United States Airforce Thunderbirds

[angiud]

RPG, Patriots, Exocets

[Supernova]

Four F-16 jets (in formation) are making flyby's around my neighborhood as I type this...

This has been going on and off since this morning.

[Gippy]

Wow, this was the worst 'organised' event it's ever been my misfortune to attend. Zero traffic control, no signs, no police, no proper car park, no crowd control, 100000 people trying to get through 2 metal detectors and the show started very late leading some people to leave before it started due to heat exhaustion. I live 5km away and it took me 8 hours to get there and back in the car. To top it all off the show was very average. The main formation flying was mostly fine but the 'synchro pair' guys (whatever the Thunderbirds call them) had an off day with poor altitude control on the solo passes and making a complete hash of one crossover, loop, crossover move.

I don't care if Elvis and the Pope are wing walking with the Red Arrows next year, I'm never going to another show there again.

Rant over

[Hawkup2000]

Wow, I think I've never been to a more hot and crowded event ever. Many people fainted in the heat. Poorly organized. Even thou I had a pass to enter the VIP area I felt that even that section were quite bad.

Performance wise it were average, not on par with Tricoloi air shows. But on the other hand there were no crash, like the air show I saw in Stockholm a couple of years back...

[RKASA]

Reminds me of the old days.   My uncle was a Col. in the Air force and stationed at Edwards AFB many years back.  At one of the air shows I got to go all around the place with the Tunderbirds.  My mom still has my collection of pictures all signed by them and I got to climb in one the old F-100's they used at the time, had a great seat for the for the show too, and that was a great show.   I guess at some point I was supposed to join the Air Force, but ..   I went Coast Guard. 

[AleG]

Wow, this was the worst 'organised' event it's ever been my misfortune to attend. Zero traffic control, no signs, no police, no proper car park, no crowd control, 100000 people trying to get through 2 metal detectors and the show started very late leading some people to leave before it started due to heat exhaustion. I live 5km away and it took me 8 hours to get there and back in the car. To top it all off the show was very average. The main formation flying was mostly fine but the 'synchro pair' guys (whatever the Thunderbirds call them) had an off day with poor altitude control on the solo passes and making a complete hash of one crossover, loop, crossover move.

I don't care if Elvis and the Pope are wing walking with the Red Arrows next year, I'm never going to another show there again.

Rant over

I concour that it wasn't very well organized. I went into the Hoi Polloi section and while waiting to get out, packed as a sardine with people dropping like flies around me I had still the clarity of mind to calculate how long the 50 thousand or so people would take to get through the two doors at the exit. About 25 or 30 minutes for me, standing in the middle of the pack, for full evacuation I think it must have taken an hour at least. With this I mean that, even if I, with my head boiling under the Sun could get an approximate idea of how much people could be moved in how much time, why couldn't the organization think of it beforehand and have more entry/exit points?

For getting in the taxi dropped me at the arrivals area, I kind of followed the herd to get to the exhibition zone; I did see one or two signs pointing to the general direction though.

On the way out I couldn't find a taxi or a bus that wasn't stuffed solid so I ended up walking all the way down to IT Square, having a few drinks (I should had bought water before going in the exhibition area, from 11 to 5 PM I went dry). On the way out of IT Square it was raining furiously and the traffic was cut for 20 or so minutes at the Vibhavadi/Chaengwattana intersection so that some official motorcade could pass through carrying a VIP in a limo.

In the end I walked all the way down to Vibhavadi Hospital before I could find a taxi at around 7 PM.

Besides all that, it was a nice show, I was particularly impressed by the menoeuvrability of the C-17.

[longball53098]

Sorry to hear the event sponsors did such a poor job. I almost drove up from Rayong but hearing these reports I'm glad I stayed here. I have seen the T Birds several times from inside the ropes while attending and showing the venerable C-141 Starlifter. We were tasked to participate in many airshows around the US Pacific Northwest but the wife would have liked to see this. Oh well maybe they will come to Utapao some day and we can sit in our yard and watch them

[Newguy70]

Hi Guys,

I thought it was a great show, the wife loved it; As did almost all of the people I viewed. The toughest thing to deal with was the heat for most, as the event was suppose to kickoff at 1, and I think they started down the runway around 2:45. No announcements regarding delay etc, and what time it would be starting. I was actually suprised at how mismanaged most aspect of the event were(no traffic control, no signs, vendors, lack of vendors, etc) it was. Besides that I had a blast, and so did most from what I could tell, and make out verbally...

Not everday that you get to see this in Bangkok...

[keemapoot]

I agree it was a GREAT show. We were a bit late arriving, but as it turned out was a blessing in disguise. We joined all the others actually parking 3 deep on the expressway, stayed in our car in cool aircon until it started, then had a great elevated vantage point to watch. Also, when it ended, we were able to drive directly off. The expressway was jammed for miles and miles, and only one lane was open going out of Bangkok, and when the show started, all traffic stopped for about 40 minutes. I'm sure lots of folks were upset at being stuck in traffic, but it was no different than being stopped for a royal motorcade which happens often.

[Starlifter]

Sigh, I would like to be there on Saturday, and bring my son, crazy for anything with wings!

Like the old blues song-

I got a little brown bird...love to hear when she calls...what I like best about her...it's the way she spreads her wings!

