Hey guys long time no post. Well I'm really excited because tomorrow I get to see the Thunderbirds for the first time in 4 years. We haven't had the greatest weather this week which is kind of scaring me. But out at our HS football game tonight, the 1-4 pilots were in attendance which was pretty cool. I just bought a new camera and will have pictures tomorrow afternoon on my site www.airshow.4t.com please check in and bid for a good air show.

TAFs for Valdosta and Moody; basically good vis, light winds and partly cloudy (mostly high clouds) for tomorrow, becomming better.

KVLD 200213Z 200224 00000KT P6SM SCT015 BKN250
TEMPO 0206 BKN015
FM0800 30004KT P6SM BKN250
FM1500 36007KT P6SM BKN250
FM2000 01006KT P6SM FEW250

KVAD 200024 24009KT 9999 FEW010 BKN120 QNH2978INS
BECMG 0506 25006KT 9999 BKN008 OVC025 QNH2986INS
BECMG 0910 30007KT 9999 FEW010 SCT025 SCT250 QNH2993INS
BECMG 1415 34012KT 9999 FEW030 QNH2998INS
BECMG 2223 VRB06KT 9999 SKC QNH2998INS T25/21Z T16/12Z

I'm heading up tomorrow for the show as well. Cinch should be there too and hopefully get some real good shots!

What High School football game did the Diamond guys attend in your neighborhood?

They were at the Lowndes vs Valdosta winnersville classic. I'm getting ready to head out there maybe we can meet up if you haven't left yet ?

Hell, did you even talk with them? I sure as heck would of, thats a 1 in a million chance.

Wish the Thunderbirds came to our games.

Sadly no I didn't have the chance to talk to them... partly cause I'm a part of the football team but here's the rundown on todays show and it saddend me. First the Starfighters team couldn't show up cause everything was holding them back in Florida. The Thunderbird #4 jet had aileron problems so they had to use the #7 in its place and halfway through the show just before the corssover break, #5 started having radio problems so he had to land and they finished the show with a 5-man formation. It was a beautiful day and im about to post some of the pics on my site but not until tomorrow so look for that.

The team didn't get a chance to practice before the Saturday show due to weather and it showed that their timing was off in more ways than one. At the show start Kidd's jet wouldn't start and he had to swap into a pre-positioned spare by the end of the runway. Then Pinto had a total radio failure setting up for the Crossover Break and the Thunderbirds went route and into a holding pattern while Combo escorted Pinto to land. The show continued as a 5-Ship show. Later on, during the Pitch Combo had an anti-skid (brakes) msg during landing and went around with Fifi flying cover. Two go-arounds during the landing in other words. I also heard Kidd got his flight suit filled with water during the "FOD Check" when he rolled inverted after takeoff. As a whole is wasn't a very good show by any means, but despite that it was worth the trip. The mob crowd at the autograph line wasn't too big, so we got the chance to at least get more than a word in edgewise with a handful of the team members. Cinch said the Sunday show had bad wether and they only flew a Flat/Low show. Now, I'm looking forward to a much better performance at the Cape next weekend!

Here are some of the pix I took with my little Point and Shoot (Canon Powershot):











Two air show dorks (LD & Cinch), waiting for a very long time to say hello to Bloke. Can anyone guess the airplane in the background with the "?" on its tail?

Lawndart wrote: Can anyone guess the airplane in the background with the "?" on its tail?

Antonov An-26 assigned to the 6th Special Operations Squadron.

Lawndart wrote:Two air show dorks

Two "burn't" airshow dorks.

Nice shots LD.

Dude I totally saw you guys, but i didnt know it was you Check out some of my best pictures at www.airshow.4t.com Yea, I don't know if you guys went to the Sunday show but it was just as bad on problems. Are you guys going to see the Blue Angels in Jacksonville next weekend ?

WCD-01/WILDCAT wrote:Are you guys going to see the Blue Angels in Jacksonville next weekend ?

Nope, going to the NASA show at the Cape. You should see if Talon from the VBA might be going to the JAX beach show?
Too bad we missed ya up there, I had a friend with me and was in a rush to make it up there (Cinch was getting antsy).

@Rhino, you are a true aviation dork! The mystery plane sure is the An-26.

Yea, hmm I just noticed the AN-26 had a question mark on the tail man I'm slow. Anyways I have a pretty cool picture that I got signed by the pilots and some of the crew cheifs, the picture I took in 2003. I'll try to show you guys, but the light rain Sunday kind of ruined the picture

Lawndart wrote: Two air show dorks (LD & Cinch), waiting for a very long time to say hello to Bloke. Can anyone guess the airplane in the background with the "?" on its tail?

Cinch / LD,

Sorry I didn't catch up with you on the Sunday, I was with "Igor" watching the T-Birds sitting on top (sts) of the Wing King "C Model" from Eglin (not a bad seat eh!?) Apologies for the extended delay getting to you guys to say hi on Saturday after our arrival, it had been a monster day we started around 0430 & I had to turn the jets for our practise demo. Why the heck didn't you hang around & come (sts) to the O Club?

Get any video of our arrival? I'd love to see it!

Bloke Out..

PS. where are all the pictures of the cool jets? hehehehe

Bloke wrote:PS. where are all the pictures of the cool jets? hehehehe

Man, my legs were numb from standing there waiting for ya while you were refueling all three jets!

Cool jet?


Ah, Ok... it is pretty cool!


"Bloke, the man, the myth, the legend!"

@Bloke- What happened with Oceana 2007? I heard there were supposed to be 3 Starfighters there.....not 1 showed up. I was dissappointed.

Yea I've waited a long time to see the Starfighters so I was kind of dissapointed Sadly because of football scheduling I can't go to the Jakcsonville show. It will be my first time missing it in 5 years grrr. Well, I didn't grab many pics of the Starfighters cause my camera battery was dying but here you go.