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Sounded like the Thunderbirds did a surprise performance today?

Curious how the flying activities went on the first night? Actual static turnouts? Scheduling?

swuz9080 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 05, 2022 11:15 pm Sounded like the Thunderbirds did a surprise performance today?

Curious how the flying activities went on the first night? Actual static turnouts? Scheduling?

I believe the Thunderbirds did a partial practice earlier in the day. Apparently the #6 jet had a flame-out mid practice and made a quick landing. I'm hoping they are good for today and tomorrow.

The show went mostly according to schedule, they had an extended gap before the drone show that was kind of awkward.

Notable absences from the static line were the C5, Osprey and the C17 (there's a C17 for the flight demonstration tho). I was told the C5 and Osprey was arriving today but not sure how reliable the source

The thing that struck me the most about the show was how busy it was, it was packed!! I've never seen the Friday night show so full. Of course this meant parking and traffic woes. So be prepared. Took us 30min to get in but I heard it took some 2+ hours. Took us over and hour to get out.

Overall, a great show even with the noticibly missing tutor jets. It's good to see the AIA is back in full

I was there as part of the hot air balloon crew.
I had some free time prior to the balloon set-up at dusk, so I checked out the statics.
Both Netherlands F-35As are there, but the USAF F-35s did not appear, as expected.
Tail numbers F-007 and F-008. The NORAD flight was a good idea, but rather short.

The CF-18 demo rocked!
I was actively helping with the balloon by then, so wasn't able to photo it, unfortunately.
I got caught by surprise by a couple of the sneak passes. WOW!

The drone display was cool. I've seen YouTube vids of drone displays, but this was my first live event.



EDIT, Regarding Wingnut's comment of how packed it was, I noticed that the static display area was not busy (Great for photos!), but the grass area close to the runway was definitely packed.

Just got home from the Saturday show. First thoughts, static display was a little disappointing with all the no shows. CF-18 demo was pretty good, nice to see a F-15 flying around but the NORAD demo was a little weak. Thundersbirds show to be honest is a little weak, Just seem to be lacking in my own opinion.

Drone Show! What a cool experience!

Just got back from the Saturday show. Uncomfortably hot and lineups on lineups for just about everything. 12+ years at AIA, and this has got to be the busiest I've seen.

Fantastic display by the Thunderbirds. The 'Pin Bomb Burst' towards the end blew my mind , but that box they drew seemed big. Lots of downtime during maneuvers feeling a bit disconnected. High show problems I guess. PA system was so quiet, it was hard to make out what they were saying or the music playing. Same for all the other segments.

Neds F-35 looked absolutely pristine parked front and centre. STEM zone and kids activities growing by year- Great Work!

Overall just happy we got a show- Thankful for AIA and all the work they put into this event every year.

The highlight of the show so far for me has to be the F-15C and CF-18 pattern work at the Twilight show! By far the coolest passes I've seen at Abby in a long time! Enjoy!

The most mediocre Abby I've been to. Friday night woes are well documented, but I'll add to the list by saying we left the hotel at 3 and didn't get parked till 530, pretty ridiculous.

Drone show was a nice addition, but overall bland night.

Saturday was just too packed. to enjoy much, impossible to get food or beverages.

Static was weak, no Osprey as promised, not much to see.

Maybe I'm spoiled but we used to get pyro, simulated attack runs, low passes, and an exciting show. This was pretty sterile.

Last thing, camping has absolutely exploded in popularity and looks. more like a refugee camp now. No more flight club breakfast and campsite camaraderie.

I think Abby will be off my list unless they up the excitement factor

Does anyone have info on when various planes depart tomorrow (Monday)?

TooTallDean wrote: ↑Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:45 pm Does anyone have info on when various planes depart tomorrow (Monday)?

French left yesterday. F-15s will go home Tuesday. Two ship of Hornets just left. I'm sure 80% of everything else will depart between 9 and 11 AM per usual.