Publisher:AirShowsReviewLLC.

ManagingEditor:LaszloNyary
ContributingTeammembers:
SteveSwiperBigg
NormanA.Graf
PeterThivessen
WolfgangJarisch
RayPace
PatriceOlivier
ChristopherMifsud
RalfPeterWalter
GeoffreyArnwine

Occasionalcontributors:
BrianR.Veprek
JasonPhelan
MoniShafir

Copyright 2016 Air Shows Review LLC. The Aviation Magazine name and web
siteisownedbyAirShowsReviewLLC.Nopartofthisepublicationmaybereproducedin
any form without prior written consent from the publisher. Copies of The Aviation
Magazine maynotbesold.However,youarefreetodistributealinktoourwebsite.While
we strive for factual reporting of events The Aviation Magazine is not responsible
fortheaccuracyofthecontentorfortheopinionsexpressedbyauthorsoftheirrespectivearticles
andreportsandarenotnecessarilythoseoftheeditororpublisher.Alltradenames,trademarks,
manufacturer names, photographic images and textual works used in this publication, are the
propertyoftheirrespectiveowners.

Welcome to the 42nd edition of The Aviation Magazine. Time certainly flies and the
2016airshowseasonstartedoffwithabanginNorthAmerica,andweweretheretocoverit.

The2016airshowseasonschedulehasbeenonoursitesnowforanumberofmonths,clickhereto
viewit,thiscoverseventsworldwide.InthisissuewearefeaturingNAFElCentro,CA,thefirstshow
fortheBlueAngels,andThunder&LightningOverArizonafromDavisMonthanAFB,thefirstshow
fortheThunderbirdsforthe2016airshowseason.Additionally,wecoveredtheLosAngelesCounty
AirShowthatwasadelightforwarbirdenthusiastsasillustratedintheimagebelow.Wealsohave
severalairbasevisitsintheUSA,GermanyandSwitzerlandaswellastheRedBullAirRacingfromAbu
Dhabi,UAE,too,togiveourreadersagreatvarietyofeventstofeasttheireyeson.

Welookforwardtobringingyoumanymoreairshowsin2016withalotofenthusiasm,andtobring
ingyoutheBest for Free ebasedaviationmagazineaswetakeyoutoaviationeventsAs close
asyoucangetwithoutbeingatanairshow! TellallyourfriendstolikeusonFacebook,followus
forthelatestreviewsandnewsonTwitterandtosubscribeonJoomagtoautomaticallyreceivethe
latestissueofThe Aviation Magazine.

WarbirdformationattheLosAngelesCountyAirShow:B25,P51D,TBM3,SpitfireMkIX,P40Kand
FM2,lefttoright.

2016NormanA.Graf

The Aviation Magazine is

publishedsixtimesayear,byaTeamof
Volunteers interested in aviation. We
are devoted to cover a wide range of
aviation events ranging from air
shows, air base visits, military exer
cises, civilian spotting, pilot and vet
eran interviews all with exceptional
photography. The Aviation
Magazine is a leader in the e
magazine format since 2009, bringing
exclusiveandfascinatingreportstoour
globalaviationenthusiastsdigitally.

Please note: wedonotacceptanyun

solicited articles or images for publica
tion.

Interested in joining us? We have (3)

VolunteerTeampositionsavailable.We
are looking for a Far East contributor,
preferably from Japan, with good Eng
lishcommunicationskills,alsoforsome
one to cover the East and SouthEast
portion of the USA, and for Marketing
Person.Ifyouareinterestedinbecom
ingacontributoremailuswithsamples
ofyourwork:
info@theaviationmagazine.com

DiscoveryAirDefenceServices(DADS)aprivateCanadiancompanyhasbeenestablishedsincethebeginning
of2015atWittmundAirBase,asaserviceproviderfortheGermanArmy.DADSisthesuccessortotheprevi
ousserviceproviderBAESystems,operatedbytheBAesubsidiaryE.I.S.AircraftGmbH,whichflewsince2001
fromtheairbaseWittmundastargetsimulatorsfortheGermanLuftwaffe.Wittmundisalsothehomebase
ofTaktischeLuftwaffengruppe"Richthofen"(TaktLwGrp"R")withEurofighter.
DADS,isbasedoutofPointeClaire,suburbofMontreal,inQuebec,Canada.DiscoveryAirfliesatotalofap
proximately 160 aircraft of various types and currently has approximately 900 employees. At Wittmund
DADSdeploys(6)DouglasA4NSkyhawkastargettugsfortheGermanLuftwaffe.Theircontractcallsfor
1200flighthoursperyear.ProvidingVisualTargetworkoutfortheEuroFighters.Thishastheadvantage
thatcostlyflighthourswiththeEuroFightercanbesaved.ThecontractwiththeCanadiansrunsuntil2019.
TheregistrationsoftheA4NatWittmund:CFGZD367,CFGZE495,CFGZH534,CFGZI531,CFGZO532,
CFGZS337

The Canadian Douglas A4N Skyhawks at Wittmund: CFGZS and CFGZE above,
leftbottominsertCFGZDandCFGZHrightbottominsertCFGZH.

GrummanE2CHawkeyeofthe

Naval Station Norfolk, situated in southeastern Virginia on the US East Coast is the world's biggest naval
base. NS Norfolk is the homeport of five aircraft carriers (CVN69 USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, CVN72 USS
AbrahamLincoln,CVN73USSGeorgeWashington,CVN75USSHarryS.Truman,CVN77USSGeorgeH.W.
Bush)andabout130fixedwingaircraftandhelicopters,basedatChambersField,formerlyknownasNaval
AirStationNorfolk.
AllEastCoastE2C/DHawkeyesandC2AGreyhoundsarebasedatChambersField.Theseaircraftarebeing
operatedbyfivefrontlineCarrierAirborneEarlyWarning(VAW)squadronswiththeE2C/DandoneFleet
LogisticsSupport(VRC)squadronwiththeC2AGreyhound.Astheonlyfleetreplacementsquadroninthe
NavyVAW120isflyingboththeE2C/DandC2A.Furthermore,eachE2DdeliveredfromNorthropGrum
mantotheNavyfirstgoestoVAW120.
HelicopterMarineCountermeasuresSquadronHM12,HM14andHM15aretheonlyonestoflytheMH
53E Sea Dragon minesweeping helicopter, whereas HM12 serves as training unit for air and ground crew.
AlsobasedatChambersFieldaresevenHelicopterSeaCombat(HSC)squadronswiththeMH60SSeahawk
andHSC84withMH60andHH60HSeahawk.HSC84isoneoftwospecialoperationsunitsintheUSNavy.
TheMH60S'sprimarymissionsaresearchandrescue,navalspecialwarfaresupportandantisurfacewar
fare.TheHH60Hisequippedwithspecializedgearandusedforinsertionandextractionofspecialforcesas
wellasforcombatsearchandrescueoperations.
TheAviationMagazinewouldliketothankMC1ErnestScottandMikeMaus,PAO,NavalAirForceAtlantic
NSNorfolk.

