Quote Originally Posted by Jim Rosenow View Post
In my opinion they are using the wrong equipment. The F-16 is great for what it's designed for, which is not an airshow. If they spent more than a third of their time within a mile of the spectators I'd be surprised. I personally find the Warthog demos I've seen more close-in and faster-paced. Imagine these guys with six of those!!

I was told by someone who should know that within a half hour following the Breezy accident Thursday morning, there were over 100 airplanes backed up waiting to leave. We were camping near the Hilton on the North side of 9/27, and after we were told that we watched another 30 or so campers startup to leave before we did the same. No idea if it's normal for that many folks to head out during that time period...just making an observation.

Jim
EAA #64315
The T-Birds are more than just PR/Recruiting. They are also part of sales. The F-16s they use are fully combat capable aircraft (unlike the Blues F/A-18s). They also market the F-16 as an export commodity, trying to get other countries to think that all they need is the right material to get the same quality pilots. A-10s right now, are absolutely taboo. DoD won't even accept requests for static displays. After all, the public might actually talk to the crew and get the impression that the Warthog is a multi-role platform with lots of life and utility left in it.

My AirVenture experience is only the last five years, but in that time, I have noticed that people start to leave on Thursday. Actually Wednesday, but it is noticeable on Thursday. On the other hand, there are others who don't arrive until Wednesday.

With regard to the other response asking about my son. He was fine. Kind of oblivious as the car was coming up from behind him and he never saw it until after we pulled him away. Even the backpack survived as he only had papers and such in it from KidVenture.