Heart of Texas Airshow (?)

3,501 Views | 24 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by HollywoodBQ
texrover91
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Worth making a 2.5 hour drive to attend?

Rabid Cougar
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quote:
Worth making a 2.5 hour drive to attend?


I live 15 minutes from it and I wouldn't go.
texrover91
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Thanks Rabid - that was my guess

my dad and I went years ago and he wanted to take me and my son this year but my impression is its not what it used to be
Rabid Cougar
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Thanks Rabid - that was my guess

my dad and I went years ago and he wanted to take me and my son this year but my impression is its not what it used to be
It's not. Very few military static display. Back in the late 80's and 90's had everything under the sun on display. C-5, C-141, P-3's, B-1, S-2 Vikings, A-4, A-6, A-7. Very much on par with the present one at Carswell.

Last year they had the T-Birds, which were good but again very few static displays. You could make all the displays in about 15 minutes.
Rabid Cougar
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Thanks Rabid - that was my guess

my dad and I went years ago and he wanted to take me and my son this year but my impression is its not what it used to be
Ellington in Houston usually has a very good show.
texrover91
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One if these days I'll make it to H town for a show when the boy gets a little older

These days Carswell or catching Collings Foundation nearby is about as far as we go.

Thanks again for the input - the 80's/90's were when my dad and I used to attend the show at TSTC - too bad it's not what it used to be



93Spur
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Heartily endorse the Wings over Houston at Ellington.
Been the last two years. Very impressive.
Gates open early. Substantial static warbird display (which are then flown).
B-17, B-29, F4U Corsair, P51 Mustang, B-25, Zero, Kate, P40 Warhawk, etc. Likely 3 rows of aircraft, at least 8-12 per row.
Helos incl Apache
Starts with a Radio Control aircraft show (weight to power ratios are way out of scale, so some neat tricks)
Then a Tora Tora Tora display with Zeros and US aircraft flying through the smoke from the ground explosions
Then on to acrobatic flight
Then on to WWI aircraft and then WWII aircraft.
Acrobatic teams
Jet aircraft. Saber jet, Blue Angels, etc.
Many, many hours of flight.
Pretty decent sight lines for the general admission ticket.
My kids, years 6-13 have enjoyed, through not as much as me (after 5 hours, they are out of energy).
Even the kids zone doesn't get then renewed. Lots of vendors.
Its a full day.
Cinco Ranch Aggie
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quote:
Heartily endorse the Wings over Houston at Ellington.
Been the last two years. Very impressive.
Gates open early. Substantial static warbird display (which are then flown).
B-17, B-29, F4U Corsair, P51 Mustang, B-25, Zero, Kate, P40 Warhawk, etc. Likely 3 rows of aircraft, at least 8-12 per row.
Helos incl Apache
Starts with a Radio Control aircraft show (weight to power ratios are way out of scale, so some neat tricks)
Then a Tora Tora Tora display with Zeros and US aircraft flying through the smoke from the ground explosions
Then on to acrobatic flight
Then on to WWI aircraft and then WWII aircraft.
Acrobatic teams
Jet aircraft. Saber jet, Blue Angels, etc.
Many, many hours of flight.
Pretty decent sight lines for the general admission ticket.
My kids, years 6-13 have enjoyed, through not as much as me (after 5 hours, they are out of energy).
Even the kids zone doesn't get then renewed. Lots of vendors.
Its a full day.
Full disclosure, those Zeroes are actually AT-6 Texans, and any Kates/Val's that may be there are replicas as well. Still cool to see.
texrover91
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Yep can't wait to take the boy out for his first tast of pyrotechnics and Tora! Tora! Tora!

As an aside, that movie was my favorite as a kid only to be topped by "A Bridge Too Far" - which I almost crapped my pants over when they previewed it in the theater
Rabid Cougar
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quote:
quote:
Heartily endorse the Wings over Houston at Ellington.
Been the last two years. Very impressive.
Gates open early. Substantial static warbird display (which are then flown).
B-17, B-29, F4U Corsair, P51 Mustang, B-25, Zero, Kate, P40 Warhawk, etc. Likely 3 rows of aircraft, at least 8-12 per row.
Helos incl Apache
Starts with a Radio Control aircraft show (weight to power ratios are way out of scale, so some neat tricks)
Then a Tora Tora Tora display with Zeros and US aircraft flying through the smoke from the ground explosions
Then on to acrobatic flight
Then on to WWI aircraft and then WWII aircraft.
Acrobatic teams
Jet aircraft. Saber jet, Blue Angels, etc.
Many, many hours of flight.
Pretty decent sight lines for the general admission ticket.
My kids, years 6-13 have enjoyed, through not as much as me (after 5 hours, they are out of energy).
Even the kids zone doesn't get then renewed. Lots of vendors.
Its a full day.
Full disclosure, those Zeroes are actually AT-6 Texans, and any Kates/Val's that may be there are replicas as well. Still cool to see.
But if you look real close you will see a very real Mitsubishi A6M. There is one in there. Promise.
Rabid Cougar
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Ended up indirectly going. Helped my wife and her catering company at the L3 Family picnic (served 3,200 hamburgers). . There were maybe 10 static aircraft. The high tlight to me was an F-80 and a Mig 17. First ones I have seen up close.