GrummanE2CHawkeyeoftheVAW120

GrummanC2AGreyhoundoftheVAW120

C2AC2AE2CE2CE2DE2D

SikorskyMH60SSeahawkoftheHSC26

SikorskyMH53ESeaDragonoftheHM15

F/A18CHornetsofthe

T34CTurboMentoroftheSFWSL

F/A18CHornetofthe

NavalAirStationOceanaislocatedatVirginiaBeach,Virginia.ItisthemasterjetbaseoftheUSNavyonthe
eastcoast.NASOceanaisoneoftheworld'slargestmilitaryairbasesandishometoStrikeFighterWingAt
lanticwitheighteenF/A18HornetandSuperHornetsquadrons.

F/A18ESuperHornetofthe

SixteenoftheseareStrikeFighterSquadronsthatdeployaboardUSaircraftcarriers.Amongthemaretwoof
theNavy'smostfamoussquadrons.VFA11"RedRippers"istheoldestcontinuouslyactivefightersquadron.
VFA31"Tomcatters"istheonlyNavyfightersquadronthatachievedaerialvictoriesinthreewars:WWII,the
KoreanWarandtheVietnamWar.TheyalsoperformedthelastofficialflightofanF14TomcatonSeptem
ber22,2006.
TheothertwoF18squadronsarepermanentlybasedatNASOceana.FighterSquadronComposite12(VFC
12) "Fighting Omars" provides adversary training to East Coast wings and supports the Strike Fighter Ad
vanced Readiness Program, which trains operational fleet F/A18 squadrons. VFA106 "Gladiators", with
about130assignedHornetsandSuperHornetsthelargestsquadronintheNavy,istheEastCoastfleetre
placementunit.ItsmissionistotrainnewF/A18pilotsandweaponssystemofficersinthebasicsofairtoair
andairtogroundmissionsalongwithdayandnightcarrierqualification.Allinallmorethan130legacyHor
nets(F/A18A/B/C/D)andSuperHornets(F/A18E/F)arebasedatNASOceana.Theseaircraftdeployaspart
ofOceana'sfiveCarrierAirWings(CVW)toCVN65USSEnterprisewithCVW1,toCVN75USSHarryS.Tru
manwithCVW3,toCVS69USSDwightD.EisenhowerwithCVW7,toCVN77GeorgeH.W.BushwithCVW
8andtoCVN70USSCarlVinsonwithCVW17.
OtherunitsatNASOceanaaretheFleetLogisticsSupportSquadron56(VR56)"Globemaster"flyingtheC
40A,theNavyversionoftheBoeing737NGandtheStrikeFighterWeaponsSchool,Atlanticoperatingsome
BeechcraftT34CTurboMentor.
TheAviationMagazinewouldliketothankKelleyStirling,PAO,NASOceana.

F/A18FSuperHornetsofthe

F/A18FSuperHornetoftheVFA32

2016PredragVuckovic/RedBullContentPool

Pete McLeod of Canada performs during the finals

oftheRedBullAirRaceWorldChampionshipinAbu
Dhabi,onMarch12,2016.

Thefirstraceofthe2016RedBullAirRaceWorldChampionshipwasevenhotterthanexpectedinsizzling
AbuDhabionSaturdayMarch12,asNicolasIvanoffofFranceblazedthroughthepylonstovictoryinaclose
race.

Claimingtheearlyleadinwhatssettinguptobeanespeciallyfiercetitlebattle,Ivanoffstimeof58.550was
barelyatenthofasecondfasterthanMatthiasDoldererofGermanyinsecondplace(58.660).FranoisLe
VotofFrance,whoisbeginningonlyhissecondseasonandwasranked14th,capturedhisfirstcareerpodium
with1:02.281forthirdplace.

Withtheretirementof2015WorldChampionPaulBonhomme,the2016titlefortheworldsultimatemo
torsportseriesintheskyisanyonestoseize,andtheheatwason.Thedaywaspackedwithshocks:Matt
HallofAustralia,whowasrankednumberoneafterfinishingsecondoveralllastyear,hitapylonandfailedto
advancebeyondtheopeningroundforonlythethirdtimeinhiscareer.Anothertopfavorite,2008World
ChampionHannesArch,gavefansasimilarsurpriseafterflyingbrilliantlythroughtheearlyroundsonlyto
earnaDisqualificationintheFinal4forpassingtheSafetyLine.

TheseasonopeningvictorymakesIvanofftheearlyleaderinthepointsasthecampaignfortheWorldCham
pionshipbeginsacrosssevenmoreracesinsixcountries.Iproposeweendtheseasonrightnow,jokedthe
TeamHamiltonpilot.Actually,weworkedreallyhardforthisintrainingandIwasnotstressedcominginto
theracebutIknewwehadtobereallycareful.Imveryhappyformyteamandmyfans.

ResultsMasterClassAbuDhabi:1.NicolasIvanoff(FRA),2.MatthiasDolderer(GER),3.FranoisLe
Vot(FRA),4.HannesArch(AUT),5.KirbyChambliss(USA),6.MichaelGoulian(USA),7.PeteMcLeod
(CAN),8.YoshihideMuroya(JPN),9.MattHall(AUS),10.JuanVelarde(ESP),11.

