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Dale “Snort” Snodgrass is well known for
his F-86 Sabre performances but with his new F-86 still requiring some
work, Snort put the beautiful P-51D Mustang “Excalibur” through its
paces. The low pass is one of Snort’s trademarks and he did not
disappoint.
Dan Buchanan showed that not having use of your legs does not preclude a
determined person from flying with precision and style during his
inspiring hang glider act. He even got Snort into the performance with
the P-51 Excalibur making a few simulated firing passes at Buchanan’s
glider.
Moody’s own 23rd wing performed a CSAR rescue of a simulated downed pilot
with one HC-130, two HH-60 and four A-10’s for support
The Aeroshell Team took to the cloudy skies with their refined and
graceful routine. The four T-6 Texans seemed to be tethered together
while they looped and rolled over the South Georgia landscape.
The Starfighters F-104 team was unable to attend Saturday’s show but was
able to fly on Sunday. The team had hoped to have their first
three-ship demo at Moody but maintenance issues restricted the group
to the two-ship Starfighter demo. That said, it was still incredible
to see two F-104’s in the air at the same time. Several passes were
made with afterburners ablaze and the team did a great job of showing
off the F-104’s sleek lines.
The weather continued to deteriorate throughout the day and by the time
the Thunderbirds began their show, the deck had become noticeably
lower and darker. Enthusiasts took note of the unusual sight of a
two-seat F-16 displaying the markings of Thunderbird #1 taxiing to the
runway. During the pre takeoff checklist, a snafu in the #1 jet
required a short delay and a transfer to another single seat Viper.
Given the less than optimal weather, the Thunderbirds still managed an
impressive show. The team flew perfect formations and the timing of
the various maneuvers appeared impeccable. One advantage of the cloudy
conditions was that afterburners could be clearly seen on many of the
Thunderbirds passes throughout the show.
Another advantage of the Thunderbird low show was that the crowd was
treated to a 2nd thundering sneak pass. The 2nd pass took many
(including me) by surprise and even experienced airshow veterans were
seen instinctively ducking as the Thunderbird solo roared down the
flight line.
I made a point of checking out the Thunderbird rope line after their
performance and watched the children waiting anxiously for autographs
from the team. You could see from the looks on the kid’s faces that
this had been a great day, and you could see the pilots smiles grow
larger with each child they greeted. This is all the evidence that I
need to prove that an airshow is an excellent use of my tax dollars.
This was my first time attending the Moody Air Fest and I will definitely
have the next Moody AFB show on my calendar.
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