Date: May 18-20, 2007
Story by: Jim Deveney
Photography by: Jim Deveney

An Armed Forces Day tradition is airplanes tearing up the skies above Andrews AFB. With 2007 being the 60th anniversary of the USAF, Andrews celebrated that fact in a grand manner. Featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, this show gives you the best of the civilian and military sides of aviation. This year was very special as a USAF history flight showed an appreciative audience the start of the USAF from the Army Air Corps with a flight of several WWII aircraft. This was followed by a formation flight honoring Thunderbirds and Skyblazers team members from the past. Dale “Snort” Snodgrass flew his Skyblazers F-86 Sabre jet with Fowler “Big Dog” Cary’s Thunderbirds-painted T-33 being flown by Jerry “Jive” Kerby. There were many warbirds in the static display area this year to help the USAF celebrate 60 years of existence.

They don’t call this a Joint Services Open House for nothing. The show featured demonstrations from the U.S. Army Golden Knights, a USMC AV-8B Harrier, the U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet East Coast Demo Team, the USAF A-10 West Coast Demo Team, the F-15C West Coast Demo Team, and the demonstration that has the airshow world buzzing, Maj. Paul “Max” Moga with the F-22A Raptor Demo Team. It is getting to be common place hearing people cheer during Maj. Moga’s demonstrations of the newest fighter jet.

Even some of the civilian performances have a military flair to them. Jill “Raggz” Long flies a routine in her Pitts S2B at airshows on weekends, and is an A-10 pilot the rest of the time. John Klatt flies his ANG sponsored Staudacher S-300 on weekends and has flown both the C-130 Hercules and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft with the ANG. Even a jet dragster was at Andrews sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Andrews also never seems complete without another stellar performance by Sean D. Tucker.

If the Andrews AFB JSOH is any indication of how the U.S. Air Force is going to celebrate its 60th anniversary, we are in for a very good year.

Photo captions left to right: (1) Dale "Snort" Snodgrass in the F-86 and Jerry "Jive" Kerby flying Fowler "Big Dog" Cary's T-33. (2) F-15 take off. (3) F-15 Dedication Pass. (4) A-10 Dedication Pass. (5) F-22 Raptor Dedication Pass. (6) USAF Heritage Flight - P-51, F-15C, F-22, A-10.