WorldChampionshipStandings:1.NicolasIvanoff(FRA)15points,2.MatthiasDolderer(GER)12pts,
3.FranoisLeVot(FRA)9pts,4.KirbyChambliss(USA)6pts,5.MichaelGoulian(USA)5pts,6.Pete
McLeod(CAN)4pts,7.YoshihideMuroya(JPN)3pts,8.MattHall(AUS)2pts,9.JuanVelarde(ESP)
1pt,10.HannesArch(AUT),11.NigelLamb(GBR),12.PeterPodlunek(SLO),13.PetrKopfstein
(CZE),14.Martinonka(CZE)

2016JoergMitter/RedBullContentPool

2016JoergMitter/RedBullContentPool

Pete McLeod of Canada performs during

thequalifyingofthefirststageoftheRed
Bull Air Race World Championship in Abu
Dhabi,UnitedArabEmiratesonMarch11,
2016

Lefttoright:2ndplaceMatthiasDolderer1stplaceNicolasIvanoffand3rdpalceFranoisLeVot

2016SamoVidic/RedBullContentPool

TheracewinnerNicolasIvanoffofFrance
performs during the finals of the first
stage of the Red Bull Air Race World
Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab
EmiratesonMarch12,2016."

EmbeddedbetweenhighmountainsinsouthernSwitzerlandliesSionairfield(AirBase14)intheRhoneVal
ley. For three weeks during February and March the Wiederholungskurs (WK) refresher course of the
SwissAirForcetookplacewiththeSquadron18(F/A18Hornet)andSquadron19(F5Tiger).
Inadditiontothefulltimepersonnel,630militiamen(reservedforces)participatedwhoarerequiredtotrain
foronlyafewweeksayear*.TheyarethedecisivereinforcementfortheenduranceoftheSwissAirForce.
Thepreparationsforarefreshercourse(WK)exerciseincludetheinstallationofadditionalsuppliesandhard
warefromothersitestoSioninordertoreinforceexistingequipment.Theyaffectvirtuallyeverythingwhich
mustbepresentfortheoperationofanoperationalairfieldreflectingtheneedsoftheSwissAirForce.
Unambiguous communication is the most particular challenge during this exercise. Switzerland is a multi
lingualcountry,theyspeakHighGerman,theSwissdialectSchwiizerDtsch,French,ItalianandRomansh.
"Therefore,theteamsmustbelinguisticallyfit,sotheycanavoidcommunicationproblemsduringdecisive
moments,"accordingtotheAirBaseCommander,ColonelPierredeGoumoens,GeneralStaff.
Inadditiontotheinteractionofthegroundcrews,pilotspartakeinothertrainingscenarioswhichtheywould
notparticipateinduringtheirnormaldailytrainingroutinesattheirhomebases.DuringtheWKatSion(8)
F/A18Hornetsand(4)F5Tigersparticipatedwithcorrespondingreservepersonnel.
Duringthevisitof"TheAviationMagazine"theQRAwasflownwithtwoF/A18s.ThecallsignswerePanther
1and2.Asanalternateairbase,Payernehasbeenset.BothaircraftwereequippedwithliveweaponsAIM
9XSidewinder(AirInterceptMissile)andAIM120C7AMRAAM(AdvancedMediumRangeAirtoAirMissile)
plusintegrated20mmGatlingcannonM61A1.

* Thewagesforthereservedforcesmembersarepaidbytheiremployersduringtheirtimeinservice(generally
80%oftheirnormalpaywiththedifferencereimbursedbythefederalgovernment).

SquadronCommanderoftheAirWing14,MajorMartinHess,explainedthathistacticalareaofresponsibility
arefortheSquadron18(FlSt18)consistingoftheHornets,theSquadron19(FlSt19)consistingoftheTi
gersandtheFliegerkompanie14,thelasttwopermanentlystationedtogetherinSion,whileABPayerneis
homebasefortheHornets.
TheFlSt18isoneofthreesquadronsoftheSwissAirForceequippedwiththeF/A18Hornetinterceptors.
TheyconstitutethebackboneoftheSwissAirForce,flyingtheHornetssince1998.TheinventoryoftheAir
Forcecurrentlyconsistsof(31)F/A18Hornets,distributedtothemainbases:Payerne(FlSt17&18),and
MeiringeninBerneseOberlandwiththeFlSt11.
ThemaintaskoftheSwissAirForceistheairpatrol,alsoreferredtoasairpolicing.Inshortterm,andinany
weatherconditionunknownaircraftmustbeidentifiedand,ifnecessary,canbeintercepted.
InadditiontotheparticipatingHornetsquadronintheWK,theparticipatingsquadron19withF5Tigerscon
sistofreservedforcepilots.Allthesepilotswhennotcarryingouttheirmilitaryserviceareemployedinvari
ousprofessionswhichdonotnecessarilyhaveaconnectiontoaviation.Currentlythereare(26)F5Tigers
airworthyintheSwissAirForcesinventory,splitbetween(3)squadrons.Duringthisyearsrefreshercourse
theTigersofPatrouilleSuisseaerobaticsteam,withtheirfamousredandwhiteliverywereused.
TheAviationMagazineMediawouldliketoexpressourthankstoMrs.DelphineAllemandoftheMediaand
Communications Office, Bern, Switzerland. Our special thanks goes to the Air Base Commander Colonel
PierreDeGoumoens,oftheGeneralStaff;MajorMartinHess,CommanderofFliegergeschwaders14,ofthe
GeneralStaff;Mr.DidierSallin(PressOfficerAirBase14,Sion)andMr.T.Nyfelder(ChiefofgroundcrewsAir
Base14,Sion)fortheirgenerouscooperation,greathospitality,friendlinessandassistanceonbase.

F/A18 Hornets of Staffel 18 during

theexerciseatSionAB,Switzerland,
009toplefttoprightwithAIM9X
Sidewinder and 015 with AIM9X
Sidewinder and AIM120C7 AM
RAMMbottomimages.

Major Martin Hess, Squadron Com

mander of the Air Wing 14, Staffel
18, on the right and his wingman
Slamofthebottomleftimage.