All of the services demo teams are top notch and after pulling 8.5 Gs in an F-15E I can say "dam_n good".

Cheers

USAF Ret

[Starlifter]

Sigh, I would like to be there on Saturday, and bring my son, crazy for anything with wings!

Oops! double post of sorts. Sounds like I screwed up like the air show organizers!

Edited October 11, 2009 by Starlifter

[AleG]

Some picture I took yesterday, more coming soon...

[skydiver77]

Wow, this was the worst 'organised' event it's ever been my misfortune to attend. Zero traffic control, no signs, no police, no proper car park, no crowd control, 100000 people trying to get through 2 metal detectors and the show started very late leading some people to leave before it started due to heat exhaustion. I live 5km away and it took me 8 hours to get there and back in the car. To top it all off the show was very average. The main formation flying was mostly fine but the 'synchro pair' guys (whatever the Thunderbirds call them) had an off day with poor altitude control on the solo passes and making a complete hash of one crossover, loop, crossover move.

I don't care if Elvis and the Pope are wing walking with the Red Arrows next year, I'm never going to another show there again.

Rant over

I agree with everything Gippy says here.

Of course the formation flying was to a high standard. It has to be! But compared with The RAF Red Arrows,[who run with 9 aircraft] taking a count from 1 to 10, with 10 for the Reds, I give the TBirds 6.

I have never seen a 'flying display' like this before. All the events I attended back in the UK, usually started at 1pm and finish at 5, with a variety of aircraft performing one after the other. Here, for 95% of the time, the crowd was watching.....nothing!

After being dropped off by the Mrs, I followed the crowd, walking a good 1km and getting lathered up in the heat. Fortunately I had plenty of water in my pack. once at the area, I was confronted by a vast sea of umbrellas, with limitless numbers of Thais, sheltering underneath. I felt sorry for those without. Some appeared to be in distress, under the fierce heat.

To access the viewing area you had to pass thru a couple of tiny security gates. No chance. I would have melted before arriving there.

So I ended up on the car park 2nd floor. Security prevented any higher.

The view here was limited, plus many people, but at least was in the shade.

I arrived just before the published start time at 1pm. But as mentioned, nothing happened.

Then around 1.45, the crew of a C 141 transport perhaps took pity on the seething masses and lumbered into the air, giving a scintilating and skilful display with low figure of eight configurations with high bank turns. A great showing of how to fly a 'big 'un.

Got some great stuff on the video cam.

About an hour later, much to my relief, the T Birds finally took to the sky.

I must have been lucky with a taxi. As soon as arriving at the entrance to the express way, the first one to pullover, took me to my destination

Never again.........

[longball53098]

That's a C-17 Globemaster, all the 141's except for one or two are now in the Air Force boneyard outside Tucson AZ and have been cut up for scrap metal

Go USAF!

[metisdead]

The USAF withdrew the C-141 from service on 5 May 2006, replacing the aircraft with the C-17 Globemaster III.

[Gippy]

Some picture I took yesterday, more coming soon...

Some very nice pictures there, you must have at least a 400mm lens I'm guessing?

[cdnvic]

Great pics Aleg

I really hope those decrepit Orient Thai jumbos are parked permanently.

[longball53098]

That's a C-17 Globemaster, all the 141's except for one or two are now in the Air Force boneyard outside Tucson AZ and have been cut up for scrap metal

Go USAF!

I lost time to edit this further but the photo is a great shot of the 141 in flight

[Daffy D]

Too far for us to go and see the show but they showed bits on the Thai news last night.

Always makes me feel good and nostalgic seeing something from Farangland, any Farangland, and great that so many people of all nationalities were interested enough to go and see. Perhaps for some never get the chance again.

Good for the Yanks now lets see something from the Brits.

[OriginalPoster]

Shame are not the Frecce Tricolori, #1.

Who predictable that Anguid would exert his nationalism.

[AleG]

Some picture I took yesterday, more coming soon...

Some very nice pictures there, you must have at least a 400mm lens I'm guessing?

Thanks Gippy; hey, good eye for the lens size!. It's actually a 250mm lens but since my camera has an APS-C size sensor the focal length is multiplied by 1.6 so 250*1.6 = 400.

Here's some more.

[Thongkorn]

I was at RAF Finingly Near Doncaster , Mant years ago, The Russians came there with there Flankers, It was the first time they had been seen in the West. The Red arrows invited them to Display in the UK , They did not expect to be taken up on there Offer, They came in, in perfect Diamond formation , the Youngest was 21, I have watch most Display teams and to be honest they are about the same , all have very high skills , I live just up the road from the Red Arrows and see them regularly and they are about same same after a while like the rest. Maybe a case of to much watching them. If you want to see some real flying go on you tube and watch low flying, Thats where the skill is at its highest.

[Moonrakers]

I was lucky in that my Nan's back garden was directly underneath the flight path to the Air Tattoo in Faringdon. All I had to do was sit back in the garden with a beer and the whole thing would more or less come to me. I also used to be in the Air Cadets and much of my summers where spent at various evens up and down the country.

So I've seen quite a few display teams and to be honest the Red Arrows stood out more than any other display team, but then being a brit I may have been a tad biased.