Wings Over Houston Airshow, 2015
The Wings Over Houston Airshow was held this past weekend, and since the grandkids asked if I'd take them, how could I say no? The show was headlined by the usual amazing performance by the USAF Thunderbirds, and the surprise for me was the demo put on by the Breitling Jet Team flying L-39's. Made me want to run out and buy one of their watches.
The Tora Tora Tora performance was exceptional as always, made even more so by the amount of smoke generated by the pyrotechnics. At one point, the visibility was so bad you couldn't see the airplanes flying by. That was repeated a bit later by Thunderbird 6 doing a low high alpha pass with smoke going. He was almost close enough to touch - it was an amazing sight.
Another amazing sight was a simulated attack by the Me-262 on the B-17. It was a VERY graphic demonstration of the huge speed difference between the two aircraft. You could almost here the German pilot swearing as he got in his second or so of firing time. And you could also imagine the frustration of the P-51 pilot as the jet just added throttle and pulled away.
More photos coming,
Wish I could have joined you, Jaime. Looks like you had a great day. Thanks for sharing !
It was a great show, Joe. The Stinson is the airplane in the email photo you asked me about, and is owned by the War Eagles Flight Museum near my home town of El Paso, TX.
Beautiful moments between these celebrities... You're a lucky lman !
I wish we could see this in South Africa, you are a lucky man.
Looks (and sounds) like a great [airplane] turn out for the event. Thanks for the pics.
Jaime, thanks for posting this. Where did that ME-262B come from? Great collection of aircraft. A Fiesler Storch (or Morane Saulnier Criquet) with the wing folded!
Don't see that every day, like a lot of the others.
Agree with Marc, I'd love to see this in my town. Even a couple!
Bernard, the Me-262 is one of the replicas that was built in Seattle several years ago. It has modern GE engines and cockpit but otherwise is built to original specs. There is an original Me-262 being restored now that is to be flown with the original Jumo engines. The Criquet is based in Galveston if it's the same airplane I'm thinking of.
The SB2C-5 Helldiver is the only flyable example of that airplane on the planet and is owned by the CAF.
You are all welcome to come out for the show, which is usually held the second week in October. It would make for a great iModeler get together!
You mentioned a restored 262. I wondered if it might be the same one that Bill Gates had in a barn-c*m-workshop in rural Norfolk a few years ago, which was subsequently shipped to the States for completion. You'd be amazed at the 'secret' projects hidden up in backwater engineering firms in this county.
I noticed that c*m has replaced the word c.u.m. which is Latin for 'with', and not referring to anything else!
Info on the Me-262 in the pics is here:
http://www.stormbirds.com/project/index.html
The Flying Heritage Collection is working on an original (I think it's the one that has been at Planes of Fame for many years) Me-262 to be powered by the original Jumo engines, that might be the one Rob mentioned.
Some really nice pics!
Jaime, thanks, and thanks again! Amazing, That song from "Fiddler on the roof" is playing in my brain, "If I was a rich man".
I've seen the 262 in the Smithsonian.
A guy I knew worked at Silver Hill, then their restoration facility. The museum would invite folks who flew the aircraft in their collection, if they knew they were coming thru DC. Mike said one day this gaggle came thru, and one of them (he missed who) was taken up to the 262, just finished.
He got up on the wing, opened the cockpit canopy, and got in! Sat there for a little while, and then dismounted.
As he and his group walked past, Mike heard the man say "If we had more of them, we would have won the war!"
Great moments in tourism.