at Thunder IMO...they're probably older than the aforementioned TA-4 and F-4, for starters...
Cheers
S.
Both the previous posts would be germane to an early-jets theme. T-33, TA-4, Phantom...most cool. Re a "big" team...if that is under consideration, the year to do that would be the year of an early-jets theme, and the team would have to be the CF Snowbirds...who still fly the type on which they formed 34 years ago (and which was already long in the tooth in 1971!). The Tutors are more than sufficiently vintage to fit right in at Thunder IMO...they're probably older than the aforementioned TA-4 and F-4, for starters...
Cheers
S.
Sun Aug 14, 2005 12:50 pm
F-4 is 1965, TA-4 is 1967, T-33 is 1951, a Lockheed A model.
Sun Aug 14, 2005 8:19 pm
Mike,
I have been there from the first Mustang-Mustang round-up and have never been disappointed. All I can say is keep on track with your vision and what you have built. The show doesn’t always have to grow as long as it stays warbirds and in the format you have run the past few years, it works! Most of the great warbird shows in the Great Lakes region have died because the promoters have felt they needed to grow and go with a big jet team or expand into a general type of airshow. I feel any show at Willow Run sponsored by the YAFM should remain a warbird show and your past success has proved it works. I would rather see a smaller show next year then a regular type of airshow with aerobatic acts and a demo team. These type of shows are a dime a dozen.
Mike, it was your vision that started the show so please follow your heart and stay true to the original vision.
Eric
I have been there from the first Mustang-Mustang round-up and have never been disappointed. All I can say is keep on track with your vision and what you have built. The show doesn’t always have to grow as long as it stays warbirds and in the format you have run the past few years, it works! Most of the great warbird shows in the Great Lakes region have died because the promoters have felt they needed to grow and go with a big jet team or expand into a general type of airshow. I feel any show at Willow Run sponsored by the YAFM should remain a warbird show and your past success has proved it works. I would rather see a smaller show next year then a regular type of airshow with aerobatic acts and a demo team. These type of shows are a dime a dozen.
Mike, it was your vision that started the show so please follow your heart and stay true to the original vision.
Eric