Thereisquitesimplynothingelselikeit.Thesightsandsoundsofmilitaryaviationareaprivilegetoexperi
enceupclose.Thechestrattlingsensationthatonlycomesfromstandingnexttoarunwaywhiletheen
ginesofaNavyF/A18SuperHornetspoolupintoafterburnerproducing44,000lbsofthrust.Thewarmth
ofusedjetfuelwashingoveryouasT45Goshawktrainingaircraftpassbydoingcircuitsoftakeoffsand
landings. The smell of burnt rubber as a C2 Greyhound's tires go from zero to 130 mph the instant they
touchtheground.Thesearejustsomeofthecompletelyuniqueexperiencesinvolvedinphotographingmili
taryaircraftoperationswhilestandinglessthan50feetfromtheedgeofanactiverunway.Andeverysingle
timeIfindmyselfintheprivilegedpositionofbeingonamilitaryairfieldshootingaircraftoperations,lyrics
fromtheTakingHeads"OnceInALifetime"cometomind:"Well...HowdidIgethere?"
When I consider the opportunities I've had that have resulted in the privilege of participating in a photo
shootofmilitaryaircraftnexttoanactiverunwayonamilitarybase,thePhotoCallheldatNavalAirFacility
ElCentro(NAFEC)insunnySouthernCaliforniaonFebruary18th,2016wasauniquefirst.Myinitialoppor
tunitycamewhenafriendintheRoyalCanadianAirForce(RCAF)offeredtoescortmearound4WingCold
LakeforacoupledaystoshootatthemultinationalMapleFlagexercisebeingheldinJuneof2010.Bythe
timeIleftColdLakeIfeltlikeIhadhadaonceinalifetimeunforgettableexperienceandifIneverhadthe
chancetodoitagainI'dbehappy.AstimepassedtheeuphoriaofmyfirstshootbegantowearoffandIre
alisedithadonlytakenonehittogetmeaddicted.Ineededafixandstartedlookingforotheropportuni
ties.OvertimeIrealisedIcouldn'trelyonfriendshipandairshowsalonetofeedmynewfoundaddiction
andImadetheleaptosubmittingstoryrequeststomagazineslikeTheAviationMagazineinthehopeof
gainingaccesstoshootandtellthestoriesofmilitaryaviation.ItseemedlikeaHailMarypassasIhadno
presscredentialsbuttomysurpriseIwassuccessfulatgettingmyimagesandstoriespublishedfirstinThe
MagazinebyAirShowsReviewonlinemagazineandlaterinprintpublications.TheNAFECopportunityhow
ever didn't involve a letter of intent to publish to gain access to a shoot, it came up in a different way:
throughmymembershipinISAP.
I'vebeenamemberoftheInternationalSocietyofAviationPhotographers(ISAP)forthreeyearsandhave
seenseveralopportunitiestoapplytojoinagroupofISAPmembersonvariousPhotoCalls.Ihadsubmitted

requestsforsomebuttheNAFECeventwasthefirsttimeI'dbeencontactedtodiscussmyparticipation.
AfterafrankconversationwithISAPPresidentLarryGraceaboutmyinvolvementwithISAP(ormorehon
estly, my lack of involvement) it was agreed that if I would get my member portfolio completed for the
websiteandprovidea"MeetTheMember"articleforISnAPinatimelyfashion,Icouldjointhegroupat
NAFEC.Ifeltbothtaskswerelittletoaskofamemberandtheconversationgavemethepushtodowhat
I'd put off and get them done. The conversation made me realise that being a member of ISAP wasn't
meanttobeapassiveexperience.Gettinginvolvedandcontributingwasthewaytogetthemostoutof
beingamemberandmylatestfixinElCentrowasproof.
ApatchwasmadefortheFebruaryPhotoCallatNAFECanditincludedthephase"Closerthanyououghtto
be?".Lookingupanddownthebrightwhite"NOGO"linepaintedonthegroundparalleltotheedgeof
Runway26,itwasaquestionthatseemedworthyofsomethought.We'dbeenveryclearlyinstructedby
theNAFECPublicAffairsOfficer(PAO)nottocrossthewhitelineunlesswewereinterestedinanimmedi
ate,personallyescorted,tripoffofthebasepropertywithabonusinvitationnottocomeback.Lookingat
howclosethelinewastotheedgeoftheactiverunwayIdidwonderifanyoftheroughly50photogra
phers participating in the photo call would actually want to get closer. As much as I love being next to
fighterjetsastheyflytouchandgo's,there'salimittohowcloseI'dliketogetandIthinkthewhitelineat
ElCentrowasit.Walkingupanddownthelineandtryingshotsfromdifferentpositions,includingbacking
away from the line, gave a nearly unlimited number of different angles to shoot from. The ISAP group
sharedthelinewithotherclubs,groupsandindividualsandeveryoneseemedtoplaywellinthesandbox
togetherrespectingeachother'schancetoshoot.
Besideseveryone'sgoodnatureandprofessionalismthesuccessofthedaycanbelargelyattributedtothe
waytheshootwasorganizedandrunbythePAOandhisstaff.Theinitialbriefinggiventothegroupbefore
headingoutontothefieldcoveredthegroundrulesclearlyandtherulesweremorethanreasonable.They
struckaperfectbalancebetweeneveryone'sopportunityto"gettheshot"whilestillachievingthenumber
onegoalfortheday:thesafetyofboththephotographersandthepeopleandaircraftwewerethereto
shoot.
Whenthehornblewtoindicatethedaywasoveranditwastimetopackup,thesunwascastingawarm
orangeglowontheairfield.IlookedforwardtomeetingwiththeISAPgroupthateveningtodiscussthe
daytogether.Iwaseagertostartreviewingmyshotsformycatchofthedaywhenthepowerofmyaddic
tionsurfacedagain.ItleftmewonderingwhenIwouldfindmyselfonabasenextwithcamerainhand.I
didn'tknowtheansweryetbutIknewIwouldcertainlybepleasedifthenextopportunitytoshootwould
bewithISAPagain.

C2Greyhound,mainimage

EA18GGrowler,leftinset

Photocallpatch,midright

BeingthisclosetoanF18G
takingoff,bottomright.

BlueAngels(1)F/A18D(firstaircraft)and(3)F/A18Cmainimage

T45CGoshawksfromVT7EaglesfromNASMeridian,leftinset

ImperialBlueAngelsStormtroopers

2016 is a big year because it commemorates the

70th Anniversary the Navys world famous flight
demonstrationsquadron.
Thegatesopenedat9:00amandthereweremany
groundactivitiesofferedforallagesbeforethefly
ing events took place. Many of the static aircraft
included a couple modern fighters like the F/A18
SuperHornet,A10ThunderboltII,andAV8BHar
rierII.Therewerealsoatonofhelicoptersforpeo
pletocomeupclosetoincludingtheAH1ZViper
and the many variants of the MH60. Planes of
FameandtheCommemorativeAirForcewerekind
enoughtolettheshowofferavastarrayofstatic
warbirds ranging from the P51 Mustang to B25
Mitchell.Onegroundattractionthatyoudontnor
mallyseeatanairshowisthe501stLegionbased
out of San Diego which brings many people
dressed as Star Wars characters to the event for
theenjoymentoftheattendees.Manyofthechar
actersincludedamajorityofImperialStormtroop
ers, Mandalorians dressed in Blue Angels colors,
thefearedbountyhunterBobaFett,andthenew
estvillaininthegalaxyKyloRen.

