Airshows are a tradition in my family, and every year we make our best effort to attend the annual one at Alliance Airport in Fort Worth. With Fort Worth being home of two major aerospace and defense companies—Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin—their products feature prominently in both static displays as well as in the live performances. And that also means that many other squadrons, units, and other organizations send planes out for the big event every October.
I enjoy taking good photos. I’m no expert, far from it, but I’d like to think I know how to frame a shot and polish the end product just a bit. So to give you a taste of airshow excitement (especially if you’ve never been to one before), here are the best photos from the day.
Mig 17 vs. Ferrari. Which would you rather be in?
A different kind of fire truck.
Former Red Bull Air Race pilot Kevin Coleman.
An F-16 Viper pilot showing us how it’s done.
Viper Moon?
David Martin and Mike Gallaway.
The one-of-a-kind Yak-110: two Russian Yak-55 aerobatic planes conjoined at the wing, with a rocket added for good measure. Why not?
The F-22 Raptor with afterburners on.
Bombs away!
The U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight. From left to right, top to bottom: A-1 Skyraider, F-22 Raptor, F-16 Viper, and P-51 Mustang.
The new Bell V-280 making its airshow debut!
And it wouldn’t be an airshow without the Blue Angels to wow the crowd.
If you enjoyed these photos, find an airshow near you and go when the opportunity comes around!
Someone said a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll stop writing now. I took over one-thousand pictures at this airshow, so know you’re getting the best of the best right here.
“Yeah! Airshows are awesome!”
Samaritan’s Purse DC-8, used to provide aid where it is most needed around the world in Jesus’ name.
Admiring the many .50-cal machine guns on this A-26 Invader.
Bell 505, the exact helicopter Dad got to ride in (there are benefits to working for a helicopter company).
Bell 47, the kind of helicopter that evacuated my grandfather after he suffered a facial wound during the Korean War. He was later awarded the Purple Heart.
The mighty C-17 Globemaster III.
Dad explaining the horizontal and vertical stabilizers on the C-17 and how they were built. He oversaw production of these.
Inside the C-17, the American flag on the left and the Mississippi state flag on the right.
Two F/A-18E Super Hornets.
Weather doesn’t stop the family from having a good time.
U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules.
A-10 Thunderbolt II. Daniel took this picture.
You don’t want to be on the receiving end of the .30-cal GAU-8 Avenger autocannon. Fun fact: the A-10 was more or less built around the GAU-8 gun. Daniel took this picture.
A T-38 Talon called “The Spirit of Alliance” and owned (possibly flown?) by Ross Perot, Jr. Daniel took this picture.
Who’s moving, the plane or the ground?
The C-47 Skytrain known as “Southern Cross.” We’ve seen her at many an airshow in the area, but this time she’s not wearing as much. I personally thought the former girl on the nose was prettier.
F-16C Fighting Falcon.
F-16D Fighting Falcon. Note the second seat and hence longer cockpit.
Remember the MiG 28s from Top Gun? Those were actually F-5 Tiger IIs. In reality, these F-5s are used by the Navy VFC-13 aggressor squadron to test real Top Gun pilots, which is why they are painted like Soviet-era MiGs.
KC-10 Extender, used for aerial refueling of other aircraft. The KC-10 is based off the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airframe.
Canadair CT-114 Tutor, flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force aerobatics team, the Snowbirds.
Matt Chapman in an Extra 300LX.
Two T-28 Trojans taking off.
A P-51D Mustang taking off. There’s nothing like the sound of a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine!
The P-51 Mustang in the foreground, the two T-28 Trojans in the background.
The next-generation multi-role fighter, the F-35 Lightning II.
Afterburner’s on, baby!
Afterburner’s still on, baby!
The P-51D Mustang and the F-35 Lightning II, together as the Heritage Flight celebrating Air Force history and supremacy.
The F-35 taxiing after a great performance.
Fighter pilots make the coolest hand gestures.
The Snowbirds wrapping up their preflight procedures.
The first vic formation of Snowbirds takes off.
Nine Snowbirds total, in three vics.
What does it take to get a spot on top of the control tower, I wonder?
The Snowbirds gliding into view behind Old Glory.
The Snowbirds are as graceful as their name sounds, and keep it tight.
A rare break in the clouds!
The DEA demonstrating an op with the help of a UH-1 Iroquois, more commonly known as a Huey.
When these guys surround your truck, you’d better get out with your hands up.
“Getting high” with the DEA.
Not for the faint of heart.
Definitely not for the faint of heart.
Sean D. Tucker performing in the one-of-a-kind Oracle Challenger III biplane.
How…
…does…
…he…
…do it?
Bob Carlton in the Super Salto jet sailplane.
Some graceful wisps of smoke left in the sky.
Rob Holland flying the one-of-a-kind MXS-RH.
The Shockwave jet-powered semi. Always a fun event at the air show!
I wonder what kind of gas mileage it gets?
Racing, jet vs. propeller, upright vs. inverted.
A Thunderbird taking off.
Thunderbirds 1-4 taking off.
Thunderbirds 1-4 overhead.
At this point, my camera battery died, so I had to watch the rest of the Thunderbirds’ performance with my own eyes, instead of through a camera lens. And that’s not a bad thing!
I hope you enjoyed seeing these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. Likes and comments are always welcome.
