Anticipation, yeah that’s what it’s called, anticipation.  When my airshow season ended in the middle of October in 2008, I knew it was less than 2 months away before the jet team schedules would come out at the ICAS Convention, and then I could plan my 2009 airshow season.  The weekend after my last airshows at Culpeper on Saturday & Rotorfest on Sunday, I had a sort of hollow feeling. I wasn’t ready to have the season end for me yet. But there it was, no more airshows until 2009. 

  December, and the ICAS convention FINALLY gets here. It was the longest month and a half of the year. On the first day of the convention, the schedules for the military jet teams are released.  Langley AFB Air Power over Hampton Roads will be the first show I do this year with the USAF Thunderbirds headlining.  There is a great excitement for me for a few weeks as I figure out all the airshows I plan to attend in 2009. 

  January it happens, the realization that the show season is still another 5 months away, UGH!  I visit various airshow websites like World Airshow News’ own website www.airshowmag.com, and another favorite of mine Air Show Buzz at www.airshowbuzz.com.  I often visit the airshows website itself, www.langleyafbairshow.com, looking for updates of who & what is going to perform there, but it is only January. Nothing new, DARN! 

  February kind of comes and goes with me in a catatonic state as nothing appears to be happening with respect to the airshows.  March, the Heritage Flight Conference comes around, and people start talking that up on the different airshow websites.  Shortly after, the ACC releases their schedule for March & April.  I am so excited, APOHR will have the Heritage Flight with the P-51 Mustang, the F-4 Phantom, the F-22A Raptor East Coast Demo Team, and the F-15C Eagle West Coast Demo Team.  Other performers are starting to update their appearance schedules for 2009. Matt Younkin and Herb & Ditto are going to be at Langley. We are off to a fantastic start. The US Navy releases their Hornet’s schedule, and the F/A-18C East Coast Demo Team is going to be there.  Here comes that wave of excitement again. 

  The beginning of April arrives, and the show is still over 3 weeks away, COME ON ALREADY!  Wings of Blue, the USAFA parachute team is announced as is a C-17 demo.  Performers are starting to be added fast to the schedule now.  These last 3 weeks until APOHR are going to seem like 3 months.  Kyle Franklin, the Vintage Thunderbird T-33 being flown by Jerry “Jive” Kerby, and Bill Leff are announced.  This show is going to be great.  One week to go and Art Nalls in the world’s only civilian owned FA.2 Sea Harrier is announced.  This show is going to be awesome.  I yearn to hear jet noise again, plenty of jet noise.  I need to hear afterburners!

   The weather in Hampton, Va. has been pretty marginal in past years this time of April.  This year was to be no different, marginal, but with one huge exception.  This year the weather was marginally perfect!  Friday April 24^th through Sunday April 26^th was some of the most beautiful weather you would ever want to see at an airshow.  Friday was crystal clear blue skies without a cloud in sight.  Saturday had a few very small clouds with a nice breeze which was good because the forecast was for close to 90 degrees of temperature in April!  Sunday was very close to Friday’s weather with the only exception of a slight haze layer in the morning that burned off pretty quickly, along with Saturday’s temperature.  Once again, a nice breeze staved off the heat.

  Each morning arriving at the base gate at Langley AFB, it seemed like no one was home it was so quiet.  However, that wouldn’t last very long at all.  Each day started at roughly 10:45am with a high performance climb out of a USAF C-17 carrying the USAFA Wings of Blue parachute team.  This would be quickly followed by a launch of four F-15 Eagles that would participate later in the flying program.  From this point on, it was pretty much non stop flying.  As the C-17 passed overhead to do the streamer drop to determine the winds for the parachute team,  Kyle Franklin in his Waco, and Sean Carroll in his Yak-9 would launch as both performers begin their shows with air starts.  It is great to see Kyle continue the Franklin tradition of flying as he weaves through the skies above Langley AFB looping & rolling in his smartly silver trimmed black Waco biplane.  Once Kyle lands, Sean Carroll rips up the sky with the ultra fast piston powered Yak-9.  I think Sean only has two speeds, 400+ mph and stopped.  He is a lot of fun to watch. 

