The 911th Airlift Wing Pittsburgh International Airport ARS held a grand triple celebration on May 10 & 11, 2008 with a truly international event. Founded in 1758 at a point in Western Pennsylvania where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers join to form the Ohio River, the city of Pittsburgh is celebrating its 250th anniversary in 2008.  On April 14, 1948, President Harry S. Truman, wanting to ensure there were replacements during wartime mobilizations, formally established the U.S. Air Force Reserves.  The U.S. Air Force Reserves is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2008. On June 26, 1948 after the Soviet Union sealed East Berlin from West Berlin, trapping 2.2 million people, the U.S., British, and French started around the clock air drops of supplies to the trapped residents.  The operation was known as “Operation Vittles”, and this operation was one of the greatest humanitarian acts of all time, giving aide by dropping provisions of food and fuel to people who were enemies just a few years earlier.  A side note to this was the infamous “Operation Little Vittles” as called by the air crews as they started dropping candy to the children via makeshift miniature parachutes.  At midnight May 12, 1949, the Soviets reopened the land and water routes ending the 322 day blockade of Berlin.  Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, Pittsburgh was chosen as the first stop of 15 planned stops in a year long tribute ending in August 2009.  This is part of Germany’s “Friends Always Campaign”, and David A. Murdoch, Honorary Consul for the Federal Republic of Germany, addressed the crowd in a ceremony on Germany’s behalf.  This static display included one of the aircraft that saw action during the Berlin Airlift, the C-54 Skymaster, which tours the country appropriately titled as the Berlin Airlift Museum.

   The airshow battled inclement weather on the two arrival days Thursday and Friday, but Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day with blue skies, and enough puffy white clouds to make the sky a beautiful back drop for this world-class event.  Sunday’s events had just started when rain and high winds forced the cancellation of the remainder of the show.  Headlining Wings Over Pittsburgh were the Canadian Armed Forces Snowbirds.   They entertained the crowd flying their nine CT-114 Tutor jets in various formations, in a beautiful display of precision and grace.  This was the first visit of the Snowbirds to Pittsburgh, and after hearing comments from the crowd it shouldn’t be their last.  Wings Over Pittsburgh was proud to have not one, but two of the best military parachute demonstration teams in the world today, the U.S. Army Golden Knights and U.S. Navy Leap Frogs.

There was one unfortunate problem during the airshow, as a mini war broke out between the Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force Reserve! After John Klatt finished up his high energy aerobatic routine in his ANG Staudacher S-300D, Klatt was challenged to a race by the USAFR jet car driven by Bill Braack.  The crowd rushed to the fence to watch the battle that ensued with Braack and the USAFR jet car passing Klatt in the ANG Staudacher S-300D just before the finish line to claim victory.

The Geico Skytypers are back with their complete six ship routine after last fall’s unfortunate accident at NAS Oceana.  Although early morning clouds prevented them from skytyping, under blue skies they were able to do their entire demo smoking up the sky as they performed military maneuvers taught to students in World War II that learned to fly in the SNJ.  Matt Chapman showed why he is a world class performer, tumbling his Embry-Riddle sponsored Eagle 580 across the blue Pennsylvania.  Capt. Julie Clark flew her ever popular patriotic display complete with red, white, and blue smoke in her T-34 Mentor sponsored by Chevron.  A National Aviation Hall of Fame inductee for 2008, Sean D. Tucker amazed this airshow audience with his seemingly out of control aerobatics leaving people shaking their heads of the skill he has flying the Oracle Challenger.

For those that wanted to hear loud noise, fast speeds, and most of all afterburners, they would not be disappointed as three of the top single-ship military demos in the world today were at Wings Over Pittsburgh.  The U.S. Navy was well represented by the popular F/A-18F Super Hornet East Coast Demo Team from NAS Oceana piloted by Lt. Page “P.I.E.” Felini with WSO Lt. Patrick “Menudo” Fernandes. P.I.E. and Menudo flew a Tailhook Legacy flight with a FG-1D Corsair flown by Dan Dameo.  The USAF F-16 Viper East Demo Team from Shaw AFB piloted by Capt. George “Dog” Clifford put on a gut-wrenching display turning and burning in his Viper.  The F-22A Raptor Demo Team from Langley AFB piloted by Maj. Paul “Max” Moga dazzled the crowd with his “fighter jets can’t do that can they?” demonstration.  Without prompting, the crowd kept breaking out in applause to some of the spectacular maneuvers flown by the F-22.  Not only did Dog and Max fly their demonstrations, but they took part in the worlds fastest USAF Heritage Flight. With no World War II, Korean War, or Vietnam War aircraft to fly alongside, Dog and Max flew a Heritage Flight with just the F-16 and F-22.  Despite the weather, the thousands of people in attendance were never disappointed with the 2008 Wings Over Pittsburgh show, and many were already talking about how they couldn’t wait for the 2009 version of this wonderful event.