posted 09-21- 01:14 PM               

Besides the incredible Blue Angels in their F/A-18 Hornets, their C-130 Hercules "Fat Albert" will be doing a JATO (Jet-Assisted Take Off... rockets really). This is something I've ALWAYS wanted to see, and the cool part is it'll be doing this at dusk! Should be very very cool. Check this out... demos of the Harrier, A-10, B-2, F-117, F/A-18 both Blue Angels and regular types, Hawker Hunter, Warbird Salute to Veterans of the Korean War, P-51 Mustang, F-4U Corsair, F-6 Hellcat and F-8 Bearcat, also F-86 Sabre Jet and Russian Mig-17s... and more. They'll be having not only a daytime show but an evening show as well. Twilight Show they call it with many cool things from 5:30 - 9:00 PM.

October 14 and 15th, 2000.

posted 09-21- 07:29 PM               

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Brought to you by the campaign for a better Dauntless!

posted 09-21- 09:00 PM               

1996 Darwin Winner (JATO)
The Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal embedded into the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of a curve. The wreckage resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it was a car. The type of car was unidentifiable at the scene. The lab finally figured out what it was and what had happened.

It seems that a guy had somehow gotten hold of a JATO unit (Jet Assisted Take Off - actually a solid fuel rocket) that is used to give heavy military transport planes an extra "push" for taking off from short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala out into the desert and found a long, straight stretch of road. Then he attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, got up some speed and fired off the JATO!

The facts as best as coould be determined are that the operator of the 1967 Impala hit JATO ignition at a distance of approximately 3.0 miles from the crash site. This was established by the prominent scorched and melted asphalt at that location. The JATO, if operating properly, would have reached maximum thrust within 5 seconds, causing the Chevy to reach speeds well in excess of 350 mph and continuing at full power for an additional 20-25 seconds. The driver, soon to be pilot, most likely would have experienced G-forces usually reserved for dog-fighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners, basically causing him to become insignificant for the remainder of the event. However, the automobile remained on the straight highway for about 2.5 miles (15-20) seconds before the driver applied and completely melted the brakes, blowing the tires and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface, then becoming airborne for an additional 1.4 miles and impacting the cliff face at a height of 125 feet leaving a blackened crater 3 feet deep in the rock.

Most of the driver's remains were not recoverable; however, small fragments of bone, teeth and hair were extracted from the crater and fingernail and bone shards were removed from a piece of debris believed to be a portion of the steering wheel.

posted 09-21- 09:18 PM               

Man you guys get some cool shows down in the states.

We have one here every year but I find most of the modern jets boring.

The only planes I liked in this past one were 2 104 starfighters, It was just cool to see them flying together I had never seen them in the air before since they have been out of service for so long. They are the essence of speed.

The other cool planes was a guy in a biplane doing acrobatics. Freaking cool he was "JUST" off the lake (they perform over the lake here) So close that the smoke he was laying down was resting on the water and I was scared he was going to hit.

Then there was a 5 man team in prop planes doing acrobatics. Very cool but not as cool as the bipe.

There was also some US paras, cutting chutes and free falling for a couple before opening backup and stuff but again it pales compared to the bipe.

I think I will have to travel south to see some ww2 birds in the air.