Tobegintheirshowseasonasalways,theUnited
StatesNavyBlueAngelsperformedattheirWinter
HomeatNavalAirFacilityElCentro,CAinfrontof
thelargecrowdinImperialValley.Aftermonthsof
extensivetraining,theteamwasabletoshowcase
their elite precision under the command of the
newflightleader,CommanderRyanBernacchi.

Flying began at 11:00 am with the Opening Cere

moniesandNationalAnthem.JumpingfortheAn
them were the United States Navy Leap Frogs
parachute team. During their jump the crowd got
togetararepassbytheirjumpplane,aGrumman
C2Greyhound.FollowingtheLeapFrogsjump,the
showofferedmanygreatdemonstrationsbyWWII
warbirdscourtesyoftheCAFSoCalWingincluding
adogfightbetweentheNorthAmericanP51Mus
tang and Mitsubishi A6M Zero along with a Blue
AngelstributeflightwiththeGrummanF6FHellcat
andF8FBearcat.AlongwiththeCAF,otherwarbird
highlightsincludedJohnCollverwhoperformedin
hisNorthAmericanSNJTexanknownastheWar
Dog. The Red Eagles Formation Team also per
formed with incredible maneuvers in their Yak52
trainers.Theshowalsofeaturedsomeofthetop

aerobatic performers in the air show industry in

cluding Vicky Benzing in her Extra 300S and
Spencer Suderman in his Meteor Pitts. During in
termissions, the crowd had the opportunity to
watch theMetal Mullisha dirt bike group perform
stuntsinthestaticdisplayarea.Astheshowcame
closer to the headlining act, the Blue Angels,
PlanesofFameofferedararedogfightdemonstra
tionwiththeNorthAmericanF86SabreandMiko
yan Gurevich MiG15 Fagot. Originally, tactical
demonstrations with the U.S. Navy F/A18 Super
Hornet VFA122 Team and Turkish Air Force F16
FightingFalconSOLOTURKwerescheduledtoper
form. However, due to logistics, neither of them
wereabletoperformattheshow.Butthatdidnt
keep the audience from enjoying the start to the
BlueAngelsairshowseason.
The Blue Angels demonstration officially kicked of
at 2:30 pm with Fat Albert performing its demon
stration with
the Lockheed

Martin TC130
Hercules. After Fat Albert landed, the Blue
Angels flight team officers were introduced and
rolled out their blue Boeing F/A18 Hornets for
takeoff.Thiswastheteamsfirstpublicdemonstra
tion of the 2016 season which commemorates
their70thanniversary.

The crowd was pleased at the numerous maneu

vers each pilot performed and each jet looked
shiny clean to impress air show attendees during
theirveryspecialairshowseason.Aftertheshow
wascompleted,theBlueAngelspilotswalkedover
tothecrowdlinetosignautographsforfans.

DespitecancellationsoftheTurkishF16andVFA
122 F/A18, the show ended in a high note with
plenty of ground attractions and warbird demon
strations.Returningtotheshowtoannouncewas
no other than Mr. John Huggins who put on yet
anotherremarkablejobatexplainingthemostim
portant information about show routines with re
specttolettingtheaircraftspeakforthemselvesin
the air. Thanks to the many volunteers, staff, and
servicemenonthebase,NAFElCentroputonan
othersuccessfulairshow.

F6F Hellcat and F8F Bearcat Blue

AngelsTribute,topimage

F86SabreandMiG15FagotDog
fighttopimage

P51MustangandA6MZeroDog
fight,bottomimage

JohnCollverinhisSNJTexanWar
Dogbottomimage

2016NormanA.Graf

Joe Rifle Shetterly RV8 Aerobatics,

formerA10WestTeampilot

Somesmallbleacherswereavailablefreeofcharge,andshadewasavailableeitherunderthewingsofthe
largeraircraftondisplayorundertheprotectiveramadasforthesmalleraircraft.AlargeKidsZonefea
turedmultiplebouncehouses,plentyofportabletoiletsweredistributedthroughoutthearea,andfreewa
terwasalsoavailablefrommilitaryWaterBuffaloes.Lotsofsouvenirandfoodvendorsweredistributed
throughoutthegrounds.

2016NormanA.Graf

HonoringthePast,InspiringtheFuturehasbeentherecurringthemeforthebiennialThunder&
LightningoverArizonaOpenHouseandAirShowatDavisMonthanAFB.Thetwodayeventsae
rial performances included warbirds, aerobatic aircraft, helicopter displays, a combat search and
rescuedemonstration,militarytacticaldemosandculminatedwiththeThunderbirds.Therampwas
filledwithanequallybroadanddisparateselectionofmilitaryaircraftonstaticdisplayandtheweatherwas
perfect.Alltheingredientsforaterrificairshowtostartoffthe2016season!

Thegatesopenedpromptlyat0900.Accesstothebasewashandledverywell,withparkingcloseintothe
tarmacandsecuritychecksthatwerequickandefficient.Justinsidethegate,visitorsweregreetedbyalong
lineofUSAirForceheavies:C17GlobemasterIII,KC135RStratotanker,KC10Extender,E3Sentry,TC
135WRivetJoint,EC130HCompassCall,B1BLancer,andC5AGalaxy,almostallofwhichwereopenfor
tours.Mostoftheremainingaircraftonstaticdisplaywerehousedundershaderamadasatshowleft.These
includedcurrentmilitarysuchasF35ALightningII,F16CFightingFalcon,F15EStrikeEagle,A10CThunder
boltII,F/A18FSuperHornet,MC12WLiberty,T1AJayhawk,T38TalonandtwoArmyhelicopters,theAH
64ApacheandUH72Lakota.Afewfamousretiredmilitaryaircraft,suchastheF4PhantomII,weretowed
overfromthe309thAerospaceMaintenanceandRegenerationGroup(AMARG)boneyard.Itappearsthat
therestrictionsplacedonmilitaryairshowparticipationimposedbytheongoingbudgetsequestrationproc
essareslowlybeingeased.
Theflightlineisverylongand,exceptforsomereservedareassuchastheFlightlineClub,BeerGardenand
VIPpavilions,openforspectators.Unlikemostairshows,foldingchairswerenotallowedthroughthegates,
butrentalchairswereavailablefora$5fee.

