2020 airshow season highlights
2020 airshow season highlights
As we come towards the end of the airshow season, I usually start a "top 5" thread on here for people to share their best few photos, videos and memories from the airshow season. In this strange year, we've all seen much less flying action than we usually would, but equally, the few events that have gone ahead have been of exceptional quality and it would be a shame not to recognise them - so if you can't make it to five, post what ever number you can manage. They could be a performer you saw, an unusual formation, perhaps even a single airshow manoeuvre that blew your mind, a ride you took, or anything else that stands out as a highlight of the year. Please attach a photo or video for each, if you can!
Here's my selection.
5. Five-ship Spitfire & Hurricane tailchase at Duxford Showcase Day III, UK. I've only been resident in Europe for three years, having previously lived in a region with no warbirds at all. Of all the airshows I've been to since moving, most have not been particularly warbird-centric. I've seen some small tailchases and impressive WWII formations in the past, but amazingly, this was my first time since I was a very young child seeing a proper, sizable tailchase. Seeing a trail of five Battle of Britain fighters arcing across a menacingly dark sky was a memorable sight indeed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vif5NIGn-4w
4. Flying Bulls at Antidotum Airshow Leszno, Poland. A team that had been on my bucket list for years, and they didn't disappoint. To quote one of the other pilots: "these guys make the impossible easy, and what they do is impossible!" The Flying Bulls specialise in negative-G and mirror formation flying loops and rolls, mixed up with the occasional, more conventional, airshow manoeuvre. Among the highlights were a formation half aileron roll in a vertical climb followed by a formation pushover, an outside four-ship half-barrel roll and a mirror formation stall turn (skip to 00:10, 02:05 and 09:30 respectively). It was quite hard to believe what my eyes were seeing at times!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FO3Sl1UK8s&t=567s
3. Spitfire & Hurricane pair at Shuttleworth Vintage Airshow, UK. Shuttleworth's drive-in airshows have been a huge success this year, and I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon at the Vintage Airshow. The highlight was a wonderful choreographed pairs display of Spitfire Mk.Vc AR501 and Hurricane Mk.I R4118 in perfect late afternoon light. After some formation flybys, the two aircraft seperated into simultanious solo displays, which saw powerful low flybys alternating with graceful solo aerobatics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHgaLaVbuWs
2. SB Lim-2 at Antidotum Airshow Leszno, Poland. For all-round airshow experience, Antidotum Airshow Leszno was without doubt the best I have ever attended. The flying was varied, of excellent quality, and was superbly close to the crowd, plus the atmosphere and hospitality were amazing. The SB Lim-2 encapsulated all of that, with some extremely low and close flybys just before sunset. Check out the best flyby at the start of the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4mq0rImc1s
1. Team Blanix at Antidotum Airshow Leszno, Poland. The show starts impressively, with the two aircraft doing some breaks, synchronised aerobatics and rejoins at high altitude, but it was the final few passes that proved the most memorable. Described by a colleague as "the most perfect airshow moment ever", the two classic gliders orbited directly over the crowd in close formation, coloured smoke and pyrotechnics streaming from the wingtips against a darkening sky, all to the accompaniment of classical music being performed by a live band in front of the crowd. Pure magic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBdQLrVWaAg
Here's my selection.
5. Five-ship Spitfire & Hurricane tailchase at Duxford Showcase Day III, UK. I've only been resident in Europe for three years, having previously lived in a region with no warbirds at all. Of all the airshows I've been to since moving, most have not been particularly warbird-centric. I've seen some small tailchases and impressive WWII formations in the past, but amazingly, this was my first time since I was a very young child seeing a proper, sizable tailchase. Seeing a trail of five Battle of Britain fighters arcing across a menacingly dark sky was a memorable sight indeed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vif5NIGn-4w
4. Flying Bulls at Antidotum Airshow Leszno, Poland. A team that had been on my bucket list for years, and they didn't disappoint. To quote one of the other pilots: "these guys make the impossible easy, and what they do is impossible!" The Flying Bulls specialise in negative-G and mirror formation flying loops and rolls, mixed up with the occasional, more conventional, airshow manoeuvre. Among the highlights were a formation half aileron roll in a vertical climb followed by a formation pushover, an outside four-ship half-barrel roll and a mirror formation stall turn (skip to 00:10, 02:05 and 09:30 respectively). It was quite hard to believe what my eyes were seeing at times!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FO3Sl1UK8s&t=567s
