Kevin Coleman
April 25, 2024
The A-10 Thunderbolt II better known as the "Warthog" is a single-pilot attack aircraft designed for short takeoffs and landings from primitive airfields. The A-10 can operate nearly anywhere and provide ground troops with close air support. The entire aircraft was largely designed around its nose gun, a 30 mm Avenger cannon. The seven-barrel rotary cannon measures nine feet long and fires 30mm armor-piercing shells at a rate of nearly 4,000 rounds per minute. As a result it has been given the nickname “Tank killer”. The Avenger cannon also represents over 15 percent of the aircraft's weight. When the gun is removed for maintenance, the A-10's tail must be supported to keep the nose from tipping up....
The Polaris Program's Ghost Squadron's fleet of jets provides training opportunities for astronauts from Polaris Program missions and other spaceflight initiatives. Training in a jet allows astronauts to enhance their crew resource management & navigation skills in a high-G, dynamic, and high-consequence environment – providing valuable real-world experience ahead of missions to space. Click here to learn more...
The Navy Legacy Flight will feature the Navy F-18 Super Hornet and an F4U Corsair in a three aircraft formation flight showcasing the past and future of Naval aviation. The formation will make three formation passes and then light up the sky with separate high speed passes by the F4U and the F-18!...
The Red Bull Air Force is a team assembled from the most accomplished and experienced aviation experts on the planet. They specialize in highly coordinated aerial jump demonstrations and continually push the limits of human flight continually rethinking what is possible, and envision a world where all people live with boldness. They believe humans can fly and relentlessly pursue that which is thought impossible, then go and do it....
The Red Bull Helicopter is one of only a few in the world certified to do aerobatics. The highly modified BO-105C can do all kinds of tricks—barrel rolls, loops, vertical climbs, nose dives and flip forward and backward. Pilot and Red Bull athlete Aaron Fitzgerald has flown helicopter stunts for over 100 films and television shows and joined the Red Bull team in 2018....
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly the F-18 Super Hornet and perform perform a combination of formation and solo maneuvers in an inspiring high energy demonstration. The four-jet diamond performs precision formation flight with the aircraft wingtips as close as 2 feet apart while performing loops, inverted rolls and even high performance turns. The two solo jets perform high energy maneuvers together and from opposite directions closing in on each other as fast as 1,000 mph. The six jets come together in the delta formation as the finale for the show, flying difficult formations and signature breaks that fill the sky with speed, sound and smoke trails! > Click Here for more information on the Blue Angels....
A Coast Guard search and rescue demonstration showcases how they perform an out-the-door water rescue of a person in distress from a helicopter hovering overhead. The demo begins with one of the famed Coast Guard rescue swimmers jumping from the helicopter as it hovers over 20 feet above the water. The swimmer simulates stabilizing the person in distress before hosting them up into the helicopter....