2014 Florida International Air Show

Punta Gorda, Florida:  After Mother Nature stole the show on Saturday, the Florida International Air Show bounced back with a phenomenal performance under sunny skies on Sunday.  The thirty fourth annual show did not disappoint as world class aviation acts wowed the large crowd that gathered to witness some amazing performances.  While many were on hand for the main act, the US Air Force Thunderbirds, every act was at the top of their game for the crowd.

The show kicked off with a large collection of static aircraft.  Many aircraft such as the DC-3 Flagship Detroit, C-54 Skymaster "Spirit of Freedom", AC-47 "Spooky" made a return to the show.  But with them were some new faces such as some modern fighters from Draken International, B-17 Flying Fortress "Texas Raiders, C-46 Commando "Tinker Belle" and many more stopped by Punta Gorda for the first time.

The aerial show started with a demonstration by the R/C Fliers Club.  Then the US Special Operations Command Parachute Team delivered the Stars and Stripes to an aerial teaser by the Lima Lima Flight team to open the aerial acts.  From that point on, it was all adrenalin all the time.

Skip Stewart got things started with one of the best aerial performances I have seen.  His amazing skill in the cockpit performing high speed aerobatic maneuvers led to a breathtaking performance.  Then towards the end of his high energy performance, he was joined by Dan Buchanan and his glider to mix things up a bit.

Once Dan Buchanan finished his glider act, one of the most iconic warbirds took to the skies of Punta Gorda when Scott "Scooter" Yoak flew the P-51 Mustang "Quick Silver".  The unique paint scheme of "Quick Silver" is a tribute to all those who have served the armed forces.

Then another Word War II ace made its appearance as the F4U Corsair demonstrated it's capabilities to the crowd.  The Corsair's unique bent wing design was a necessity in making this aircraft a carrier based aircraft.  It saw action in World War II and later in the Korean War where it had 11:1 kill ratio.

Then in the first of two unique heritage flights, the Mustang and Corsair joined wing to wing in the Class of 1945 heritage flight.  After a couple of passes, the Mustang and Corsair were joined by the B-25 Mitchell "Panchito" and the SNJ-5C Texan for the World War II heritage flight.

When the formation broke, both the B-25 Mitchell and the Texan had their moment in the spotlit to demonstrate what they could do.

From there, the skies got busy as the Lima Lima Flight Team took to the air for their performance.  The five member civilian demonstration team takes to the skies in the T-34 Mentor aircraft.  Their routine features plenty of high-flying action that rivals the jet demonstration teams.  While the aircraft are not as fast as the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels, their turning radius is much less resulting in a nonstop action performance.

The next aircraft to take to the air was the unique OV-1 Mohawk piloted by Dr Joe Masessa.  The OV-1 was developed as a survillance aircraft for the US Army.  It served the Army during the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm.

It was then time for Manfred Radius to take to the sky in his sail plane.  Towed to the sky by a Cessna, Manfed performed a majestic routine in his sail plane, guiding ever so elegantly to the ground.

After Manfred reached the ground, the skies got active once again as Jive Kirby went airborne in his RV-8 "Wild Blue".   Kirby is a retired US Air Force pilot with distinguished flying career spanning many aircraft.

Then Skip Stewart returned to action, this time to race Wicked Willy in a drag race between plane and jet dragster in front of the wall of fire.

Afterwards it was time for the main event, the US Air Force Thunderbirds.  After being grounded the day before due to weather, the team was ready to hit the blue skies.  The ambassadors of the Air Force, the Thunderbirds did not disappoint.  Their six F-16 Falcons roared to life, bringing the crowd to their feet for the breathtaking display of air superiority.  During their display, these skilled pilots bring their aircraft just inches apart at over 700 miles per hour.

The Florida International Air Show takes place annually and benefits local charities.

Click on the photo above to view my Florida International Air Show photo gallery.



Comments

  1. DAV Flight TeamSaturday, April 05, 2014

    That's great! Thanks so much for sharing, Donten Photography!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Donten PhotographySaturday, April 05, 2014

      Thanks for coming to the show. Have seen Panchito several times as a static over the years, it was great to see it airborne.

      Delete

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