Wichita Flight Festival...no pics...yet
Tue Aug 30, 2005 2:35 pm
It was much better than last year. It was at Jabara Airport in North Wichita. There were quite a few airplanes there including a TA-4 stuck in a hangar undergoing restoration.
6 or 7 Stearmans
2 Mustangs (Cripes a Mighty-NL151KW(?), Sweet and Lovely)
1 Travel Air
1 Staggerwing G17S
1 B-17G (Sentimental Journey)
A bunch of aerobatic planes (including a YAK-54)
2 taildragging post-war Cessnas
1 Cessna Airmaster
The only Swallow in the world (Laird Swallow, that is).
Piaggio Royal Gull
A bunch of business jets.
There were some other aircraft, but I can't remember what else right off the top of my head.
The aerobatics were incredible: Eric Beard, Patty Wagstaff, Jim Leroy, Gene Soucy, Greg Shelton (?), and a few others. One guy flew his Interstate Cadet all over the place--all the while without one of his ailerons. He also did a gliding routine later (Yes, it was in the Cadet too).
I'd like to give a big "thank you" to Yingling Aviation, Cessna, and B98FM in Wichita. They have donated funds to allow me to earn my pilot's license (it has to do with a high school scholarship thing). I really appreciate Yingling also allowing me to be in their corporate tent.
The four things I didn't like about the airshow: music and an annoying (seriously, he knew nothing about the B-17) announcer all the time, and the fact that they had tents the entire length of the tarmac between the runway and the crowd. People couldn't see anything taxiing! Normally I have to just cope with this, but this year Yingling made me their guest, so I was able to get some decent shots.
Sweet & Lovely flew only once...during the AbbaMania concert. That ruined the Merlin noise for me. I'd never heard one before, so listening to Abba imposters while trying to listen and watch a Mustang was very disappointing. I'm really disappointed that they think they have to have live concerts when they want to fly the warbirds.
6 or 7 Stearmans
2 Mustangs (Cripes a Mighty-NL151KW(?), Sweet and Lovely)
1 Travel Air
1 Staggerwing G17S
1 B-17G (Sentimental Journey)
A bunch of aerobatic planes (including a YAK-54)
2 taildragging post-war Cessnas
1 Cessna Airmaster
The only Swallow in the world (Laird Swallow, that is).
Piaggio Royal Gull
A bunch of business jets.
There were some other aircraft, but I can't remember what else right off the top of my head.
The aerobatics were incredible: Eric Beard, Patty Wagstaff, Jim Leroy, Gene Soucy, Greg Shelton (?), and a few others. One guy flew his Interstate Cadet all over the place--all the while without one of his ailerons. He also did a gliding routine later (Yes, it was in the Cadet too).
I'd like to give a big "thank you" to Yingling Aviation, Cessna, and B98FM in Wichita. They have donated funds to allow me to earn my pilot's license (it has to do with a high school scholarship thing). I really appreciate Yingling also allowing me to be in their corporate tent.
The four things I didn't like about the airshow: music and an annoying (seriously, he knew nothing about the B-17) announcer all the time, and the fact that they had tents the entire length of the tarmac between the runway and the crowd. People couldn't see anything taxiing! Normally I have to just cope with this, but this year Yingling made me their guest, so I was able to get some decent shots.
Sweet & Lovely flew only once...during the AbbaMania concert. That ruined the Merlin noise for me. I'd never heard one before, so listening to Abba imposters while trying to listen and watch a Mustang was very disappointing. I'm really disappointed that they think they have to have live concerts when they want to fly the warbirds.
Tue Aug 30, 2005 3:01 pm
Ain't it against the law to ruin Merlin noise? It ought to be!
Regards
Robbie
Regards
Robbie
Tue Aug 30, 2005 4:15 pm
The tents that make it so the crowds can't see the runway and taxiway is the worst part. It impedes the picture-taking opportunities one has of low flying aircraft.
Tue Aug 30, 2005 6:04 pm
Wolverine, congrats on your scholarship!
I wish for you the best flying experiences now and ever.
Re: Music at airshows:
Someone said that if you cannot improve silence, you should not talk. This should also apply to music played at airshows ...
Saludos,
Tulio
I wish for you the best flying experiences now and ever.
Re: Music at airshows:
Someone said that if you cannot improve silence, you should not talk. This should also apply to music played at airshows ...
Saludos,
Tulio
Tue Aug 30, 2005 7:12 pm
Occasionally music is a plus. The classical music played the last time I saw the Manfred Von Radius aerobatic sailplane demonstration worked well and a few other aerobatic acts were better listening to music than hearing an announcer try to put more zing in the description of a manuever than the previous 3 announcers did describing the same manuever.
Tue Aug 30, 2005 8:09 pm
Well it isn't like there is much else to listen to during a sailplane act! 
I always used to put in my earplugs for the Christen Eagles anyways, so the announcer didn't matter much.
I always used to put in my earplugs for the Christen Eagles anyways, so the announcer didn't matter much.
Re: Wichita Flight Festival...no pics...yet
Tue Aug 30, 2005 8:24 pm
Wolverine wrote: One guy flew his Interstate Cadet all over the place--all the while without one of his ailerons. He also did a gliding routine later (Yes, it was in the Cadet too).
The guy that does the routine in the Interstate is Kent Pietsch from Minot, North Dakota. He is one of the absolute best pilots on the airshow circuit today. On top of that, he is a great guy.
In addition to the comedy and deadstick routines, he also lands on top of a motorhome. This will be his fifth or sixth year to perform at Reno.