Shawfest 2010 Thunder Over the Midlands
The 2010 Shawfest the weekend of May 8/9. Featured team this year was the USAF Thunderbirds making their first appearance since 2005. Always a crowd pleaser, this year’s team was no exception in their red white and blue F-16s thundering across the blue skies in front of an estimated 80,000 folks for the entire weekend. I attended the Saturday airshow as well as the Thunderbirds practice show on Friday afternoon and the team looked well practiced and flew close, tight formations with excellent timing from my vantage on the ground. Their sneak pass never fails to delight, or scare, the unsuspecting. Even anticipating it, it’s still extremely difficult to catch the pass on camera. Good job Thunderbirds.
Winds played havoc with the jumpers and I can only imagine the aircraft themselves, but the US Army Golden Knights still were able to do their jumps to open the show Saturday with a salute to our country’s stars and stripes.
Along with the Thunderbirds and Golden Knights, we were also treated to demo performances by the 20th Fighter Wing’s Viper East F-16 Demo Team locally based at Shaw, and several 4th FW F-15E Strike Eagles out of Seymour Johnson AFB, NC. In addition, four Shaw based F-16CJs and two F-15Es from Seymour Johnson did a battlefield attack simulation with ground pyrotechnics as well as firing flares from the aircraft as they pulled off target, something I had not seen in person before at a show.
Two A-10s from Moody AFB’s 75th FS came to Shaw, one static and one doing a nice demo of the Warthog’s aerial dance. Graceful for a 30mm gun with wings attached.
Not to be outdone, the USN was represented by a Heritage Hornet demo each day from a VFA-125 Rough Raiders F/A-18C based at NAS Lemoore, CA and a static Hornet from the VFA-37 Bulls based at NAS Oceana, VA.
There was lots of heritage on the ground as well as in the air this year with two P-51s at the show, two B-25s, a C-47, two P-47s, and a C-54 and C-123. Some flew, some remained static awaiting curious onlookers and photographers. The Celebrate Freedom Foundation (CFF) also accumulated a huge collection of Army hardware from the various wars and had numerous vehicles, weapons, and soldiers in period uniforms on display. Included in their collection was a 1941 Halftrac which was in immaculate condition, as well as one of the CFF’s shiny black Vietnam era Cobra attack helicopter. And lined up side by side was the biggest collection of drab green Army Jeeps I have
run across at one location. Nice efforts by the CFF to bring such a large collection of history together for the history buffs and admiring public to see.
Other static aircraft included a KC-135 from the 22ARW, McConnell AFB, KS; a KC-10 from the 305AMW, McGuire Joint Base, NJ; a C-130 from the 169FW, SC ANG at McEntire JNGB, SC and various trainers. Other flying acts included the T-33 Shooting Star, Julie Clark in her T-34 Mentor, Carol Pilon and Third Strike Wing Walking and the aerial demo of Kent and Warren Pietsch.
The USAF planned for the crowds with plenty of parking from several lots, some including busing, lots of airmen directing traffic, plenty of food and beverage vendors, and a good supply of the essential port-a-potties. Weather was hot Friday and Saturday with temps cooler for the Sunday show. Quite breezy for the Saturday show that I attended. Since the Shawfest is an every other year show, I certainly plan to be back in 2012. Thanks Shaw AFB for a great demonstration of today’s military service at work.
Story and Photos by Steve Finch