Theshowstartedpromptlyat1100withajumperfromtheUSAFAcademysWingsofBlueparachuteteam
flyingintheAmericanflag.SeveralmoremembersoftheWingsofBluethenparachutedin,eachbringingin
adifferentserviceflag.Theywouldperformoncemorelaterintheday,demonstratingtheiraerialskillswith
highspeedmaneuversinfreefallaswellasprecisioncanopyflight.TheflyingstartedwithJacquieWardaput
tingonafabulousaerobaticperformanceinherbeautifullypaintedExtra300.Eventhoughthiswasherfirst
airshowoftheseasonhermaneuverswereallspoton,especiallytheperfectslowrolldownthelengthof
theaerobaticbox.KentPietschputonthefirstofhisthreeperformancesoftheday,impersonatingacom
pletenoviceinvadingtheairspacewithhiszanyflying.Helaterlandedonapickuptruckanddemonstrated
hiscompletemasteryofenergymanagementbykillingtheengineat6,000feetthenbringingtheaircrafttoa
stopontherunwaywiththespinnertouchingtheoutstretchedhandoftheairshowannouncer.Othercivilian
actsincludedtheDesertRatsFormationTeamwhichperformedaseriesoftightflybysintheirfourNanchang
CJ6s.JoeRifleShetterly,formerlytheA10WestDemonstrationTeampilot,putonanoutstandingaero
baticdisplayinhishighlypolishedRV8,concludingwitharaceagainstBillBraackintheSmokeNThunder
JetCar.
ThisshowwasoneofonlyfourwheretheMarineCorpsAV8Bwasscheduledtoperformthisyear.Major
SqueezePasqualeofVMA311TomcatsfromMCASYumaputonaterrificshow,powerfullydemonstrat
ing the broad range of the Harrier IIs aerial capabilities. Although the Harrier II entered service with the
USMCover30yearsagoandiscurrentlyscheduledtobereplacedbytheF35BLightningII,itisstillanex
tremely capable aircraft, able to take off and land vertically, hover like a helicopter, or fly at speeds ap
proachingthespeedofsound.
TheU.S.CustomsandBorderProtection'sOfficeofAirandMarine(OAM)istheworld'slargestaviationand
marinelawenforcementorganizationwith83locationsthroughouttheU.S.DavisMonthanishometothe
largestairoperationsprogramwithintheOAMandisresponsibleforalmost20percentoftheOAM'stotal
flighthours.TheCustomsandBorderPatrolvehicleinterdictionsimulationdemonstratedhowasuspected
smugglerwouldbeapprehended.AnagileEurocopterAS350interceptedaspeedingautomobileatalmost
groundlevel,afterwhichaUH60Blackhawkarrivedonthescene.Officersfastropeddowntoapprehend
thesuspectandturnhimovertopoliceofficerswhohadbeeninfastpursuitintheirsquadcars.
Amongitsotherresponsibilities,DavisMonthanishosttothe563dRescueGroupwhichiscomposedofthe
48thRescueSquadron(Pararescue),55thRescueSquadron(HH60GPavehawk)and79th(HC130JCombat
King II) Rescue Squadron. Elements of these squadrons combined with four A10s from the 355th Fighter
WingtoputonanimpressivedisplayofcombatandairpowercapabilitieswithasimulatedCombatSearch
and Rescue mission. Two parachutists jumped from a circling HC130J Combat King II from the 79th RQS,
playingthepartofdownedairmen.FourA10sfromthe357thFighterSquadronwerescrambled,withthe
ThunderboltIIstakingoffinsectionflights.AnEC130HCompassCallfromthe41stElectronic

2016NormanA.Graf

CombatSquadrontookofftodisruptenemycommandandcontrolcommunications.TwoHH60GPaveHawk
helicoptersfromthe55thRescueSquadroncarryingpararescuemenfromthe48thRQStookoffandjoined
upwiththeCombatKingIIandsimulatedaninflightrefueling.ThefourA10sperformedanumberofstraf
ingandbombingrunsaccompaniedbypyrotechnicsontheground.Withtheareanowsecured,thetwoPave
Hawksflewinlowandfast,flaredtoastopandhoveredastherescueteamfastropedtotheground.The
airmenwerequicklyhoistedtothehoveringHH60G,therescueteamwasrecoveredandthePaveHawks
quicklydepartedthescene.ApassinreviewbytheparticipatingaircraftoftheDesertLightningTeamended
thedisplay.

Thenitwastimefortheheadlineact,theUSAFThunderbirds,tobegintheiraerialdemonstration.OnSatur
dayabriefswearinginceremonyinvolvingseveraldozenyoungvolunteersprecededtheflying.Astuteob
servershadnoticedthatonlyfiveFightingFalconswerelineduponthetarmac.Thunderbird#5,Capt.Nicho
lasEberling,hadsufferedaninjurywhichpreventedhimfromperforminginhisroleasLeadSolo.Neverthe
less,theremainingThunderbirdsputonaveryimpressivefiveshipdemonstrationfeaturingtherarelyseen
Stingerformation.Aftertheshowandfollowingashortdebrieftheteammemberscametotheflightlineto
signautographsandanswerquestionsfromtheaudience.

2016GeoffreyArnwine

AirBossRalphRoycekepttheflyingactionflowingsmoothlyandsafelyandAnnouncerRobReiderkeptthe
audienceof150,000informedandentertained.Wewouldliketoexpressourthanksandsincereappreciation
to the 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office for their outstanding hospitality and assistance during the
OpenHouse,inparticularCaptCaseyOsborne,2dLtSydneySmithandTSgtCourtneyRichardson.Addition
allywewouldliketothanktheshoworganizers,sponsors,participantsandalltheairmenatDavisMonthan
AFBformakingthisshowsuchasuccess.

