The Great State of Maine Airshow
A
n airshow is right up there with the 4th of July and parades for getting people together and celebrating our unity as a community and Americans. Aircraft of all types have always symbolized freedom and ingenuity to me.It had been many years since I last attended an airshow. My first was at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire in 1981. I was interested in joining the Air Force after I graduated high school. I met with a recruiter and, as an enticement to get me to sign up, offered to give me a free steak dinner at the Ground Round in South Portland as well as a trip to New Hampshire to see the Thunderbirds--an air aerobatic demonstration team--perform. I gladly accepted both but would have enlisted anyway.
The Great State of Maine Airshow was, once again, being hosted at the Brunswick Executive Airport. I splurged and purchased a “VIP box seat”. Why not? My seat would be right up close to the runway and we’d have private access to our own porta-potties and food vendors.
If you’re interested in going some year and don’t want to spend the extra cash for the VIP treatment, especially if you are taking one or more people with you, just grab your own folding outdoor chairs and get there before the gates open. You can plop your chair down in a front row, reserving your spots, and walk around the rest of the venue. That’s what I’ll do next year and save $50. The extra amenities weren't worth the extra money. In some ways, the general seating area is better than the VIP area, as demonstrated by this couple.
There were not as many aircraft on display as I’d like but the ones that were there, like the KC-135 tanker operated by the 101st Air Refueling Wing in Bangor, drew large crowds. The KC-135 is a “flying gas station”, capable of refueling an aircraft that is capable of being refueled midair.
The C-5 Super Galaxy, the largest aircraft in the Air Force’s inventory, can raise its nose cone and lower its ramp to allow tanks, small aircraft and troops into its cavernous bay.
The aerobatics portion of the airshow, which is the main draw, was delayed for two hours due to the low cloud ceiling. They have to have a minimum of 1,000 feet of clear space below the clouds and we were at 500-800 feet. But, the skies cleared and the show began!
The Warbird Thunder Airshow team, put on a great show. They flew a pair of North American SNJ/T-6 Texan, also known as the SNJ. This aircraft was an advanced trainer that nearly every pilot in World War II and Korea trained on.
A half hour into the show the sun really started beating down on the crowd. Thanks to the morning rain, the humidity dramatically increased. Everyone was looking for some shade.
Finally, the stars of the airshow, the Air Force Thunderbirds!
The extremely high-priced food and drinks and the extreme weather conditions didn’t dampen our enthusiasm. I very much enjoyed the entire day. The hour-long crawl out of the airport just gave me time to reflect on the day and appreciate the experience.
