www.mybaycity.com
August 13, 2006
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Five year old Jade Rhyan and her bunny check out Dave Dacy's Super Stearman Valley Aero Club Presents Air Show 2006
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Did you hear that jet Friday afternoon? And again on Saturday and then on Sunday? Wonder what it was? If you did, you weren't at the 2006 Bay City Airshow organized by the Valley Aero Club and held at Bay City's James Clements Airport.
This is the second air show in the last three years. The Valley Aero Club, which did this one, is a flying club that supports the Bay City with projects which fund improvements like a portable weather station, lights and runway work, work on the rotating beacon, and restoration work on the historic hanger.
This year's show featured the usual suspects: Chipmunks, Vipers, Prowlers, Stearmen, Texans, and other vintage aircraft. It also featured the ever popular jet powered outhouse. Outhouse? Yep. What's an airshow without a visit from Paul "Speed for Hire" Stender and his jet powered truck and outhouse. The jet truck puts on a great show with lots of smoke and flames then totally outruns a Super Chipmunk stunt plane that has a flying start.
The show kicked off with a color guard presentation by the Civil Air Patrol. The Wild Wings Skydivers then made a demonstration jump with the last jumper presenting an American flag streaming behind him. A heritage flight of World War II fighters and the Mitchell B-25 bomber came next followed by a rousing show of aerobatics by both modern and classic planes.
An ever popular demonstration is put on by Dave Dacy in his 500 HP, Super Stearman biplane. Along with his great aerobatics show, he's joined by second generation wing walker Tony Kazian. Tony rides outboard on the wing until the plane is airborne then climbs up to the top wing and performs a variety of feats without a parachute and without safety lines.
After the piston planes finish their acts, the highlight of the day and show finale, the F-16 Viper jet fighter comes out of the west at about 600 miles per hour. The roar is deafening as the plane performs a 22 minute demonstration show.
The Viper team brings two jets and a ground crew. The demonstration is flown by Major Jason Coltis from Ponder, Texas. The second plane is a backup and not part of the show. Cesar Orozco flies the second plane and acts as safety officer during the show. "The show is very controlled but we need someone on the ground to watch for the unexpected. I look for small planes that might not know about the show and wander into the area. I also watch for bird flights. Having a flock of sea gulls go through our engine at 600 miles per hour is not a good thing!" Orozco is 26 years old and has been flying jets for five years since graduating from college in California.
The final event of the day is the Heritage Flight. Developed in 1997 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Air Force, a group of pilots brought together military and civilian pilots to make a formation flight of the P-51 Mustang, the top fighter plane of World War II, and a modern jet fighter. The demonstration was so popular that the flight has been recreated at air shows ever since. It is a truly moving experience to see these great war birds representing two generations as they fly past. As they leave the area the Mustang turns off into the west as the F-16 applies power and reaches for the sky and the future.
See related article Pacific Prowler B-25
For more information visit www.baycityairshow.com
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look with wonder at the bomb load inside the B-25 bomber. |
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The power, speed and sound is remarkable. |
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See related article Pacific Prowler B-25
For more information visit www.baycityairshow.com
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Stephen Kent |
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