The Aviation Magazine No 48 January - February 2017

For the second consecutive year, Stewart International Airport located in New Win‐ dsor, New York, hosted the New York Air Show. After the success of their 2015 air show ‐ the first since 2003 ‐ the organizers were excited for another opportunity to show off their beautiful airport while showcasing many of our finest military air‐ planes, their pilots and crew. On a picture‐perfect weekend, September 3rd and 4th, thousands and thousands of delighted spectators packed the grounds to take pictures of their favourite displays, talk with U.S. Air Force members eager to answer questions, and watch the spec‐ tacular manoeuvres of the amazing pilots. Headlining the event were our Thunderbirds consisting of six F‐16 Fighting Falcons piloted by the best‐of‐the‐best U.S. Air Force pilots. The Thunderbirds, also referred to as Vipers, were introduced in the U.S. Air Force in 1978 as all‐weather, multi‐role aircraft focusing on air superiority as fighters equipped with an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons and other mission equipment. Th eir 65‐person entourage consisting of 8 pilots, 4 support staff and dozens of mainte‐ nance personnel, traveled from their home at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada via a C‐ 17 Globemaster III. Despite a gruelling 6 day‐a‐week schedule for a 9 month season of 72 performances, the Thunderbirds were fresh and flawless. They wowed the crowd with their precise formations while maintaining wing distances that appeared non‐existent and cross‐over manoeuvres that appeared like a guaranteed collision until the masterful pilots passed one another with ease. While several Thunderbirds distracted us with their performance, a few skirted behind the crowd to stun us all with their roaring flight overhead. After shocking us all with their sudden appearance you could hear wows, laughs and applause from the delighted crowd. The GEICO Skytypers aerobatic team was on‐hand to perform stunts using SNJ‐2 World War II era planes. They are called Skytypers because they perform low‐level manoeuvres while creating aerial smoke messages. A fan favourite, the F/A‐18 Hornet jolted the crowd with its manoeuvres and high‐ speed pass. This twin‐engine supersonic, all‐weather, multi‐role combat jet was de‐ signed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation) and serves the US Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force from aircraft carriers and bases ashore. It has a top speed in excess of Mach 1.8 and can carry air‐to‐air missiles and air‐to‐ surface weapons, supplemented by a 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon. The fighter's pri‐ mary missions are fighter escort, fleet air defence, Suppression of Enemy Air De‐ fences (SEAD), air interdiction, close air support, and aerial reconnaissance. The size of a whale, the huge C‐17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft seemed to effortlessly glide off the runway. The C‐17 is the home‐town aircraft, flown by Stewart's 105th Airlift Wing of the National Guard. Developed for the U.S. Air Force performs tactical and strategic airlift missions, transporting troops and cargo throughout the world. The first C‐17 squadron, the 17th Airlift Squadron, became operationally ready on January 17, 1995. Since that time, the C‐17 has broken 22 re‐ cords for oversized payloads and was awarded the Collier Trophy, the U.S. aviation's most prestigious award. The C‐17 accompanies the President of the United States on domestic and international trips. It is used to transport the Presidential Limousine and security detachments. There have been several occasions where the C‐17 has been used to transport the President, himself, temporarily being assigned the Air Force One call sign. In addition to providing service in the United States, the C‐17 is also used by the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, NATO Heavy Airlift Wing, India, and Kuwait.

The Aviation Magazine No 48 January - February 2017 | Page 24