Cape Cod Airshow Otis ANGB August 25-26, 2007

Photography by Scott Snorteland

  Cape Cod Massachusetts was the place to be the weekend of August 25th and 26th, as Otis ANG Base closed out the New England Air Force Week with a bang. Though it has been several years since the last show at Otis, this year proved to be particularly more significant than others. In spite of its important history over the years as an alert base, Otis is scheduled to loose their F-15’s as a part of Base Realignment And Closing decision, thus making this show in all likelihood the last show ever to be held at Otis.

     On paper or should I say the computer, Otis presented a stellar lineup of civilian and military performers that drew crowds from far and wide that sounded almost too good to be true at first, fortunately for those in attendance it wasn’t.

     While fog and low clouds on the Cape kept some performers on the ground on Saturday, it also unfortunately prevented the Thunderbirds from performing despite several passes and attempts to put on a flat show. Hazy, hot and humid weather on Sunday allowed for all performers to fly, however did keep the crowds away a bit compared to Saturday, with heat indexes near 100 degrees. Despite a few cancellations as well as some schedule changes Saturday due to the weather, the crowd was treated to lots of action, flying and jet noise.

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  Headlined by the USAF Thunderbirds, the show featured a strong military lineup. It brought together both the East Coast F-18C and the Canadian CF-18 demo teams, for an exciting treat rarely seen at the same show. The Navy was also represented with a demo from the S-3 Viking which is soon to be phased out of service. While the 101st FW based at Otis launched four F-15’s for some passes and afterburner climbs in the morning, the West coast viper team had the crowd holding their ears during the afternoon. The crowd got to see some passes from an F-117, the USCG SAR demo and a C-17 demo as well. The B-2 “Spirit of Washington” made several passes on Saturday, one with its gear down in a missed approach. The civilian acts were among the best and included Michael Goulian, Matt Chapman with Michael Mancuso, Ed Hamill and John Klatt.

 

  In addition to the action in the air, there was a good range of rare static aircraft on the ground as well. An F-5 from VFC-111 Key West made it to the show, as did a pair of California ANG F-16’s. Among other exciting static’s were a B-52 from Minot, CF-18, F-117, and several Navy and Marine Corp Hornets.

 

  The show may have allowed some to witness the soon to be past. Giving spectators an opportunity to see the F-117, S-3 and Otis’s own F-15 Eagles one last time may have been the perfect ending and best way to pay tribute to several decades of shows and service at Otis. Despite the reality, some as well as I, remain somewhat hopeful with chatter of possibly a show again next year.