Customs and Border Patrol UH

60ABlackhawk,leftbottom

HeritageFlightoftheF22andP
51D,righttop

HC130J Combat King II refuel

demo with HH60G Pave Hawks
rightbottom

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One of the most soughtafter tactical demonstrations at an air show is the F22 Raptor so it was a special
treat that the team debuted its 2016 season at DavisMonthan. New to the team this year is Maj Daniel
FFitsDickinson,whomasterfullydemonstratedtheawesomecapabilitiesofthispremierefifthgeneration
airsuperiorityfighterjet.TheRaptorthatheflewstarredintheTransformersmovieastheDecepticonStar
scream.HecompletedhisflightdemonstrationbyjoiningupwithMajorGeneralTommyWilliams,flyingin
theP51DMustangDoubleTroubletwofortheHeritageFlight.

2016NormanA.Graf

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USAFAWingsofBlueParachuteDemonstrationTeamtopfarleft,USAFThunderbirdsF16Ctopmid
left,JacquieBAirshowsExtra300AerobaticstoprightandtheAZANGKC135RStratotankerwith
the150thyearstailmarking,mainimagebottom.

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TheThunderbirsclosedoffthe
airshowatDMAFBfor2016
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2016NormanA.Graf

2016GeoffreyArnwine

clearblueskiesoverLancaster.TheN9MBFlyingWingalsoputonaveryniceaerobaticdisplay.

Lancaster,California.Theweekends75thanniversarytributetoPearlHarborkickedoffwithaFridaynight
meetandgreetfeaturingasoftballgamebetweentheU.S.NavyBlueAngelsandtheU.S.AirForceTestPilot
SchoolatnearbyEdwardsAFB,huladancing,aluaushowandperiodwarbirdflyover.Thetwodayshowfea
tured worldclass aerobatics, parachute demonstrations, wingwalking, warbird flybys, USAF and NASA jet
flybys,theTora!Tora!Tora!recreationoftheDecember7,1941attackonPearlHarbor,andendedwiththe
NavysBlueAngels.

The Texas Flying Legends Museum brought quite a few of its warbirds to the show: FM2 Wildcat, TBM3
Avenger, P40K Warhawk Aleutian Tiger, B25J Mitchell Bettys Dream, P51D Mustang Dakota Kid II
andSpitfireMkIXHalfStork.Unfortunately,theirA6M2ZeroandFG1DCorsairwereinvolvedinataxiing
accidentduringarefuelingstopontheflightout.Thesixwarbirdsmadeseveralformationpassesbeforeper
formingindividually,finishingwithbeautifulbananapassestoexposetheirtopsides.

Thegatesopenedpromptlyat9AM,flyingbeganaroundnoonandcontinueduntiltheBlueAngelstouched
downshortlyafter4PM.ThePatriotParachuteTeambroughtintheUSFlag,circledontheirdownlinebySkip
StewartandMelissaPemberton.ReflectingtheirNavySEALbackground,thetwojumpersstretchedtheflag
betweenthemastheyhurtledatbreakneckspeeddirectlytowardstheground,separatingatwhatseemed
thelastpossiblemoment.Theteamreturnedlaterinthedaywithevenmoreamazingfeats.
SkipStewartwastherecipientofthe2015ArtSchollMemorialShowmanshipAwardpresentedbytheInter
national Council of Airshows. His jawdropping maneuvers in the highlymodified Pitts S2 biplane, named
Prometheus,leftnodoubtsthattheawardwaswellearned.MelissaPembertonperformedanumberof
timesduringtheday.SheflewcirclesaroundherhusbandRexashedemonstratedtheexceptionalflyingca
pabilitiesofmodernwingsuits,breakingoffonlyashedeployedhisparachute.Hersoloaerobaticdemonstra
tionintheEdge540showedofftheskillswhichhaveearnedheraspotontheUSNationalAerobaticsteam.
Hersequenceendedwithadoubleribboncutwithbothribbonsstrungfromthesamesetofpoles.Shefirst
flewlowtotheground,cuttingthelowerofthetwo,thencircledaroundtocuttheotherribbon,flyingin
verted. Chuck Coleman, flying the Extra 300 put on a similar highpowered demonstration of competition
level maneuvers. Melissa and Skip then joined up with Chris Darnell in

the Shockwave Jet Truck for the Tinstix show, featuring lots of low
levelflying,afterburnerflamesfromthetruckandpyroexplosions
inthebackgroundendingwitharacebetweentheflyingpairof
aircraftandthespeedingtruckontheground.

2016GeoffreyArnwine

ThethirdannualLosAngelesCountyAirShowtookplaceMarch1920atGeneralWilliamJ.FoxAirfieldin

Unlikelastyearsshow,whichfeaturedboththeMarinesAV8BHarrierIIandtheNavysF18ESuperHor
net,thisyearsshowwasdevoidofmodernmilitarytacticaldemonstrations.However,thereweretwosur
priseadditionstothelineup:theappearanceonSaturdayofanF16DFightingFalconfromnearbyEdwards
AFB, which flew in from behind the
crowd, then departed in an afterburning climb back to

base, and Sundays single pass by a

B52 Stratofortress. NASAs ER2 (the civilian version of
the U2) put on an amazing flight
demonstration. One normally thinks of this aircraft as
onlycapableofsedatemaneuvers,buta
plane designed to fly in the rarefied atmosphere at

70,000 feet has plenty of lift at ground

levelinthehighdesert.Thepilotputthistoparticu
lar good use as he zoomclimbed out of a
highspeedlowlevelpassinfrontofthecrowdto
endhisdisplay.

Thisyearmarksthe75thanniversaryoftheat
tackonPearlHarbor.Noonerecreatesthisevent
betterthantheCommemorativeAirForcesTora!
ToraTora!reenactmentteam.Flyingtheaircraft
originally modified for the 1970 movie, they put
onanincrediblywellchoreographedaerialballet
interwoven with extensive pyrotechnic displays
ontheground.Thesmokefromtheexplo
sions and resulting grass fires of

ten conceal the aircraft,

adding to the realism,
but making photography
challenging.

