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Vidalia Georgia
Airshow 2007
Story and photos by Chris Buff.
The Vidalia Onion
Festival Airshow 2007 was held on April 28th and 29th at the Vidalia
Regional Airport, Vidalia, Georgia.
The show is known for its
Southern Hospitality and crowd pleasing flying performances. The Blue Angels
were scheduled to headline the weekend but were forced to cancel after the
tragic loss of LCDR. Kevin J. Davis. Show organizers were still able to put
together a strong event consisting of first rate performers including the
USAF A-10 East Coast Demo Team, Aeroshell AT-6 Texan team & Gary Ward in his
powerful new MX2 along with superb show narration offered by Hugh Oldham.
I attended the Friday
media day activities along with the Sunday air show. The show opened with
the US ARMY Special Operations Command “Black Daggers” parachute team
jumping from their Pilatus Porter and delivering the flag to show center.
Gary Ward amazed the crowd with a high energy routine in the MX2. In Gary’s
skilled hands, the MX2 soars, tumbles and hangs on it’s prop like a
helicopter. Gary later returned to race the Air Force Reserve Jet Car driven
by Bill Braack.
Jacquie Warda
demonstrated her talent and the capabilities of her Pitts S-1T to good
effect. The USAF A-10 East Coast Demo Team was on hand to put the Warthog
through it‘s paces. Demo pilot Maj. Jeff “Roadie” Yost is a native Georgian
and a favorite of this show. Maj Yost flies the A-10 through a remarkably
small demonstration box which emphasizes the A-10’s outstanding turning
ability. Major Yost and the A-10 then formed up with Lee Lauderback flying
the TF-51 Mustang “Crazy Horse” for the Heritage Flight.
Kyle Franklin made
difficult flying look easy during his comedy act. Kyle intentionally drags
the wingtips of his SuperCub on the runway, yet keeps the aircraft under
complete control.
Those longing for the
distinctive sound of a modern jet fighter in full afterburner were rewarded
with a CAF CF-18 Hornet flown by Capt. Forrest Rock from 425 Sq in
Bagotville, Que. Capt. Rock demonstrated the Hornets short field takeoff
performance along with slow flight, wave off and a high speed pass. I had a
chance to speak with Capt. Rock at length and asked him about his flying
experience. He has been in the CAF for 7 years and has flown the Slingby
Firefly, then moved to the Harvard II, Hawk and Hornet in quick succession.
I asked him what his most memorable experience has been to date and he
described a re-patriation mission where he was to intercept and escort a
commercial flight returning Canadian troops home from Afghanistan.
Passengers included a number who were injured, along with the bodies of
Canadian troops who lost their lives in combat. He came away from the
mission with a strong sense of pride after seeing the faces of passengers
react excitedly as his maple leaf CF-18 formed up on the commercial jet for
the return home.
Bob Cox flew a series of
high speed passes in his L-39 Albatross which features a stunning tiger
theme paint job derived from a Tiger Meet winning Belgian F-16. For a
different type of flying, the World Extreme Motocross stunt team entertained
the crowd by catching some serious air during their motorcycle jumping
display.
The show wrapped up with
the outstanding Aeroshell AT-6 team providing smooth flying and ample smoke.
The team also performed a moving “Missing Man” formation to honor the memory
and service of Blue Angel # 6.
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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