3. Spitfire & Hurricane pair at Shuttleworth Vintage Airshow, UK. Shuttleworth's drive-in airshows have been a huge success this year, and I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon at the Vintage Airshow. The highlight was a wonderful choreographed pairs display of Spitfire Mk.Vc AR501 and Hurricane Mk.I R4118 in perfect late afternoon light. After some formation flybys, the two aircraft seperated into simultanious solo displays, which saw powerful low flybys alternating with graceful solo aerobatics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHgaLaVbuWs
2. SB Lim-2 at Antidotum Airshow Leszno, Poland. For all-round airshow experience, Antidotum Airshow Leszno was without doubt the best I have ever attended. The flying was varied, of excellent quality, and was superbly close to the crowd, plus the atmosphere and hospitality were amazing. The SB Lim-2 encapsulated all of that, with some extremely low and close flybys just before sunset. Check out the best flyby at the start of the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4mq0rImc1s
1. Team Blanix at Antidotum Airshow Leszno, Poland. The show starts impressively, with the two aircraft doing some breaks, synchronised aerobatics and rejoins at high altitude, but it was the final few passes that proved the most memorable. Described by a colleague as "the most perfect airshow moment ever", the two classic gliders orbited directly over the crowd in close formation, coloured smoke and pyrotechnics streaming from the wingtips against a darkening sky, all to the accompaniment of classical music being performed by a live band in front of the crowd. Pure magic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBdQLrVWaAg
Last edited by Adam on Sat Nov 07, 2020 12:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1 x
Freelance airshow media and videography (thisisflight.net)
Producer with PlanesTV
Airshow commentator
Producer with PlanesTV
Airshow commentator
Going to be hard to fill the thread this year for sure, but I did get at least a few airshow moments in so I'll see what I can contribute. In no particular order:
Black Flag 2020 was a private airshow practice day that offered unlimited access to a small group of hand picked photographers. I was honored to be on the list and traveled down for it. Standing by the runway is a rare treat, so it was pretty fun. The best part of the day was absolutely the jet truck vs. Cobra. The video doesn't do it justice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl9Mka4s8VQ
The Terre Haute warbird fly-in was a fantastic time where I got to see many friends for a weekend, plus several flights and some unique air to air opportunities like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxohYf43pN0
Another fun flight this year was see these two Wilgas fly together off of their private strip:
https://youtu.be/_2X-O73r1hk
The final one that comes to mind was seeing the jets take off and land at Selfridge during the London Airshow. I finally got to see the painted hog and Venom, plus getting buzzed by everyone at the end of the runway on Sunday!
https://youtu.be/yczlSs0ehWs
Black Flag 2020 was a private airshow practice day that offered unlimited access to a small group of hand picked photographers. I was honored to be on the list and traveled down for it. Standing by the runway is a rare treat, so it was pretty fun. The best part of the day was absolutely the jet truck vs. Cobra. The video doesn't do it justice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl9Mka4s8VQ
The Terre Haute warbird fly-in was a fantastic time where I got to see many friends for a weekend, plus several flights and some unique air to air opportunities like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxohYf43pN0
Another fun flight this year was see these two Wilgas fly together off of their private strip:
https://youtu.be/_2X-O73r1hk
The final one that comes to mind was seeing the jets take off and land at Selfridge during the London Airshow. I finally got to see the painted hog and Venom, plus getting buzzed by everyone at the end of the runway on Sunday!
https://youtu.be/yczlSs0ehWs
2 x
Ryan Sundheimer
www.AirshowStuff.com
www.AirshowStuff.com
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I had four aviation experiences that involved flying aircraft this summer, one of which I would really consider an airshow.
The highlight was undoubtedly Tri-State Warbird Museum's Flying Warbird Showcase. This provided my only opportunity to see warbird fly-bys in 2020. The museum did an excellent job of putting together a socially-distanced event with a quality flying display. The 2.5 hours of flying were much more than I expected. The final display of the evening, which included the B-25, FW-190, P-51 and F8F performing numerous fly-bys as the sun set was as memorable as anything I would have seen during a normal airshow season.
IMG_1073 by , on Flickr
IMG_1085 by , on Flickr
IMG_1103 by , on Flickr
I also attended the fly-in at Historic WACO Field in Troy, Ohio. I particularly enjoyed this Waco S3HD. It reminds me of some of the more advanced biplane fighters of the inter-war period.
IMG_1657 by , on Flickr
Seeing B-17 "Sentimental Journey" for its tour stop and VJ Day commemoration in LaPorte, IN provided my only heavy bomber action of the year.
IMG_0112 by , on Flickr
An unexpected treat was spotting during a private EAA fly-in in Kokomo, IN. I left the event thinking it was probably going to be the only time I'd see a P-51 in 2020. Thankfully this was not the case, but sitting outside the FBO, seeing HI-G perform an overhead break, land and taxi in was definitely a highlight of my summer.
IMG_9494 by , on Flickr
Hopefully 2021 has better moments in store.