  It’s then time for the Wings of Blue as they start their performance with the American Flag jump while the National Anthem was being sung.  Once all the jumpers were out, the C-17 spiraled down to lose altitude to begin their demonstration.  For those who have never witnessed a C-17 demo, keep in mind that the plane is empty of cargo.  However, you’ll still be amazed at the agility of this stubby looking jet as the crew puts it through its paces.  It looks almost like a big fat fighter jet the way the expertly trained USAF crew whips this jet around.  Herb & Ditto (Herb’s T-28 Trojan) next fly a very enjoyable show for the people in attendance.  With wing tip smoke generators, a few things happen that keeps the young and the old alike with their eyes locked on the sky.  The first thing is the piston powered sound of the T-28, airshow enthusiasts can’t get enough sound of the T-28 propellers chopping through the air.  The second are the two smoke trails that make this a very visible display.  The third would be the smoke tornados caused by the wingtip vortices.  I myself find myself at times just watching the smoke twist and churn in the sky.  The forth and final is the clapping heard from the crowd as the smoke sometimes forms rings which Herb & Ditto will then fly through. 

  Next on the schedule is probably the slowest plane on the schedule in this airshow, John Mohr in his stock PT-17 Stearman biplane.  One of the most exciting acts in this airshow even at such a slow speed.  The skilled flying by John in the Stearman grabs everybody’s attention.  One of John’s last passes he dips one wing just a few feet off the ground, crabbing the Stearman with one hand raised high waving to the crowd as many laugh in disbelief.  The four F-15 Eagles then return in echelon formation breaking as if they were going to land.  Each then take the option to go around lighting the afterburners. Each of the F-15’s made two passes like the first before finally landing full stop.  Matt Younkin then delivers a very impressive display of airmanship putting his large Twin Beech through a series or looping & rolling maneuvers like he was in a small aerobatic plane.  The size of the Twin Beech, with thick plumes of smoke trailing from both engines, make this a very enjoyable performance to watch.  Bill Leff then displayed his polished silver T-6 Texan in the crisp blue Virginia skies.  The F/A-18 Hornet East Coast Demonstration Team from VFA-106 at nearby NAS Oceana was then demonstrated.  This Hornet had a special paint job done to celebrate 30 years of the F/A-18.  It was all white with blue and gold trim, the Navy colors.  Each day, the demonstration was capped with a U.S. Navy Legacy Flight as the F/A-18 Hornet was joined in formation with an F-4U Corsair. 

  Jerry “Jive” Kerby then brought back memories of the early jet powered days with a smooth performance in the vintage T-33 Thunderbird.  Art Nalls had scores of people clapping as he put the FA.2 Sea Harrier through its paces with high speed passes, and doing what made the Harrier family of jets famous, hovering.  The USAF Thunderbirds showed the professionalism of the men & women in the USAF by closing out the show each day.  However, this year at Langley the show would be about displaying the top two fighters in the world today.  Maj. David “Zeke” Skalicky once again shows the audience just a small fraction of what this 5^th generation fighter is capable of maneuvering the big fighter through the skies above Langley leaving everyone shaking their heads even if they have seen the Raptor demo before.  The highlight of the show had to be the final public display weekend for the F-15C Eagle West Coast Demo Team who will soon be disbanding permanently.  While the Raptor is reported to be the most feared fighter in the world today, the F-15 boasts a combat record of 104-0 in the kills department, and has to be considered one of the most accomplished fighters in the world ever.  A 104-0 patch is proudly worn by each of the team members.  Capt. Sam “Nuke” Joplin showed how good this big twin engine fighter jet can maneuver when in the hands of a skilled pilot absolutely tearing up the skies of Virginia.  Eagle West performed in the evening show Friday, midday on Saturday, and switched with Zeke on Sunday to fly the last of the fighter demo’s in honor of it being Eagle West’s last public show.  After the Mustang, Phantom, and Raptor landed from the Heritage Flight, Capt. Joplin capped off this demo teams long history of 25+ years by making several high speed burner passes.  Upon landing, 2 fire trucks awaited Capt. Joplin on the taxiway in front of the crowd, and they proceeded to douse the Eagle with a water shower to commemorate this last show. Wow, 25+ years, such a long time. Thank you Eagle West, you will never be forgotten.