Alrighty guys, the wait is over.
Before anything I must say that today was the most beautiful and awesome display of air power and superiority in my entire life.
Being around the Air Force since I was concieved, this is what I have lived around and have loved to see ever since I could see planes. Please enjoy these pictures, I wish I had the words that could discribe the planes I saw today.
So first off, I came in at about 10:10am, just as the sonic boom went off and the Army Golden Knights jumped out for thier stunt.
Single jump to start
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/8030/open13vo.th.jpg
Close up
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/7521/open1close9un.th.jpg
Group jump
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/4006/opengroup9id.th.jpg
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/3845/opengroup25ib.th.jpg
Aerobatic plane fooling around as I was going into show
http://img487.imageshack.**/img487/5586/dsc018799hg.th.jpg
http://img487.imageshack.**/img487/277/dsc018786va.th.jpg
http://img487.imageshack.**/img487/3308/dsc018758jx.th.jpg
After that...I went into the Flight test/NASA display hangar to get what I wanted to see over with.
Ladies and gentlemen..the F/A 22 Raptor, 2nd one made..was suprised to not see alot of people around it
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/7365/f22ground9lp.th.jpg
F22 Tail
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/6731/f22tail1yx.th.jpg
F22 Engine Display
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/1262/f22engine9gl.th.jpg
OV-22 Osprey..you know..the one that used to crash alot
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/255/ov224fx.th.jpg
Close up painting on the Osprey, Mojave Maude
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/8977/ov22paint1bl.th.jpg
A-10 Warthog, or Thunderbolt if you wanna get technical, static display
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/5280/a106tz.th.jpg
Global Hawk spy plane (R/C)
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/4503/globalhawk3fl.th.jpg
F-106
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/6820/f1084rs.th.jpg
Atlus Recon Plane (R/C)
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/1226/atlusrecon1nh.th.jpg
Mini Recon R/C's
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/3964/minispy8qj.th.jpg
NASA F-18, see her out alot
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/8043/f18h6dr.th.jpg
Mars Recon Satellite & Mars Rover
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/8762/marsrecon0yv.th.jpg
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/5559/marsrover19cn.th.jpg
Now, for the performance in the air. I wish I could explain the awesome power that the F-22 gave off as it went by.
First she showed off the bombing bay..after a pyro explosion was set off while the announcers explained the display
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/2066/f22bay9se.th.jpg
Then the F-22 & Retired General Chuck Yeager in his P-51 flying together
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/3230/f22chuckin1at.th.jpg
I literally started shedding tears as the F-22 went full afterburner and darted straight into the sky, the pure power that the plane left off gave me goosebumps as it rumbled my entire body. It is the greatest thing I have ever seen
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/1954/f22chuckout0yu.th.jpg
F-22 coming in while doing some VERY slow thrust vectoring...
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/9318/f22slowvertin1jl.th.jpg
Man it seemed like it was a slug
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/6926/f22slowvert3me.th.jpg
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/2576/f22closevert6ux.th.jpg
F-16 & F-22 in break off formation..was a little shaky on that one
http://img484.imageshack.**/img484/2774/f16f228ky.th.jpg
Then after all of the showing off...all three planes came down in a close taxi...about not even 35ft (10m) or so from me..
Chuck in his P-51
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/5592/chucktaxi7qi.th.jpg
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/487/chucktaxi28ch.th.jpg
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/5647/chucktaxi36yd.th.jpg
F-16 Taxi..man this thing sounded good..still my favorite aircraft
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/5821/f16taxi1ki.th.jpg
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/5302/f16taxi23aw.th.jpg
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/2348/f16taxi34iy.th.jpg
And the Sprinkle on top..the F-22..and my god as it came towards everyone..you should have seen those freak camera men that had 20,000 cameras around thier neck running to get pictures..
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/2165/f22taxi9ew.th.jpg
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/4061/f22taxi29rf.th.jpg
And as it was right there...the engine sounds were absolutely astonishing...brought another tear to my eye just listening to it taxi. That is engineering perfection right there.
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/5010/f22taxi33dy.th.jpg
Unfortunately..after they all came into the area...the F-22 taxi'd away..since it is still worth millions...and not active duty yet.
But I got Yeager's P-51 & F-16 chilling as the crew made sure it was all good
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/1977/p51f221qo.th.jpg
Now for more pictures..
Edwards F-16
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/3231/f16ed7gk.th.jpg
Nozzle Cover
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/3425/f16edtail2bi.th.jpg
Test Pilot School F-16
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/6642/f16ftc4up.th.jpg
F-16...with the mark of the Devil!
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/3653/f166662wt.th.jpg
NASA F-16
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/7178/f16nasa6ay.th.jpg
Another A-10, looked at the cockpit of that one
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/5764/a10dm7kd.th.jpg
Vintage plane "Minsi III"...not sure what plane type(corsair maybe?)..she got alot of kills though!
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/8263/minsiiii7lz.th.jpg
F-117...with some people I know guarding it
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/452/f1174ev.th.jpg
P-51 Mustang
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/9599/p518rj.th.jpg
Mini P-51
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/9007/minip519sm.th.jpg
F-86 Sabre
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/9885/dsc018166ae.th.jpg
NASA B-52...was the oldest active B-52 just a bit ago when it was retired. But it is still called Dryden's "Mothership". You can see along the fuselage that she got alot of work in.
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/4285/nasab529wm.th.jpg
Another B-52..didn't know what the purpose for this one was
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/5089/b52white5al.th.jpg
NASA 747 ferry plane..the one that piggybacks the shuttle
went through it..wasn't allowe to take pics though
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/103/nasa7478cd.th.jpg
B1B
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/703/b1b4ss.th.jpg
B-17
http://img453.imageshack.**/img453/9688/b173yz.th.jpg
B-17 nose painting
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/2655/b17nose3uv.th.jpg
U-2 spy plane
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/3967/u28cn.th.jpg
U-2 intake cover
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/7851/u2cover5ax.th.jpg
C-17 Globemaster III
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/5508/c178gh.th.jpg
C-17 engine cover
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/786/c17cover4jo.th.jpg
KC-10 Tanker
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/5752/kc108wd.th.jpg
Ordnance displays
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/7751/bombs10yi.th.jpg
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/2267/bombs21kf.th.jpg
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/4406/bombs39et.th.jpg
Jet car that is gonna be running here on the lakebed soon!
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/5017/jetcar1px.th.jpg
http://img456.imageshack.**/img456/2228/jetcartrailer8nr.th.jpg
Well guys..that's it for now...I hope you like these pictures..and can enjoy the planes and other displays of this show. I wish you all could have been there to see it in person...the show was beautiful. Note, I did not stay all day to see more aero shows.
A couple planes listed to show weren't there...so tommorow I might go back to see more.
Cheers!