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2007 Moody Air Fest
Story and Photos by Chris Buff
The Moody Air Fest 07 took
place at Moody Air Force base near Valdosta, Georgia on Oct 20 and 21. This
show has become a major event for the area and this years’ edition drew more
than 50,000 visitors for the two days. Visitors were greeted with a wide
variety of static displays including the massive C-5 Galaxy, KC-135, and a
pair of C-130’s. Additional static displays ranged from an A-10 Warthog,
F-16C Viper and F-15C Eagle to a T-39, T-6 Texan II and the B-25 Mitchell
“Pacific Prowler”. A real surprise was seeing a white AN-26 with a USAF
flight crew!
The flying was first rate. Rob
Holland had his MX-2 tumbling and spinning across the sky in a crowd
pleasing aerobatics display and also used his MX-2 to race the triple
engine Jet Truck "ShockWave". Matt Younkin and Kyle Franklin demonstrated that
fine air show performances can be passed down from generation to generation.
Dale “Snort” Snodgrass is well
known for his F-86 Sabre performances but with his new F-86 still requiring
some work, Snort put the beautiful P-51D Mustang “Excalibur” through its
paces. The low pass is one of Snort’s trademarks and he did not disappoint.
Dan Buchanan showed that not having use of your legs does not preclude a
determined person from flying with precision and style during his inspiring
hang glider act. He even got Snort into the performance with the P-51
Excalibur making a few simulated firing passes at Buchanan’s glider.
Moody’s own 23rd wing performed
a CSAR rescue of a simulated downed pilot with one HC-130, two HH-60 and
four A-10’s for support. The Aeroshell Team took to the cloudy skies with
their refined and graceful routine. The four T-6 Texans seemed to be
tethered together while they looped and rolled over the South Georgia
landscape.
The Starfighters F-104 team was
unable to attend Saturdays show but was able to fly on Sunday. The team had
hoped to have their first 3 ship demo at Moody but maintenance issues
restricted the group to the 2 ship Starfighter demo. That said, it was still
incredible to see two F-104’s in the air at the same time. Several passes
were made with afterburners ablaze and the team did a great job of showing
off the F-104’s sleek lines.
The weather continued to
deteriorate throughout the day and by the time the Thunderbirds began their
show, the deck had become noticeably lower and darker. Enthusiasts took note
of the unusual sight of a 2 seat F-16 displaying the markings of Thunderbird
#1 taxiing to the runway. During the pre takeoff checklist, a snafu in the
#1 jet required a short delay and a transfer to another single seat Viper.
Given the less than optimal weather, the Thunderbirds still managed an
impressive show. The team flew perfect formations and the timing of the
various maneuvers appeared impeccable.
One advantage of the cloudy
conditions was that afterburners could be clearly seen on many of the
Thunderbirds passes throughout the show. Another advantage of the
Thunderbird low show was that the crowd was treated to a 2nd thundering
sneak pass. The 2nd pass took many (including me) by surprise and even
experienced air show veterans were seen instinctively ducking as the
Thunderbird solo roared down the flight line.
I made a point of checking out
the Thunderbird rope line after their performance and watched the children
waiting anxiously for autographs from the team. You could see from the looks
on the kid’s faces that this had been a great day, and you could see the
pilots smiles grow larger with each child they greeted. This is all the
evidence that I need to prove that an air show is an excellent use of my tax
dollars.
This was my first time
attending the Moody Air Fest and I will definitely have the next Moody AFB
show on my calendar.
The images displayed in this
photo gallery were shot by Chris Buff at The Moody Air Fest 2007. High
quality full size photos are available for purchase. Contact
cbuff@aviationbuff.com
for more details.
All photos are compressed and
reduced in size for speed purposes. Broadband connection strongly
recommended. All photos ©2007 Chris Buff -
www.Aviationbuff.com
Image downloads for personal use only. No redistribution or
commercial sale of these images will be permitted without written
authorization from Chris Buff. Contact
cbuff@aviaitonbuff.com for more details
All photos are compressed
and reduced in size for speed purposes. Broadband connection strongly
recommended. All photos ©2008 Chris Buff -
www.Aviationbuff.com
Image downloads for personal use only. No redistribution or
commercial sale of these images will be permitted without written
authorization from Chris Buff. Contact
cbuff@aviaitonbuff.com for more details
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