Nellis preview

[burningman]

Re: Nellis preview

I'll have to agree with Speed about the F-4's being the most impressive T'birds. My dad took me to see their arrival show at Maxwell around '71 or '72. It was an awe-inspiring introduction to the Thunderbirds. My lasting memory of that show was seeing the solo fly by LOW and FAST and wondering why the plane wasn't making any sound?.......until a couple seconds later!!.......had a smile for a week.......

[Peashooter]

Re: Nellis preview

My first afterburner experience was the T-bird F-100s in the early 60s. I was maybe 4-5 years old. Scared the hell out of me the first time, but then!

[Air Race Addict]

Re: Nellis preview

The faster it went the better it felt.

That's what my Uncle, Col. Francis B Clark told me. He flew them down in Nellis for a few years. A couple of tours in Viet Nam. Not sure if he flew them elsewhere before he transitioned to the 111. He loved the Thud. I had the opportunity to visit with him one-on-one a few years before he passed away and we talked about the aircraft he flew. He was in fighters his whole career, starting with P-40's, P-51's in Europe, then on to the jets. Just thought I would toss this little bit of info since we're talking with people who flew the Thud. The last one I recall seeing in the air was a pair at Hill AFB in Feb of 79 from my window seat in an S-3A.
Bill

[Kilo Hotel]

Re: Nellis preview

Thanks to all for their Thud reminiscences, and their service. Where else can we get that kind of instant feedback from people who really know stuff, but AAFO? Which means that we owe Wayne yet another big thank you.

I want to add my own two thumbs way up for the F-4 as the most impressive mount ever for the demonstration teams. I saw the Blue Angels in Phantoms at Reading in the late '60s, back in the days when crowd line and show line were fluid concepts that occasionally overlapped. THAT was IMPRESSIVE, especially since they were operating under a low ceiling with marginal visibility, and managed to stay in close and in view nearly the entire show. That was also the day I saw a Helio Courier demo pilot take off and perform a maximum performance 360 over the crowd at 100' AGL, doing maybe 25 knots. His turn radius was, if anything, less than his altitude. I thought it was great, but I remember my dad trying to grumble about the danger through his own s__t-eating grin.

[Peashooter]

Re: Nellis preview

I remember my dad trying to grumble about the danger through his own s__t-eating grin.

'Tis almost the seaon to quote: "You'll put your eye out with that thing, kid."

[Kilo Hotel]

Re: Nellis preview

'Tis almost the seaon to quote: "You'll put your eye out with that thing, kid."

Jean Shepherd was a boyhood idol of mine, and "A Christmas Story" is one of my favorite movies. In the same era my dad and I were ducking Helio Couriers and F-4s at Reading, I would huddle under the covers after bedtime with an illicit transistor radio listening to Shep weave his magical and subversive tales on radio station WOR. Good times.

[Leo]

Re: Nellis preview

Tho a lot safer now (by necessity) I do miss the airshows when I was a kid. I remember the solo Thunderbird sneaking in at just under the Mach in the F-100, right over our heads and darn near blowing us down. Being right in amongst the aircraft on the ground.
We used to park on the end of the Ontario runway and sit on the roof of the car. All the old prop airliners (and an occasional jet) would seem to just clear us on takeoff. and you could feel the heat from the AB on the Air Guard F-106's (F-102's?) that roared over us.
And it was a real treat when LAX would get weather cus the ramp would be full of planes that normally did'nt land there. My dad worked for Lockheed out there and we could pretty much go where we wanted.
Great!

Leo

[Apteryx]

Re: Nellis preview

I remember the solo Thunderbird sneaking in at just under the Mach, right over our heads and darn near blowing us down. Great!
Leo

Leo-
Used to do it at Reno too, when you knew what to look for, it was VERY ENTERTAINING. Drinks spilling, women screaming, babies crying. (When you're crewing, you'd already been there a week, so it's just the type of amusement you're looking for).
I tagged along with an employee of NASA for an airshow at Moffett. The area they set up for us was designated, "non-crowd". I was coming back from walking the flightline, when the Blues (A-4's) started there act. I heard a noise & screams, only to look up and see the solo's left wing tip go buy, not 15' away and at about 10' AGL. I wished I'd been ready with a camera, but all you'd have seen was a blue sheet of aluminum and a lot of rivets, AWESOME! But what REALLY impressed me, was a women who had back-flipped out of her lawn chair, and was already running away. OLYMPIC caliber reflexes..... ...................Paul

[Apteryx]

Re: Nellis preview

Jean Sheperd's "A Christmas Story" is one of my favorite movies.

Ditto that...
It may just be a generational thing to us old farts, but I'd highly recomend that movie, to anyone who hasn't seen it.........Paul

[Peashooter]

Re: Nellis preview

I would huddle under the covers after bedtime with an illicit transistor radio listening to Shep weave his magical and subversive tales on radio station WOR. Good times.

KH, Nowadays you can steal away with your Sirius Radio set to Howard Stern, or maintain your terrestrial reception of Bob & Tom. Thank heavens for a little balancing Baxter Black. Beats "under the covers" with Diane Rehm. Peas