Scott Loftesness

Memories

Sometimes you think back to those high points in your life and the memories flood in. One of those times for me was the trip to Oshkosh that my Dad and I made in the late 1980's.

As it turned out, this trip with my Dad was my second trip to the annual EAA fly-in - but it was the first time by air (I'd joined some friends in an RV for my first visit). It was Dad's first time flying with me for any distance - and what a great trip we had! We flew my Cherokee 235 out from California to Wisconsin - stopping to visit relatives along the way in Spearfish, South Dakota.

I'll never forget us departing Spearfish and making a couple of low orbits over my Dad's sister's farm in eastern South Dakota as we made the final leg into Oshkosh that day. We had called ahead (those were the days before cell phones in every pocket!) and gave them our estimated time of arrival overhead - it was such fun to see my Dad's sister and her husband outside waving us on - a big, big treat for my Dad!

Arrival in Oshkosh is truly something to behold. As an in-bound pilot, you're on your tiptoes as the air traffic controllers walk you down the approach and onto the runway. "Red and white Cherokee, rock your wings - you're number 3 for landing..." Truly amazing how many airplanes they handle. Fortunately, we arrived safely!

We stayed in the dorms at the local university while we took in the airshow grounds and sights every day. I think we were there for the first airshow demonstration ever flown by an SR-71 Blackbird - which took off from Beale Air Force Base in California something like 40 minutes before arriving overhead at Oshkosh!

This trip was truly one of those trips of a lifetime - for both my Dad and me. We had great fun together and really enjoyed ourselves. He was a great co-pilot along the way! The memory of this special trip will stay with both of us forever.

The F-22 Raptor in Action!

A friend of mine sent me this link to a demonstration flight of the F-22 Raptor at Farnborough - really an amazing flight. I've yet to see an F-22 in an airshow - looking forward to that one day!

How about you - have you seen the F-22 in flight?

Angels High

Blue Angels over Salinas - August 8, 2009. More here.

Angels in Salinas

This weekend the Blue Angels will be performing at the California International Airshow in Salinas.

I can't imagine a more perfect venue for watching the Blue Angels - Salinas isn't one of those massive airshows but, instead, almost a community event.

I was there last year - with the Air Force Thunderbirds - and the airshow was spectacular.

If you can make it to Salinas this weekend, you will enjoy a wonderful airshow! There's nothing quite like a performance of the Blue Angels' twin-engine F-18's to make you proud!

Vertical Challenge 2009 Airshow - Saturday, June 20, 2009

One of our favorite local airshow events - a unique helicopter airshow - is hosted by the Hiller Aviation Museum every year at San Carlos Airport.

I've been fortunate to attend the last couple of years - here are some photos from the 2008 and 2007 editions.

The photo on the left is the Eurocopter Messerschmitt Bölkow Blohm Bo-105 CBS fully aerobatic helicopter flown by Chuck Aaron of the Red Bull team. Aaron is the first and only civilian pilot to be licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration to perform aerobatics in a helicopter.

This year's Vertical Challenge 2009 is being held on Saturday, June 20th. Details are available at the Hiller Aviation Museum web site. Hope to see you there!

The Last Ace and the Amazing F-15

One of my favorite writers, Mark Bowden, has a new article titled "The Last Ace" in this month's Atlantic.

One section of the article is devoted to the McDonnell Douglas F-15 - an amazing airplane. I remember the first time I saw one in the mid-1970's. It was at St. Louis' Lambert Field - where the McDonnell Douglas factory was on the other side of the airport from the commercial airline terminal.

While waiting for a plane change at Lambert, I saw an F-15 taxing out from the factory area and, for the first time in my life, saw that airplane take off and proceed to accelerate out of the area going straight up! Turns out that the F-15 was one of the first aircraft whose engine thrust actually exceeded its weight - enabling it to accelerate going straight up. It was an amazing sight to see - and quite a roar to hear as well.