Once the flying started it was fine. Two F-16 tore it up them two F-18 had their turn. Both shows were freaking awesome. Of course anytime I hear/feel the afterburners, its a good thing.

Again not worth the 1.5 hour drive, but hey, I had to be there. Might as well enjoyed it.

texrover91
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Good for you Rabid - weather was too hot for our little guy anyway.

Can't wait to get him out to his first Airshow

Can't say I've seen an F-80 in flight. One thing I want to see though is an F-4 I know there is at least one flying or about to come on-line

Funny thing - when I told my wife about my dad's suggestion to go to Waco, she wasn't sure she wanted him to go because "people die at those things". Told her I've been going since I knee high to a grasshopper and haven't been killed yet!

I'll close with my favorite Airshow memory - I think it was about 1977. We flew down to Harlingen for the annual CAF show on a Braniff 747 "Big Ben". If I'm correct on my year that was about age 7 or 8. Knocked my socks off. Made my dad an even bigger "hero" in my eyes.
CanyonAg77
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Once the flying started it was fine. Two F-16 tore it up them two F-18 had their turn. Both shows were freaking awesome. Of course anytime I hear/feel the afterburners, its a good thing
Two F-16s flew? I assume this was the Air Combat Command demo guy out of Shaw? Daughter met them when they did a fuel stop at her base. Her inderstanding was that one guy was the demo guy, and the second was basically backup, bringing a spare ship.

The backup guy was a fellow FAIP. The demo guy is apparently legendary, one of the best -16 pilots currently out there.
Rabid Cougar
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quote:
quote:
Once the flying started it was fine. Two F-16 tore it up them two F-18 had their turn. Both shows were freaking awesome. Of course anytime I hear/feel the afterburners, its a good thing
Two F-16s flew? I assume this was the Air Combat Command demo guy out of Shaw? Daughter met them when they did a fuel stop at her base. Her inderstanding was that one guy was the demo guy, and the second was basically backup, bringing a spare ship.

The backup guy was a fellow FAIP. The demo guy is apparently legendary, one of the best -16 pilots currently out there.
Misspoke - You are correct. Same for the F-18 guys. I saw both F-16s and F-18s come in on Thursday evening. They beat up the field pretty good then. F-16 dude was REALLY good! Wasn't paying attention to where they came from. Busy flipping burgers. L3 was handing out ear pro to all their employees. WAY Loud!
Rabid Cougar
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Speaking of BAD A$$! F-22 Demo
CanyonAg77
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F-16 dude was REALLY good!
I was told that when pilots are trained, there's sort a good/better/best ranking for each checkride. Good is common, better is not unheard of, but best is rare. This pilot supposedly had LOTS of "best" ratings.

And actual military pilots, please don't beat me up, the above is an over generalization of what I was told.
Astrobo
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I remember the initial Heart of Texas Airshow in 1986. I believe it was part of the Texas Sesquicentennial Celebration. My buddies and I played golf at the James Connally Golf Course right next to the air field the Saturday of the show. We probably had better viewing than the paying customers. I remember the Concorde, the Goodyear blimp, wicked F-16 show. We felt like we were looking in the cockpit of those F-16 and they did hairpin turns right above the golf course.
texrover91
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Good recollection there - we went just for a chance to see the Concorde
NormanAg
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Can't wait to get him out to his first Airshow
One of my very first memories was going to an airshow with my dad, probably around 1951. My dad was in the AF stationed at Goodfellow Field, San Angelo, Texas, but I remember the airshow was at Mathis Field, which was an Army Air Corps airfield during WWII but became the San Angelo civilian airport after the war.

My dad served in the Army Air Corps in WWII as a B-24 crew member. He met my mom while spending some time at Goodfellow early in the war, before he went into B-24s, and married her after the war.

I remember visiting Goodfellow many, many times with my dad, so I knew Mathis Field was NOT Goodfellow.

I got hooked on airplanes right then and there and it has been a life long love affair. Not a pilot - my eyes were too bad, but I grew up an AF brat living on or near AF bases and then got commissioned and spent 21 years in the AF myself.

