The Fort Wayne Air Show Features Thunderbirds
By Mike Heilman
The Thunderbirds diamond formation make a formation pass in their F-16 on Friday’s practice show at the 2019 Fort Wayne Air Show.The Indiana Air National Guard 122ndFighter Wing based at the Fort Wayne, Ind. International Airport hosted the 2019 Fort Wayne Air Show and Open House. The 122ndknown as the “Blacksnakes” is home to the Fairchild Republic built A-10C “Thunderbolt II” or better known as the “Warthog.” The 2019 show featured the United States Air Force F-16 Demonstration Team, the Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds performed at both days of the show. Capt. Michael Brewer is the Right-Wing Pilot for the Thunderbirds and is in his first year. He explains his transition to the F-16C: “I use to fly the F-15E ‘Strike Eagle’ prior to flying the F-16 with the Thunderbirds. Both aircraft are multi-role fighters with air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities, but they are two different types of flying. The F-15E is larger and heavier so there are some differences in that respect.
“They are two totally different realms of flying. When I was flying the F-15E, it was a combat mission, and my experience in the F-16 has been for demonstration purposes. The F-16 is a fantastic airplane. It has a greater than one-to-one thrust-to-weight ratio. It’s like a little sports car, you can just point it, and it will go,” explained Brewer.
The 122ndFighter Wing maintains and flies 22 A-10C “Warthogs,” and the unit showed spectators the capabilities of the A-10C with a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) demonstration. The demonstration included four A-10s and an UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter picking up a downed airman. The demonstration included pyrotechnics to simulate the “Warthogs” attack runs. The “Blacksnakes” also opened the show with a four-ship A-10 and a KC-135R flyby. The KC-135R was from the 434thRefueling Wing based at Grissom Air Reserve Base in Peru, Ind.
The 122ndFighter Wing has had several different types of aircraft assigned to the unit over the years, and the organizers celebrated this history with the Lineage Flight. The Lineage Flight included a P-51 “Mustang” F-100 “Super Sabre,” F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” and the current aircraft, the A-10C. The aircraft made several passes in front of the crowd.
Commandos from the U.S. Special Operations Command Para-Commandos made several parachute jumps at the 2019 show. The team is comprised of active duty special operators such as Army Special Forces, Navy SEALS, Army Rangers, Air Force Combat Controllers, and Marine Raiders.
June 6 marked the 75thanniversary of the Normandy D-Day invasion and since the airshow fell on that anniversary weekend, the organizers celebrated with a four ship A-10 flyover at a local event honoring 10 World War II veterans on Friday night. The show also celebrated the anniversary at the show with P-51, B-17, and B-25 flying and static display.
A B-17G “Flying Fortress” from the Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) flew and was on static display at the show. The CAF B-17G named “Texas Raider” was built just as World War II ended, according to the plane’s co-pilot,Charles Scott Williams. “This airplane was built in July of 45 in Long Beach, Calif. by Douglas Aircraft. It served mostly in the United States Navy until 1955, where it was basically the grandfather of the AWACS aircraft. It served on the East Coast of the United States and in Japan. It’s been in CAF for a quite a few years, and we keep history alive with it,” said Williams.
Warbirds in general are a very popular attraction at any airshow, but Williams commented the B-17 is special. “It’s a magnet for people, and that is the cool part about it. It’s also pretty cool to get to fly one of nine B-17s that are still flying. The airplane is the star of the show.” A B-25 “Mitchell” also flew and was on static display at the 2019 show.
A North American F-100 banks in front of the crowd for a nice photo pass at the 2019 show.The CAF Red Tail Squadron with its P-51C “Mustang” was on display and flew at the airshow. The squadron’s Rise Abovedisplay honoring the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II was part of the show’s ground exhibits. A North American built F-100 “Super Sabre” flew an aerial demonstration at the show and took part in the 122nd Fighter Wing Lineage flight. The F-100 served in the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971.
Award winning Skip Stewart headlined the civilian portion of the 2019 Fort Wayne show with a high-energy aerobatic routine in his modified Pitts S2S bi-plane. Kent Pietsch entertained the crowd with three different flying routines in his 800-pound Interstate Cadet. Billy and David Werth performed a sibling rivalry act that includes Billy flying a Pitts S2C and David on a motorcycle. Also appearing but not leaving the ground was Shockwave Jet Truck. Shockwave’s pilot,Chris Darnell, piloted the highly modified truck down the Fort Wayne runway at over 300 mph.
The two-day event drew an estimated 51,000 spectators despite clouds and rain on Sunday. The 122ndFighter Wing is a big part of the Fort Wayne community and contributes an average of $77 million annually to the area. The open house and airshow were free to the public, and it gave the base an opportunity to showcase its people and equipment to the community it protects.
