2007 Thunder Over Niagara
11-12 August 2007
For the first time since 2004 the gates of Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station were opened to the public for a two day open house and air show celebrating the 60th anniversary of the United States Air Force. A ground and air display featured a nice variety of past and present aircraft with a USAF connection as well as support from the other US armed services and the Canadian Forces.
For images from the 1992 and 1995 Thunder Over Niagara air shows, see 'Archives: The 1990s' at the bottom of the 'Image Galleries' page.
A nice treat for the enthusiast was participation by representatives of both
strategic bombers, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24
Liberator, used by the USAAF in Europe during the Second World War. N24927
"Ol 927", the Commemorative Air Force's Consolidated B-24A (LB-30), originally
built for the Royal Air Force but with US Army Air Corps insignia applied, is seen
here during a flyby on Saturday.
With the afterburners
helping to produce at least 50,000 pounds of thrust, the crew of McDonnell
Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle 89-0485 blasts down the show line following an
impressive display. Major Albert "Jewel" Kennedy and Captain Jack "Woody"
Stallworth, the other members of the Air Combat Command F-15E Strike Eagle
Demonstration Team and the team's aircraft hail from the 4th Fighter Wing at
Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina.
Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker 63-7981, from the air station's resident 107th Air
Refueling Wing, whistles past the crowd. This New York Air National Guard
unit, as the 107th Fighter Interceptor Group, was long in the fighter business
and flew the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon before converting to the
KC-135 and the truly global tanker support mission.
Air Force Reserve Command's 914th Airlift Wing has operated versions of the
Lockheed C-130 Hercules since 1970 and personnel have indeed "seen the world"
while carrying out airlift missions from support of the war fighter overseas to
humanitarian relief at home and abroad. With the ramp down, the crew of
C-130H 92-3287 is in the final stages of preparing for a simulated supply
airdrop.
The big draw was no doubt the Thunderbirds, officially the USAF Air
Demonstration Squadron, and their Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons.
Thunderbird #5/Major Ed Casey, inverted, and Thunderbird #6/Major Samantha Weeks
get together for some mirror image flying in this nice pass.