Lots of traffic getting into the airport area (only one entrance).
We opted for the free parking, which meant, a recently harvested corn field and a hike.
Instead of waiting in line for the golf cart ferries driven by young airmen, we opted to walk...it was about a mile in total.
Then onto a bus. Young Mennonite couple in front of us on the bus and in line were talking in quiet...German, or maybe low-German dialect. There's a certain irony...not that I'm annoyed by it, but I'm a little surprised that 1.) you're allowed to just hop on a bus and 2.) you are here for a military airshow, which seems to exemplify the opposite of Mennonite principles of non-violence and eschewing of technology. But hey, all those groups draw different lines, so no worries.
In another line to get in...a P40 Warhawk! We'd see it later.
We eventually got in around noon (90 minutes after getting to the airport area!). Thunderbirds waiting in a line at the front.
Army National Guard doing their recruiting over here, showing off a M777 155mm howitzer. Also Tesla was here for some silly reason.
We ended up staying over here on the right side...past the DC-3 and before the B-29.
Chik-Fil-A for lunch, which surprisingly was one of the more affordable options even compared to the unbranded food court offerings.
The flyable B-29 "Doc", giving tours...you could buy a ride on it for 5pm that night for several hundred bucks.
And there's the aforementioned P-40 Warhawk on a low pass...
"Dropping" some bombs on another pass.
I think they purposefully made this smoke ring with the pyrotechnic effects specifically for them to fly through.
Then standing in line to tour "Doc". Nice mirror finish on the fuselage.
P-40 Warhawk passing by...turns out, it is Congressman Sam Graves in the pilot seat. Kind of weird, but I'll give him this, it's a better extracurricural pursuit or hobby than Matt Gaetz tends to go after.
Some fake bombs in the bomb bay.
View of the cockpit. This is a flying B-29 (like I said, it would be flying today) so the idea that some tourist might accidentally flip a switch or otherwise damage something important would make me nervous, personally.
The pressurized tube that you could crawl down to reach the rear crew compartment.
Beautiful timing as we just got out of the B-29 and back to our seats when this unexpected visitor arrived:
One of the most birdlike planes ever.
I didn't quite capture it, but at one point the sun broke through the clouds briefly and lit up the top of the B-2 beautifully.
The C-130s were the "host" planes, being based out of here with the MO ANG. Doing a tactical drop demonstration here.
The Texan gave a lot of aerobatics demonstrations. Here's a simple fly past.
I'm not exactly sure why the C-130s are shown with huge pyrotechnics, but it was fun nonetheless.
Then they landed and did their victory lap.
Folks waving to the airmen as they taxied past.
The Pseudo-Zeroes of the Tora Tora Tora show quietly taxied for takeoff while the Twin Beech in the background put on a show.
Beechcraft Model 18 zipping by.
Then the Tora Tora Tora show...Commemorative Air Force with replica Japanese planes.
It looks frenetic and prone to accident, with all of the planes diving one after the other in what seems like a random fashion, but I'm sure its all very carefully choreographed.
Then when the show wrapped up, they fly past in formation...
...and then, WALL OF FIRE
Bit of a mushroom cloud left over after that.
Sam Graves again, having participated as the scrambled defender of O'ahu.
Then me and Pete did a walkabout. If I had a Cessna I would want this paint job, absolutely.
The "Top Gun Experience" is kind of silly, you pay to sit in the cockpit. OK, it isn't that silly. They had a Hornet but I was also pleased to know that I could identify this one...an F-5...which I am teaching myself in DCS. I can power it up, start the engines, take off (barely) and fly for a bit til I somehow get my wings ripped off, and eject. A real fighter ace, I am.
The headliners, who will go on in a bit.
We were hot/tired and so opted not to get in line to trudge through the C-130.
KC-135 flying gas station.
A Blackhawk, maybe flown in from Fort Riley.
A-10 Warthog. I inspected the ordnance which obviously could not be live...there was an AGM Maverick type missile that was marked as inert, and the Sidewinder was pretty obviously not a real missile.
C-17 Globemaster.
The Tora Tora Tora planes...which honestly look great, a lot like Zeroes...I assume they may be made from old T6 Texans?
Mocked up Kate torpedo bomber.
It will surprise no one that the vibe was decidedly Trumpy!
Got the lad a frozen lemonade. For 12 bucks, alas....but such treats were promised!
"Dakota Kid", a P-51D Mustang.
Oh yes, forgot to mention...JET TRUCK
The 51 is one of the prettier birds of WWII. Well...maybe the Spitfire is the prettiest but this one is the prettiest one that stayed at the peak of competition til the end of the war.
Robinson ultra-light choppers were doing flights all day. I checked just to text Debra the price to be an annoying husband (we weren't going to do it). 50 bucks, not terrible.
After a "mass enlistment ceremony" (this was all very 'Mericuh) the Thunderbirds started to roll.
It was very kickass. So I just took all the videos and lumped em together here.
Doing a diamond flypast.
We actually left early because we rightly knew what a cluster the traffic would become.
Walking out, some of what we were seeing, while walking. We took out our earplugs for a second and that turned out to be a mistake as they roared past overhead.
The F-16 is a cool plane. I wonder if they'll ever replace it with the F-22, with its supermaneuverability.
It was a fun show...a mile of walking and we got back to the car in the corn field, and an hour plus of driving and we got home. Good times! And tacking this on from the day after...Apache, Blackhawk and Chinook out of Fort Riley doing a Chiefs flyover.