Fort Worth Alliance Air Show October 24-25, 2009

Photography and brief by Eric Renth

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  Alliance Airport at Ft. Worth Texas had their annual airshow on Sat -Sun Oct 24-25, 2009. I've been to many airshows at Alliance and I have to say this was their best one yet.


  There were many truly outstanding static displays, the highlights being two Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys from VMX-22 at New River MCAS, NC. The outstanding civilian display was a beautifully restored American Airlines Douglas DC-3 Gooney Bird called Flagship Detroit which has been flying since 1937! In fact, this DC3 has it's own website at www.FlagshipDetroit.org. The Royal Netherlands Air Force brought an F-16A from their training unit in Springfield, OH. Other highlights included an American Airlines Boeing 777, a USAF Boeing C-17, B-52 Buff, a restored and flying C-7A Caribou, F/A-18E Super Hornet, MH-60R Seahawk, C-130 Hercules, SNJ Texan, AD5 Skyraider, E-3A AWACS and two beautiful PT-17 Stearmans.


  The flying wasn't too bad, either, folks. The Army Golden Knights are celebrating their 50th anniversary and showed how some people like to jump out of perfectly good airplanes. David Martin and his Brieting 232 did some outstanding gyroscopic maneuvers. Dallas native and 75 year old recycled teenager Jan Collmer showed us younger folks how it's done when he put his Xtra 300 through some very demanding paces. Jim Pletz showed us what a highly modified Beech Bonanza can do in aerobatics. He reminded us that his plane was highly modified and that a regualr Bonanza couldn't take the punishment his bird does. 

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Great American Julie Clark then showed the audience what a T-34 Mentor can do as her manuvers included pyrotechnics in a salute to this great land. Kent Piesh came in his JellyBelly Interstate and showed the audience that he can land a plane on a truck driven by Indy 500 legends Bobby Unser and Johnny Rutherford. Bobby and Johnny had to drive SLOW this time. Later, Kent took his Interstate up to 6000 feet, cut off the engine, and glided to a landing. Sean D. Tucker showed the crowd what makes him an airshow legend as he put his specially designed Team Oracle biplane thru very demanding paces. Flying low to cut a ribbon takes some concentration. Then the Shockwave jet powered truck show the crowd why it is the world's fastest truck and needs three drag chutes to slow down.

 

  The Air Force showed the C-17 to the crowd and folks could see what an agile giant it is. Then came an A-10 Warthog demo team from Tucson, AZ as this tank killer showed how this tough bird can manuver low to destroy the bad buys. Capain Gregory Clifford from Shaw AFB showed the home crowd why their locally made F-16 Viper is an awesome dogfight opponent. The Navy gave the Viper some friendly competition as they showed off the F/A-18F Super Hornet.


  Lastly came the Blue Angels as their Marine C130 Fat Albert performed one of the last JATO takeoffs that will be done as JATO bottles are no longer being made. Very impressive! Then came their six F/A-18A Hornets which showed that even the oldest Hornets are still very powerful aircraft. The Blues have already started to take delivery of newer F/A-18C Hornets that they will start flying in 2010.


Many thanks to David Pelletier and his staff at Hillwood for an outstnding show.