Bowden captures that F-15 feeling:

"For more than a quarter century, the speed and sound of a formation of F‑15s or F‑16s has made a commanding statement about American power... You feel its approach before you can hear or see it, a low vibration that starts in your toes and rises until the gray jets flick past overhead. Only then comes the roar. They are gone before your eyes focus on them, leaving behind the orange glow of their afterburners and a wash of energy that hammers your ears and rattles your spine."

Amen.

Here's my last close encounter with an F-15 - this time an F-15E Strike Eagle - at this year's Salinas Air Show:

Gives me goose bumps again just remembering it! See more of my photos from that airshow.

Burbank's Bob Hope Airport - Frozen in Time?

I was down in southern California this week teaching one of our Glenbrook Payments Boot Camps with one of my partners, Carol Coye Benson. We had a great time with a great group of folks.

Flying home from Burbank's Bob Hope Airport last night on Southwest brought back memories. When I worked for IBM in the 70's, I used to spend a fair amount of time in and out of that airport - mostly for visits to Lockheed across the street. From the looks of things, nothing has changed at this airport in the 30+ years since!

The best part about Burbank's airport is its compactness. Landing, it feels like the aircraft comes to a stop, makes a quick turn left and you're at the gate. No jetways, just old-fashioned ramps at both the front and rear of the aircraft. Felt a lot like San Jose Airport circa-1970.

Inside, there's a sign displaying the airport's mission statement - I smiled when I read it strived to provide a "state of the art" airport experience. But now that I think about it, I enjoyed the whole experience of flying in and out of Burbank - much more that I would flying in/out of some of my least favorite airports (Atlanta and Denver come immediately to mind!) Burbank is indeed providing a state of the art experience - the way things used to be!

Remembering Orville

On this day, 105 years ago, Orville Wright made two flights in the Wright Flyer at Kill Devil Hills, NC. I grew up in Dayton, Ohio, home of the Wright brothers, and as a school kid we learned to be very proud of the Wright's accomplishments in flight! I have fond memories of Dayton's Carillon Park - where one of the 1905 Wright Flyers is on display.

Memories of Airshows Past

As I fessed up to in my Airshow Junkie post over the weekend, I'm seriously addicted to airshows.

My earliest airshow memories are of those at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base when I was growing up in Dayton. I loved to go to those shows with my Dad - and, during the rest of the year, to the Air Force Museum which, at the time, was sort of a sideshow at Patterson Field (since then it's moved to a much more appropriate setting at Wright Field and changed their name to the National Museum of the USAF).

But, my all-time favorite airshow memories are from a couple of years during the 1980's when I was able to attend the EAA's Oshkosh AirVenture airshow - both by flying in and by RV'ing in.

I'll never forget the Oshkosh airshow where the SR-71 Blackbird made its first ever public demonstration flight - at Oshkosh. That day, the SR-71 departed Beale Air Force Base in California some 43 minutes before it arrived in the skies over Oshkosh - that's moving! Later, parked on the ramp directly across from an Antonov An-124, it was roped off with guards pacing and signs reading "Use of Deadly Force Authorized"!

Oshkosh just seems to renew your faith in humanity - everyone treats each other with respect, there's not a drop of trash anywhere on the grounds - it's just a wonderful world! Somewhere I must have some pictures from those trips to Oshkosh - but they're definitely not digital and certainly not readily at hand!

Following today's news about Warren Buffett investing in GE, I happened to go to the GE web site - and came across GE's current feature about attending Oshkosh. They call it "Where Ideas Can Fly". They've got some great video and photos from this year's show - which seriously distracted me away from investigating anything more about Buffett's new investment in GE! And, brought back this flood of good airshow memories!

Airshow Junkie

I'm an airshow junkie - much to the dismay of my family who wonder why anyone finds it fun to park miles away, hike into a crowded venue filled with greasy food joints, and then only to watch and listen to ear splitting aircraft zoom over your head plus getting a bad case of sunburn - and then waiting in an interminable traffic jam out of the parking lot to get home.

Honestly, I really can't understand why they don't want to come along with me!

Today's airshow was the California International Airshow in Salinas. It was great - congratulations to the show organizers who seem to successfully mobilize the whole town as volunteers to keep things running smoothly!

Here are the photos from today's airshow!