2007 St. Thomas Wings and Wheels
23-24 June 2007
Held at St. Thomas Municipal Airport just east of the City of St. Thomas in southwestern Ontario, this event brought together a nice selection of predominantly military aircraft for display in the air and on the ground. Given that operational commitments pared the participants down in the days preceding the show, the flying display still included aircraft not usually seen in the air at other shows and the crowd was certainly not disappointed.
Two Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcons from the Colorado Air National
Guard's 120th Fighter Squadron, 140th Wing made a welcome appearance early in
the show. A series of flypasts, including planned missed approaches, set
the mood for the rest of the afternoon. With the landing gear up and the
afterburner lit, the pilot and F-16C 86-0358 from the "Mile High Militia" accelerate with not a little noise
after a PMA.
There can be little doubt that the most impressive demonstration of the show was
presented by a USAF Air Force Reserve Command C-17A Globemaster III and crew
from the 452d Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base, California.
Following a climbing right turn after a very short takeoff run, full aileron
deflection and port wing spoiler are applied to quickly roll C-17A 04-4138 out
of the turn.
A type that has given tremendous, if somewhat unsung, service over the last 50
years is the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. This Alabama ANG KC-135R made the
trip up from the 117th Air Refueling Wing's home at Birmingham International
Airport. The lowered refueling boom, through which the receiving aircraft
takes on fuel, is prominent in this photo as 57-1432 cruises past the crowd.
The capabilities of the F-16 are, for air show purposes, demonstrated by two
units of the USAF. The East Coast F-16 Demonstration Team, otherwise known
as 'Viper East' after the type's nickname, is drawn from the 20th Fighter Wing
at Shaw AFB, South Carolina. Major Jason "Buzzer" Koltes has slowed F-16C
94-0048 down for a high angle of attack, or high alpha, pass.
The first high alpha flypasts performed at air shows in North America were done
so by Canadian Forces CF-18 display pilots in the 1980s. Still popular
today, the 2007 CF-18 Hornet National Demonstration Team aircraft is caught
during just such a flypast. Demo pilot Captain Yanick "Crank" Gregoire and
CF-18A 188719, painted to celebrate 25 years of CF Hornet service, come from 4
Wing CFB Cold Lake, Alberta while the supporting ground crew are from both Cold
Lake and 3 Wing CFB Bagotville, Quebec.