AirshowStuff Forums

I miss the Black Diamond jet team. They flew a diamond formation of l-39's painted in arctic camouflage and had Mig-17's as solos. They also had a T-33 that they occasionally flew with the diamond. They stopped flying air shows after the 2014 season.

https://www.milavia.net/airshows/nas-oc ... 12_111.jpg
Credit to Dave O'brien of milavia for this photo.

One of the Mig's has appeared for solo demonstrations since the team stopped flying together. They were a world-class act.

awal2049 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 14, 2017 12:14 am I miss the Black Diamond jet team. They flew a diamond formation of l-39's painted in arctic camouflage and had Mig-17's as solos. They also had a T-33 that they occasionally flew with the diamond. They stopped flying air shows after the 2014 season.

https://www.milavia.net/airshows/nas-oc ... 12_111.jpg
Credit to Dave O'brien of milavia for this photo.

One of the Mig's has appeared for solo demonstrations since the team stopped flying together. They were a world-class act.

You mean this one? It's now owned by Jeff Kaney and based in Rockford, IL. I don't think he has his aerobatics card in it.

RyanS wrote: ↑Tue Feb 14, 2017 3:09 am

awal2049 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 14, 2017 12:14 am I miss the Black Diamond jet team. They flew a diamond formation of l-39's painted in arctic camouflage and had Mig-17's as solos. They also had a T-33 that they occasionally flew with the diamond. They stopped flying air shows after the 2014 season.

https://www.milavia.net/airshows/nas-oc ... 12_111.jpg
Credit to Dave O'brien of milavia for this photo.

One of the Mig's has appeared for solo demonstrations since the team stopped flying together. They were a world-class act.

You mean this one? It's now owned by Jeff Kaney and based in Rockford, IL. I don't think he has his aerobatics card in it.

DSC_8034web.jpg

Yes, that's the one. Do you know the status of the team? It's strange that they would just stop performing.

awal2049 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 14, 2017 9:28 pm

RyanS wrote: ↑Tue Feb 14, 2017 3:09 am

awal2049 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 14, 2017 12:14 am I miss the Black Diamond jet team. They flew a diamond formation of l-39's painted in arctic camouflage and had Mig-17's as solos. They also had a T-33 that they occasionally flew with the diamond. They stopped flying air shows after the 2014 season.

https://www.milavia.net/airshows/nas-oc ... 12_111.jpg
Credit to Dave O'brien of milavia for this photo.

One of the Mig's has appeared for solo demonstrations since the team stopped flying together. They were a world-class act.

You mean this one? It's now owned by Jeff Kaney and based in Rockford, IL. I don't think he has his aerobatics card in it.

DSC_8034web.jpg

Yes, that's the one. Do you know the status of the team? It's strange that they would just stop performing.

The team was an offshoot of Draken International, which does contract flying for the US military. Their contracting business has grown quite big and the focus shifted away from airshows accordingly. It's not like there is much money in airshows to keep them active, anyway. I wish they were still around also!

I agree with every act that's been mentioned, especially F-15, A-10, John Moore, and Jim Leroy. I'll add Jim "Fang" Maroney to that list -his act had gotten really good in his last couple seasons performing.

All of the above were regulars at my hometown airshow "Thunder on the Lakeshore" which I really miss too. My house sits SE off the main runway, which was directly in the flight path of the military demos. I have a vivid memory of an F-15 tearing over my backyard nearly inverted and being able to basically look in the pilot's eyes (well visor).

Here's a tribute collage I put together after Jim Maroney passed, all of the photos were taken here in Manitowoc.

I definintely have to agree about missing the "Top Gun" F-14 Tomcat!!!

Would love to see the Mig-29 and Mig-31 fly again! And speaking of the Russian groupings - what a treat is was to see the AN-225 fly!!

Hopefully one day I will get to see Patrouille de France flying at the Abbotsford International Airshow!

Now what I miss is “FIFI” the b-29 because I only saw it once a few years ago when I wasn’t really in to aviation as much as I am now. I remember getting a shot of it at Thunder Over Michigan back in ‘15 with a lancaster and the movie Memphis Belle.

F-15C Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle Demo Teams
Black Diamond Jet Team
Wyatt Fuller's F-86 Sabre
Red Baron Pizza Squadron
F-117
Don "Beetle" Bailey L-29 Delfin
More military participation in shows

F-14 Demo
Red Baron Squadron
Northern Lights
Bob Hoover
Jimmy Franklin
Jim Leroy
C-130s with JATO bottles
Pirate Skys
Team America used to put on a nice show
The Pitts acts of the 90s (Ray Bans, Holiday Inn/Coca Cola, Iron Eagles)

Kevin
aero-engineer

F-14 Demo
F-15C Demo
F-117 Demo
Greg Poe in the Edge 540 and MXS
Bill Reeseman and the Red Bull MIG-17
Wayne Handley and the Raven
Eric Beard and the Russian Thunder Yak 54
Steve Appleton and the Hawker Hunter
And the list goes on.....