May 22, 2005 - Joint Service Open House at Andrews Air Force Base
The military puts on a big airshow every year at Andrews Air Force Base.  It's free.  I've lived in Maryland for ten years now and never been so I decided this was the year.  Also, as good as the airshows at Oshkosh and Sun 'N Fun are, they isn't much in the way of fast jets.  I feel the need ... the need for speed!  Plus, I wanted to see the Navy's new Super Hornet strike fighter.  This Sunday morning Margaret and I  went to the airshow.

Because so many people attend, they have you park at FedEx Field, where the Washington Redskins play, and they bus you in.  It was exceptionally well organized.  No wait at all for the buses, either in or out. 

 
A big KC-10 tanker. 
 
The C-5A.  We walked through it, in through the nose and out the rear.  It's unbelievably huge.  Two good size trucks were inside the fuselage and the airplane still looked empty. 
 
A variant of the U-2 spyplane. 
 
The F-117 Stealth fighter.  Later on, a pilot climbed in, started her up, and taxiied out.  There were hundreds of people watching and they all started waving.  I could sense the affection the crowd felt for the plane and pilot.  Even though the F-117's stealth technology has probably been surpassed by the B-2, F-22 and F-35, I think the country remembers and is grateful for what this aircraft did during the first Iraq war. 
 
The Navy's newest jet, the F-18 Super Hornet.  this is the "F" two-seat version.  The Navy needed to come up with a new carrier bomber quickly after the A-12 fiasco.  The F-18 Hornet had been such a successful plane, that the Navy took it and "super-sized" it 30% to come up with the Super Hornet.  Everyone I've talked to says it's a great plane and the Navy is very happy with it.  

Later on, a Super Hornet flew and I saw it literally do square turns, something I've never seen a jet do before.

 
Another view of the Super Hornet.
 
A regular Hornet owned by the Marines with an interesting paint job.  Gee, I wonder where this one spends a lot of time?
 
Margaret sitting in the left seat of a C-2, the COD aircraft.  COD stands for Carrier Onboard Delivery.  The C-2 flies people and cargo between the carrier at sea and shore.  This plane looked like it had been flying a long time.  No frills. 
 
The Open House was much more than an airshow.  The U.S. Army had a lot of their equipment on display, including this Patriot missile battery. 
 
On the left is the artillery rocket-launcher vehicle, and on the right is the Paladin, a self-propelled artillery vehicle.  I learned about these on the History Channel "Mail Call"; awesome capability. 
 
The Bradley fighting vehicle.
 
And the King of the battlefield, the M1A2 Abrams tank.  I talked with the Army Captain -- to the right of the main gun, with the black cowboy hat;  best tank in the world, he said.  Virtually indestructible.  I believe him. 
 
The Navy and Air Force's new primary trainer, the T-6A Texan.  I saw it flying around briefly.  Looked like a hot ship.  It has tandem seating.  The cockpit looks very similar to that of the jet fighters.
 
The Navy's jet trainer, the T-45A Goshawk.  I bet it's a nice ride.
 
The V-22 Osprey.  It seems like they have been working on this thing forever.
 
The world's best fighter plane:  the F-22 Raptor.  Stealthy, vectored thrust, supersonic without having to use after-burner; it must be the ultimate ride. We didn't get to see it fly, unfortunately.
 
Another view. 
 
Two C-130's flew by at an altitude of about 1000 feet and lots of soldiers started jumping out.  It was like having a ringside seat at Operation Market Garden. 
 
The Blackhawk helicopter used in the ADIZ to intercept General Aviation airplanes.  If you're flying around and one of these pulls up on your wing, you're in a heap of trouble 
 
The Depart of Homeland Security also uses this Citation jet to patrol the ADIZ.  Check out the strange looking nose.  It contains the same radar that the F-16 has. 
 
The C-17 Globemaster, the Air Force's newest cargo plane.  It flew a really good demo.  On takeoff, as soon as the wheels broke ground, the pilot hauled it up into a 45 degree climb, amazing to see for such a large aircraft.  After yanking and banking 45 degree turns at low level, the pilot landed to a full stop in something like 100 yards!  Unbelievable.  Then he backed the C-17 up with his thrust reversers.  This plane has an awesome short-field capability. 
 
Nice.
 
The B-1 Lancer.  This plane has a bad rep, I think because it has never had an opportunity to use its talents.  I've always liked it though; I mean, just look at it, it's a big fighter!
 
The venerable B-52 Stratocruiser, better know as BUFF.  It must be 50 years old.  But it can carry lots of bombs, and with the advent of smart bombs, it is still an extremely effective weapons platform. 
 
A Department of Homeland Security P-3 Orion.  There is an AWACs version behind this one. 
 
This is the left side of a C-130 Spectre gunship.  There's another large cannon forward of the wing.  I'd hate to be on the ground with one of these circling around me.  . 
 
The Army's OH-58 helicopter.  It's a little chopper with a lot of firepower. 
 
An F-18 Super Hornet and F4U Corsair flying formation. 
 
This formation includes an F-15 Eagle, F-4 Phantom, F-86 Sabre and A-10 Warthog.  These "heritage" formation flights are fantastic. 

Later on the F-15 and A-10 each flew their own routine.  

 
The Air Force Thunderbirds were the finale.  Unfortunately, one of their jets must have had mechanical problems, because only five jets flew instead of the usual six.  

Lessons learned:  bring folding chairs and umbrellas. 

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