JB MDL Power in the Pines Air & Space Open House 2023

[n33d4sp33d_85]

Here's the airshow program.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ehyyu8 ... 2Yh9w/view

[passedgas46]

Sooo... my fiancée and I spent the day at JBMDL. Got there a bit before they did the opening ceremonies and the Team McGuire jets took to the skies. There was some dead time between some of the acts but that's always the case there. Great performances by all the civilian acts, the Golden Knights, the heavies, the helos, the C-17, F-16, and F-15. Yes, I said F-15. It flew and it had a time slot. First time I had seen one flying solo in an airshow in quite some time and it was a real treat to see. It's a much smaller static display than past shows but there's two KC-10s; one from McGuire and one from Travis. I was told by our hosts that the last McGuire-based KC-10 leaves on June 22 and I plan to be there that day.

We have about fifteen of us piling into a couple cars to come tomorrow and Sunday and we are looking forward to it, regardless of the free car wash we're forecasted to get tomorrow.

[n33d4sp33d_85]

Had a fun time at JB MLD today. All of the performers today including the F-15 and F-16 were fantastic. The F-16 Viper Demo Team got to use flares during their demo today. The flares occurred during the Triple Aileron Roll and Falcon Turn. Will be working on my videos during the week, so stay tuned. Here are some of the highlights from the static displays, including a picture of me with Captain Aimee "Rebel" Fiedler, the demo pilot for the F-16 Viper Demo Team.

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[MadisonMike]

Just a quick post. I arrived later than planned and got stuck in the entrance traffic and parking. Lines to get in were horrific at best. I did get to spend quality time with a group of Army soldiers that were there to see the show. They were awesome to hang with in the never ending line. I understand the need for security, but a few more MP's would have sped through the crowds. One super bonus was the F-15 demo flight that gave us a sonic boom on the entrance. I am guessing the pilot will get a talking to about it, but the crowd loved it. I wish they let all the performers do that. The Thunder Birds were known for that, thus the Thunder name, too bad the FAA does not permit that any more. The sound is not much louder than the thrust from the engines. The show ran ahead of schedule but it was a perfect day for an air show. There was no Heritage flight unfortunately, but over all I had a great time.

[passedgas46]

Our plan to have most of the extended family out at the base both days failed miserably; I was the only one who even ventured out and braved the chilly rain on Saturday. Spent that day walking around and checking out the static displays as well as the exhibits in the big hangar by the entrance. I'll catch a lot of heat on this but it was actually a fun day despite the weather and no flying.

On Sunday we all piled in four vehicles and made the short drive back to JBMDL. We got to the base a little later than planned but for us, it was not a problem. Passed thru security at 9:45 and found a good spot close to the Viper Demo Team. For not having the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels the folks at McGuire did a great job keeping the crowd entertained and let me tell you they enjoyed every bit of it. I do feel bad for all those who were stuck in traffic trying to get on base and were turned away... we've been there, done that, and learned our lesson early on. Military bases and all airports just aren't built to handle tens of thousands of people coming on at once and leaving at the same time and that doesn't seem to resonate with the average Jane or Joe. It's nothing like the infrastructure in/around MLB and NFL stadiums yet these people feel like they should be.

Our favorites? For me it was the F-15 - it's my all time favorite jet fighter. I've been to dozens of airshows going back to when the teams were flying A-4s and T-38s and have seen the F-15 do its aerobatic demos, and I came to McGuire with very low expectations. I was blown away by what I saw on Friday and even more blown away on Sunday. It's to the point where I will go out of my way to see this demo if other airshows book it. The fiancée loved seeing Rebel fly... I wonder why? She put on a great demo and even shot off a bunch of flares. Never in my mind did I think I'd see that at an airshow over land. My father and father-in-law loved the B-25 and C-47. My nephews loved the Golden Knights and the oldest one has been talking about wanting to join the Army or Navy after he graduates high school. My nieces loved seeing Patrick McAlee fly and his wife (I think?) dressed as Wonder Woman. Of course almost all the players from JBMDL came out to play and it was really bittersweet seeing the KC-10 fly since they'll all be gone by this time next month.

I will say this... the people around us were all awesome but there were a few exceptions. One gentleman kept complaining the "man with the southern drawl" wasn't announcing. After an hour or so of listening to him rant about how much he hated the female airshow announcer, who by the way did a FANTASTIC JOB, I had to tell this guy the "man with the southern drawl" had passed away earlier this year. I also saw several younger kids - had to have been five or six of them, maybe no older than 25 - with large lenses pushing and shoving their way to the line before the F-15 flew, stayed there, and were absolutely disrespectful and rude to those around them. I'm sure words were exchanged but they weren't within earshot of us, but they were within visual range. It's people like that give all the others who do this either full time or for fun a bad rap, and I'm willing to bet they were probably among the Instagram clique who will do just about anything at any cost to get the shots to up their follower count.

Thanks, McGuire, for a great weekend, despite the weather! I'm heading up to Pocono solo later this week and hope to catch some IronPigs ballgames between airshows. My Army friends did wink and nod and give strong hints at an airshow coming back to the Joint Base in 2025...

[Bulldogs851]

@passedgas46 the next airshow with the MA F-15's will be at Pease AFB in New Hampshire September 9-10. Rebel will be there as well along with the Vermont F-35's and New Hampshire's own KC-46

[Redrock]

GREAT SHOW!

[Redrock]

GREAT SHOW

[Redrock]

GREAT SHOW

[passedgas46]

@passedgas46 the next airshow with the MA F-15's will be at Pease AFB in New Hampshire September 9-10. Rebel will be there as well along with the Vermont F-35's and New Hampshire's own KC-46

Thanks. I don't know if we can make that trip happen.