On the final weekend of air show season , Nellis Air Force Base hosted their 2016 Open House known as Aviation Nation celebrating 75 Years of Airpower . Highlighting the air show performers was the hometown U . S . Air Force Thunderbirds along with demonstrations by the F‐22 Raptor , F‐35 Lightning II , QF‐4 Phantom II , F / A‐18 Super Hornet , various warbirds , and multiple aircraft stationed at Nellis .
Prior to aerial activities , the crowd got a chance to view nearly 100 static display aircraft including Nellis assets such as the F‐22 , F‐35 , F‐16 , and more . Others that were on display included one of the last active QF‐4 Phantom II drones , an A‐4 Skyhawk and L‐39 Albatross from Draken International who participated in Green Flag during the week of the show , and the very rare Mi‐24 Hind Russian helicopter . Admission onto the base was free and spectators could even upgrade to better seating in the chalet areas that were away from the busy crowds .
Opening the flying portion of the show was the U . S . Air Force Academy “ Wings of Blue ” Parachute Team jumping to the National Anthem . The aircraft they jumped out of was a C‐17 Globemaster III from the Hawaii Air National Guard based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor‐Hickam , which later returned to the sky for a solo performance as part of the Pacific Air Forces Demonstration Team . The solo demonstration by the C‐17 showcased the tactical capabilities of the advanced transport .
The aerobatic performers at this show were very light but featured a nice lineup including Vicky Benzing in her Boeing Stearman biplane , the West Coast Ravens Formation Team flying roughly 24 different