Funny thing - for some reason, the AF ordered me to report to Goodfellow in July, 1970 to process into AF active duty status. And Goodfellow was NOT my first assignment, Bergstrom was.

The Personnel Office where I inprocessed was a WWII era building that was right next door to the small brick hanger I used to visit with my dad when he was a T-6 mechanic after the war. It was quite a moving experience for me - and my bride of 9 days.
aalan94
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Airshows are like sex. Some are better than others, but very rarely are they bad. And you can cheat on one airshow all day long and she'll never dump you.

I went to the Heart of Texas airshow last year and it was pretty good. Saw the Thunderbirds, which I've seen a billion times, but never a bad thing. They didn't have as many planes as some of the better ones I've gone too, but they had enough. My family camped out underneath the tail (in the shade) of the Devil Dog B-25 (PBJ-1B) and watched it. My almost 3 year old kid kept talking for weeks about the "big birdies" (The Thunderbirds) and that was really what made it all.

EMY92
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I went to the first one in '86. I believe it was in July. There was very little water. I got there early, spent all but my last dollar on parking and was lucky I got out of there before passing out. The tarmac was scorching. The next year was greatly improved.

I missed the T-birds in '86, but did get to see them in Lubbock in 12 or so years ago. It was unforgettable.
Rabid Cougar
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I totally agree with aalan's statement .

My first airshow was Carswell in 1969 with my grandfather. I can only remember an F-105 flying. The one I really remember was at Bergstrom in 1977 or 78. They had the T-birds but also had a Vulcan. It did a flying demo which was and still is one of the best I have ever seen. It crashed later that summer in Chicago killing the crew.

Another one I remember is a road trip to Harlingen to see the CAF. We camped the night before in my grandfathers camper shell and were eaten alive by mosquitos. IT was the first time I saw the CAF flying and Tora, Tora, Tora. Come to think of it, that was not very long after the movie came out. Also had a large number of static birds.

Have gone to Ellington numerous times when my kids were small. Saw a U-2 fly at one of those. That is a very cool show. LOTS of static planes.

I think it was 1989-or 90 Heart of Texas show. My childhood best friend and Naval Academy grad was flying P-3's off the West Coast. He got to fly "home" to do the airshow. He made low passes over is parents house in Cameron and then came up to Whitney Lake where I worked and buzzed me at my office. It was cool!

Spent the entire airshow with him and his crew. Watched all the demos sitting on top of his P-3. And the stereotypes of wild aircrew activities when away from home/wives? Oh yea All very true. Dudes were crazy.

Was coming home from vacation in Colorado on the north side of Denver and ran into an airshow in progress. The Blues were doing their thing. Stopped on an exit/overpass and had the best view of a show ever. It happened to be their "entrance" to the field. The were right over the top of us hauling ass. LOUD!.

The best show ever? Oceana Naval Air Station in 1984 when a CAG flew off their carrier. Was sitting on the beach and all types of navy planes flew over and flew up and down the beach (F-14, A-6's S-3s, Hawkeyes and helos). It was nuts!

All good memories!
NormanAg
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Great stories! As a lifelong airplane buff, I was very fortunate to spend two years in England with my AF dad and family when I was in the 5th and 6th grade ((1957-59).

Anyone who has spent time in England know the Brits love airshows and there is usually one somewhere in England every weekend in the summer. Some were too far away for a day road trip (we lived 30 miles north of London), but we were able to get to at least one a month, and most months two. Great times.

In early 59 my dad was transferred to Incirlik AB, Turkey, home of TUSLOG Detachment 10-10.

http://www.merhaba-usmilitary.com/TUSLOGdetachments.html

quote:
TUSLOG Det 10-10 (CIA) [U2 unit] --- ncirlik/Adana

I got to see U-2s take off and land (all but one) on a regular basis. I sacked Gary Powers groceries at the commissary and delivered the Stars and Stripes to his base house (we all lived in trailers). More great times.
DeckMe80
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Wings Over Houston at Ellington in late October will also have an F-35 flyover, one of only two shows this year to have it.
texrover91
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http://www.bftsmuseum.org/bfts16/

Terrell Airshow this weekend p51 spit mig that's all I know
HollywoodBQ
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I went to the first one in '86. I believe it was in July. There was very little water. I got there early, spent all but my last dollar on parking and was lucky I got out of there before passing out. The tarmac was scorching. The next year was greatly improved.

I missed the T-birds in '86, but did get to see them in Lubbock in 12 or so years ago. It was unforgettable.
I was at the 1986 Sesquicentennial show. I don't remember it being that hot but, I had just moved to Waco from Saudi Arabia so... I might not be the best reference

The Concorde was the highlight of the 1986 show.
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