Tyndall Airforce Base hosted their semi-annual airshow yesterday with the thunderbirds and many other aircraft. They were some vintage P-51 Mustangs(the plane that won WWII for us) plus several other aerobatic planes performing. There was a homebuilt bi-plane performing who did some amazing stunts. One thing that made it impressive was the pilot was a chef who spent 3 years building the plane in his garage. As good as the Thunderbirds were they were not the highlight of the show IMO. The F-22 Raptor demo was unbelievable. A plane should not be able to do the things it was doing. No way a plane should be able to go straight up vertical for 2 miles, come to a complete stop and then make a squared off 90 degree turn. It was not a show stopping stunt but the show featured a heritage formation flight where the Raptor and 2 of the WWII vintage Mustangs flew a formation flight together which to me was pretty neat to see. The best in the world from 75 years ago flying side by side with the best in the world from today. The Thunderbirds were still a good show but it seemed bland after the F22. Their show did not seem as dare-devilish as I have seen in the past.
Another note on the Raptor, I know one of the instructor pilots for the plane. He has the 2nd most hours logged on plane. He told me ahead of time we would only see a small sampling of the true capabilities of the plane. I can't imagine what all it could do if there is more.
Another note on the Raptor, I know one of the instructor pilots for the plane. He has the 2nd most hours logged on plane. He told me ahead of time we would only see a small sampling of the true capabilities of the plane. I can't imagine what all it could do if there is more.
