The Great Georgia Airshow 2006

The Great Georgia Airshow 2006

Story and photos by Chris Buff.

The “Great Georgia Airshow" considers itself the best Airshow in Georgia and the 2006 edition was outstanding. The show has always been exceptionally well run with easy access, high quality flying displays and numerous static aircraft. The event took place on Oct 14th and 15th at Falcon Field in the upscale community of Peachtree City Georgia.

Falcon Field is home to the Dixie wing of the Commemorative Air Force and as a result, some fine WWII aircraft are part of the show. A quick survey of the ramp saw P-51 Mustangs, a PBY-5A Catalina, Assorted T-6 Texans, B-25 Mitchell, C-47 Dakota, DC-3, PT-26 Cornell, C-45 Expeditor and the Zero and Kate replicas from Tora Tora Tora and Black Sheep Squadron. Others on display included an AH-64 Apache Longbow, ARMY Aviation Heritage Foundation Cobra Gunship & CV-2B Caribou, Cessna Birddog, Yak 52, L-39 Albatross, T-45 Goshawk, C-130 Hercules, Jim LeRoy's “Bulldog” Pitts, The Red Knight T-33, Red Eagles demonstration team, Beech T-34, Cessna T-37, Lee Shockley’s “Shockwave” Jet Truck and many more.

Flight demonstrations were conducted virtually non-stop under a brilliant sun from noon to five each day. These included a B-52 flyby to open the show while Silver Eagles Parachute Team delivered the flag to the ramp. A Delta Boeing 757 in a special Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Livery made several photo passes. Additional air demonstrations were performed by a USAF T-37 and CAF P-51 Mustang. Rotary wing fans were not disappointed as impressive flying was on tap in the form of a 2 ship Cobra demo flown by the ARMY Aviation Heritage Foundation. The US ARMY also thrilled the crowd with its AH-64 Apache Longbow. Pete Jacobs flew his L-39 “Angel 7” decked out in Blue Angels livery. Lee Shockley's Shockwave Jet Truck shared the field with Jim LeRoy's Bulldog as the two put on a smoke and flame filled show.

The Red Eagles displayed the precision and skillful formation flying that we’ve come to expect. Jim LeRoy flew an exciting, high-energy show in Bulldog. The Red Knight T-33 offered a graceful and relatively quiet contrast compared to the raw power and spectacular performance of the East Coast Demo Team F-16 Viper flown by Major Jason “Buzzer” Koltes. The always moving Heritage Flight consisted of the East Coast Demo F-16 and P-51 Crazy Horse 2

The end of the day brought a large number of the WWII aircraft into the sky. It is still impressive to see these meticulously maintained, 50-60 year old airframes in their natural element. WWII warbirds flew throughout the day giving once in a lifetime rides to those with sufficient funds. First rate announcements were provided by Atlanta radio personality Scott Slade, a pilot and enthusiastic aviation fan. I have had the opportunity to attend this show regularly since 1999 and I highly recommend it. The close proximity of the flight line to the crowd means that flight performances seem to be quite close to the viewer and offer excellent photo opportunities.

If you find yourself in Georgia in the fall, you really need to put this Airshow on your schedule.

The images displayed in this photo gallery were shot by Chris Buff at The Great Georgia Airshow 14th and 15th 2006.All photos are compressed and reduced in size for speed purposes. Broadband connection strongly recommended. All photos ©2006 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.