Attending the Thunder of Niagara airshow held the Niagara Falls ARS on the Sunday proved to be an interesting time.

  The weather was blistering hot and muggy for most of the day.

  From Birds of Prey to Gliders to Jets and Rockets, the show had it all.

  They had a ground display of the local birds of prey from the smallest, an American Kestrel to the pride of the US, the Bald Eagle.  Manfred Radius glided through the skies with the greatest of ease.  The Rocket Man was there with his rocket belt, similar to the one that Bell Aircraft built across the airfield.   Michael Hunter was flying his Flight for Diabetes Laser 230.

  The Geico Skytypers performed in SNJ-2s.  The USAF Reserve Jet Car did two challenge races against one of the Skytypers and the other with Michael Hunter.  The challenge with the Laser was too close to call, but he inched out a win by a nose.

  Not one, but two parachute teams performed - the famed Navy Leap Frogs and the USAF Academy Parachute Team.  It was not only silent flight for these two rivals of the military, but jet superiority.  The Navy provided their East Coast F/A-18 Super Hornet up against the USAF F-15E Strike Eagle.  The advantage went to the airforce with the presence of Ed Shipley and his F-86 Sabre.  Ed Shipley was not the only one with a jet. Angel 7 was also on hand.

  The show could not go on without the home town heroes – the work horses of the military the C-130 and KC-135R.

  They had planes on static from all over the 48 States and Eastern Canada.  One of the busiest aircraft was a Canadian Sea King giving cockpit tours and pictures in the rescue basket.

  There are a lot of words that can be associated with the word “Thunder.”  One is the USAF Thunderbirds, the main attraction for this years show.  The other is rain and it did rain for the Thunderbird show.  Being true performers, the show went on.