Practice of Military Demo Teams Question
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FutureThunderbird
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2006 6:13 pm
- Location: North Dakota
Practice of Military Demo Teams Question
Can anyone tell me if demo teams such as the F-15,F-16, & F-18 teams do a practice run through at each venue they visit like the T-Birds and the Blues do?
FT,
Yes they do. I can't tell you to the letter what goes on as i'm not with the Military Demo every second. However we are together for the MAJORITY of practice day.
We all usually arrive at our Location or Staging location for a "Remote" show (ie one thats over a lake or on a beach) Thursday afternoon or evening.
Friday around 7:30am (a pretty standard time.) we have "Show Brief."
This consists of meeting the Air Boss, Operations Staff, FAA/Transport Canada official, Facility/Base Commander etc..
We'll cover Frequencies, (Air boss, Tower, Ground, Discreet.. non public freq, usually UHF) The Show Box, Show Center, Airport Layout, Runway & Taxiway lengths, Alternates/Diverts, Emergency & Lost Comm Procedures. Weather outlook, practice & show day line up & order, final requirements from each act etc..
Usually the props go out first as they have a much smaller "crank & launch" time compared to our jets.
Different Teams do different things for practise. Some to their "Area Fam" during their arrival, some do theirs on practise. The majority you will find at some point on Friday basically do the demo you'll see on Saturday & Sunday.. They've done it so many times they could probably do it with their eyes closed!
Yes they do. I can't tell you to the letter what goes on as i'm not with the Military Demo every second. However we are together for the MAJORITY of practice day.
We all usually arrive at our Location or Staging location for a "Remote" show (ie one thats over a lake or on a beach) Thursday afternoon or evening.
Friday around 7:30am (a pretty standard time.) we have "Show Brief."
This consists of meeting the Air Boss, Operations Staff, FAA/Transport Canada official, Facility/Base Commander etc..
We'll cover Frequencies, (Air boss, Tower, Ground, Discreet.. non public freq, usually UHF) The Show Box, Show Center, Airport Layout, Runway & Taxiway lengths, Alternates/Diverts, Emergency & Lost Comm Procedures. Weather outlook, practice & show day line up & order, final requirements from each act etc..
Usually the props go out first as they have a much smaller "crank & launch" time compared to our jets.
Different Teams do different things for practise. Some to their "Area Fam" during their arrival, some do theirs on practise. The majority you will find at some point on Friday basically do the demo you'll see on Saturday & Sunday.. They've done it so many times they could probably do it with their eyes closed!
Also be advised, that local law enforcement may "shoo" you away from stopping on the side of a street to watch a practice. Remember that demo teams use ground markers for reference, so if you are sitting at the end of the runway threshold on a street or on the side of the road, dont be offended when Mr. PoPo comes and asks you to move. Of course, the best way to see an aerial display is to actually go to the show! That way, you can listen to the awesome narration and music, and might pick up a few bits of knowledge along the way!
Happy Flying!
SuperBugz
Happy Flying!
SuperBugz