The highlight was undoubtedly Tri-State Warbird Museum's Flying Warbird Showcase. This provided my only opportunity to see warbird fly-bys in 2020. The museum did an excellent job of putting together a socially-distanced event with a quality flying display. The 2.5 hours of flying were much more than I expected. The final display of the evening, which included the B-25, FW-190, P-51 and F8F performing numerous fly-bys as the sun set was as memorable as anything I would have seen during a normal airshow season.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50585583532_44f3cb251a_c.jpg)
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50585465166_94c3d65267_c.jpg)
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50585464791_1dd2deefe0_c.jpg)
I also attended the fly-in at Historic WACO Field in Troy, Ohio. I particularly enjoyed this Waco S3HD. It reminds me of some of the more advanced biplane fighters of the inter-war period.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50368152163_ef340b64c4_c.jpg)
Seeing B-17 "Sentimental Journey" for its tour stop and VJ Day commemoration in LaPorte, IN provided my only heavy bomber action of the year.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50236381603_09fe899859_c.jpg)
An unexpected treat was spotting during a private EAA fly-in in Kokomo, IN. I left the event thinking it was probably going to be the only time I'd see a P-51 in 2020. Thankfully this was not the case, but sitting outside the FBO, seeing HI-G perform an overhead break, land and taxi in was definitely a highlight of my summer.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50157202526_05a85a113b_c.jpg)
Hopefully 2021 has better moments in store.
2 x
Matt
It sounds amazing; I've had a few goose bump moments like that over the years and it certainly sounds like that would qualify!Adam wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 12:11 pm
1. Team Blanix at Antidotum Airshow Leszno, Poland. The show starts impressively, with the two aircraft doing some breaks, synchronised aerobatics and rejoins at high altitude, but it was the final few passes that proved the most memorable. Described by a colleague as "the most perfect airshow moment ever", the two classic gliders orbited directly over the crowd in close formation, coloured smoke and pyrotechnics streaming from the wingtips against a darkening sky, all to the accompaniment of classical music being performed by a live band in front of the crowd. Pure magic.
0 x
Ryan Sundheimer
www.AirshowStuff.com
www.AirshowStuff.com
Like everyone, I'm hard pressed to come up with a Top 5 as I only attended one proper airshow all year.
Not in any order:
-Wings Over North Georgia, Rome, GA - The one airshow I attended, in a drive-in format. It wasn't as bad as I expected but a far cry of what an airshow should be. The flying was great despite heavy overcast, at least it didn't rain. Highlight for me was the A-10 Demo that I hadn't seen in a while. I was close enough to hear the "whoosh" of air when he pulled up from the simulated strafing runs.
https://youtu.be/fr1XcXfmGgc
-B-17 "Sentimental Journey" tour stop, Tri-Cities, TN - My first time seeing a warbird in the air for the year in Sep!
https://youtu.be/XSDmxj7oAWU
-P-47 "Tarheel Hal" arrival into Evansville, IN - I had never seen this particular P-47 and this was likely to be it's last flight for quite a while.
https://youtu.be/QXg90fXg23Y
-B-17 "Yankee Lady" tour stop Sevierville, TN - They extended their stay due to a tour stop cancellation and bad weather, so I got several days of flying action. https://youtu.be/4y9svOu69zc
-Local America Resolve KC-135 Flyovers by 134th ARW, East TN - At various locations I got to spot take offs, flyovers, and landings. Plane spotting in general filled the gap with the lack of airshows. https://youtu.be/pCZJ5-Dwpd0
Not in any order:
-Wings Over North Georgia, Rome, GA - The one airshow I attended, in a drive-in format. It wasn't as bad as I expected but a far cry of what an airshow should be. The flying was great despite heavy overcast, at least it didn't rain. Highlight for me was the A-10 Demo that I hadn't seen in a while. I was close enough to hear the "whoosh" of air when he pulled up from the simulated strafing runs.
https://youtu.be/fr1XcXfmGgc
-B-17 "Sentimental Journey" tour stop, Tri-Cities, TN - My first time seeing a warbird in the air for the year in Sep!
https://youtu.be/XSDmxj7oAWU
-P-47 "Tarheel Hal" arrival into Evansville, IN - I had never seen this particular P-47 and this was likely to be it's last flight for quite a while.
https://youtu.be/QXg90fXg23Y
-B-17 "Yankee Lady" tour stop Sevierville, TN - They extended their stay due to a tour stop cancellation and bad weather, so I got several days of flying action. https://youtu.be/4y9svOu69zc
-Local America Resolve KC-135 Flyovers by 134th ARW, East TN - At various locations I got to spot take offs, flyovers, and landings. Plane spotting in general filled the gap with the lack of airshows. https://youtu.be/pCZJ5-Dwpd0
Last edited by BruceK on Sat Nov 14, 2020 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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