Two mainstays of the RING airshow are Sean D. Tucker in his Oracle Challenger, and Massachusetts native Michael Goulian in his Castrol Extra 300SHP. Each one of these guys is a star in their own right at any other airshow.  At Quonset though, they are just one of several airshow stars as each year the best of the best perform at Quonset.  Ed Hamill in his USAFR biplane and John Klatt in his ANG Staudacher S-300D each showed their pilot skills to the large R.I. crowd. Both men are F-16 qualified with the USAFR and ANG respectively, and that skill is definitely evident in their flying.  Julie Clark in her Chevron sponsored T-34 Mentor made everyone in attendance proud to be an American with a very patriotic red, whit, and blue smoke performance complete with fireworks.  Ironically, one of the biggest crowd pleasers at this airshow doesn’t fly at all.  Well, as fast as it goes one could say it flies.  None other than Kent Shockley in the triple engine jet truck SHOCKWAVE!  This three engined jet truck has been recorded at speeds up to 350mph.  When Shockwave with Kent start their ground show, (with smoke, fire, and very loud afterburner pops) the crowd rushes to the fence for better views of this fire belching beast. 

    The military side of this airshow resembles the civilian side as nothing but the best will do for RING airshow.  This years lineup looked like a joint services operation as there were demonstrations from every service including the RAF except for the USCG.  However, the Coast Guard diligently stood guard on the water to keep the show box clean of boating traffic.  Saturday featured several flybys of the B-2 Stealth Bomber.  The “Spirit of Arizona” showed the audience top and bottom side profiles of this plane that looks like it is right out of a Batman movie.  Sunday featured a couple of passes from the venerable B-52 Stratofortress all the way from Barksdale AFB in Louisiana.  The U.S. Army was well represented by the USASOC Black Daggers parachute team.  The Black Daggers made two parachute jumps each day from a RING C-23 Sherpa.  The Combined Arms Demo, a fan favorite at Quonset, returned with a battle scenario that got everyones attention this year as the pyro has returned, via Rich’s Incredible Pyro, to this display.  With two RIANG C-130J Hercules, three RING UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters and one UH-1 Huey helicopter, Quonset Point was once again successfully defended from hostile forces.  The USMC was in attendance to demonstrate the flight capabilities of the AV-8B Harrier with their East Coast Demonstration Team from MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina.  Also from North Carolina, the USAF F-15E Strike Eagle Demonstration Team from Seymour Johnson AFB roared overhead in an awesome display of noise and speed.  The U.S. Navy sent their F/A-18 Hornet East Coast Demo Team up from NAS Oceana to show off Navy assets to the admiring public.  Sadly, this was demonstration pilot Lt. Adrian “Catfish” Jope’s last ever demo team performance as he has completed his year with the team.

   Coming to North America for the first time in 15 years, the RAF Red Arrows four stop 2008 Goodwill Tour came to its conclusion at Quonset State Airport.  The only sad thing after the display ended was the fact that the Reds would not be around next weekend.  The lasting impression that was left on these airshow fans will make the Red Arrows be talked about for a long time to come in this New England area.  Their display’s both Saturday and Sunday were nothing short of spectacular.  There were ooh’s and ah’s complete with a lot of clapping as if the people were watching a fireworks display as the Red Arrows arched across the Rhode Island sky trailing red, white, and blue smoke.  Once the Red Arrows crossed over the crowd from behind, it was 25 minutes of non stop action.  They crossed, they climbed, and they dove from the heavens with thick plumes of smoke trailing.  You had to keep scanning the skies as you never knew which way they were coming from.  As ambassadors of both the RAF and England, the Red Arrows showed nothing but true professionalism.  Please, don’t make us wait another 15 years.