2016NormanA.Graf

ThePlanes ofFameMuseuminChino onceagainbrought

quite a number of warbirds to the show. Three of their

World War II fighters passed by in formation, then per
formedindividualpasses.Itwasterrifictoseeandhearthe
P38 Lightning, P40 Warhawk, and F86 Sabrejet in the

studythedesignmodificationsnecessarytoconverttheSuperHornetforBlueAngelsduty.Itwillbeinterest
ingtoseewherethatleads.
Inadditiontoalargevarietyoffood,beverageandairshowvendors,therewerequiteafeweducationaland
outreachdisplays.The15,000squarefootSTEMExpofeaturednumerousactivitiesanddisplaysofScience,
Technology, Engineering and Math in the Antelope Valley. Many K12 schools and local colleges were also
presentwithexhibitsandinteractivedemonstrationsthatengagedthevisitors.NewthisyearweretheSTEM
ExpoForumsfeaturingspeakersfromLockheedMartin,NorthropGrumman,ScaledCompositesandNASA.
DennisDunbar,executivedirectoroftheLosAngelesCountyAirShowsaidTheAirShowteamandourdedi
catedvolunteers,communitypartnersandsponsorshaveworkedtirelesslytobringtheAerospaceValleythe
bestofaviationwhileinspiringthenextgenerationwithscience,technology,engineeringandmathwithan
Expothatwillmesmerizeandenticekidsofallages.
ThenonflyingstaticdisplayfeaturedapairofF/A18ESuperHornetsfromnearbyNASLemoorandaT34
TurbomentorandF/A18HornetfromNASAsArmstrongFlightResearchCenter.
Thisairshowisverynicefromaphotographersperspective.Firstoff,theshowlinefacesnorth,sothesunis
atyourbackandtheweatherisgenerallydependable.Secondly,theorganizersprovidetheopportunityto
purchase a limited number of Photo Tour Passes. This provides early morning access, preferred parking,
lunch,andadesignatedphotopitforphotographers.Andlast,butnotleast,istheproximitytotheshow
boxandthebroadgamutoftopperformers.

2016NormanA.Graf

Thatandthefactthataircraftarecomingfromleftandright,
high up and down on the deck, all at the same time. Its an in
credibledisplayandonenottobemissed,especiallythisyear.

The Blue Angels, in only the second show of their season, put on an
amazingshow.StartingwithFatAlbertsdemonstrationoftheflightca
pabilitiesofthemassiveC130Herculestotheincrediblypreciseformation
flying of the F/A18 Hornets, it is nonstop action. Some of the solo passes,
especially the highspeed crossing maneuvers, seemed a bit off, though. This
mayhavebeenduetomechanicalissues,asBlueAngel#6landedduringtheper
formance.CaptainJeffKussquicklyclimbedintothesparejetandrejoinedtheteam
fortheremainderoftheshow.BeingsomeoftheoldestHornetsinthefleet,theBlue
Angelsjetshavebeenexperiencingagrowingnumberofmechanicaldifficultiesinthepast
fewyears.ItshardtobelievethattheBlueAngelshavebeenflyingtheF/A18Hornetfor
almosthalfoftheir70yearsinexistence.TheNavyrecentlyissuedacontracttoBoeingto

Inthreeshortyears,theAirShowcontinuestomakeapositiveeconomicand
community impact, said Allen Hoffman, board president of the Los Angeles
County Air Show. We look forward to growing this wonderful event while
strivingtomakeadifferenceintheregionandthelivesofouryouthwiththe
scholarship program and more. In only its third year, the show attracted a
record crowd of 137,000 spectators over the twoday event at Fox Airfield.
Proceeds from the event will fund several scholarships to regional youth and provide seed money for the
2017AirShow.
AirshowannouncersRicPetersonandRobReiderbothdidagreatjobofnarratingandAirBossRalphRoyce
scheduled the nonstop action. Congratulations and thanks to the organizers, sponsors and volunteers for
makingthisshowsuchasuccess.WewouldliketothankPRDirectorKarenStrongandherteamfortheme
diaarrangementsandsupport.TheThunderbirdswillbeheadliningtheshownextyear,andwellbebackto
coveranotherterrificairshowinAerospaceValley!

ER2(thecivilianversionofthe
U2)mainimage

RicPeterson(left)RalphRoyce
(middle)andRobReider(right)

2016NormanA.Graf

2016GeoffreyArnwine
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A6MZeroReplicasbuiltforthemovie,lefttopandbottom

P40NWarhawkmainimageandtheP40KWarhawkAleutianTiger
rightbelow

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2016NormanA.Graf

2016NormanA.Graf

SkipStewartsPittsS2biplane,namedPrometheusbottom

TheBlueAngelsinsetandFatAlbert,below

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F16DFightingFalconfromEdwardsAFB,top

2016NormanA.Graf

MelissaPembertonandSkipStewartcrosseachother,top

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Volotea Airlines Boeing 7172BL, top; Private registration Bombardier CL6002B16 Challenger 604,
bottom.BothatMaltaInternationalAirportMLA,byRayBiagioPace.

ElAlBoeing737900,top;EnterAirBoeing737800,middle,bothatTelAiv,BenGurianAirport,IsraelTLV;
IcelandairBoeing757200,atSeattleTacomaAirportSEA,bottom.AllbyMoniShafir.

AirCanadaJazzExpressBombardierDash8300,atTorontosPearsonInternationalAirportYYZtopleft;
USAirwaysBoeing757200takingoffandseveralKC135RofArizonaANG(background)atPhoenixSky
HarborInternationalAirportPHXtopright,imagesbytheEditor;AeroflotBoeing7773M0(ER)atTelAiv,
BenGurianAirport,IsraelTLV,mainimagebyMoniShafir.

China Southern Boeing 7878, at San Francisco International AirportSFO top left; Scandinavian Airlines
AirbusA340abovetheKoreanAirLinesBoeing7478B5taxiingatSanFranciscoInternationalAirportSFO
main image; Delta Boeing 7172BD and Continental Boeing 737 above Air China Boeing 74789L at San
FranciscoInternationalAirportSFO,topright.AllimagesbyNormanA.Graf.

EscadrondeChasse2/4LaFayettein2016celebratesits100anniversary.FromthebeginningofWorldWarI
thewarthatwillendallwarsinEuropemanyAmericanstravelledtoEuropeandofferedtheirvolunteer
servicestoBritainandFranceinthewaragainsttheGermanandAustrianHungarianMonarchy.
Prior to WWI, the French invented manned flight with hot air and hydrogen balloons. They invented sea
planesin1905.TheFrenchaviatorRolandGarros,inventedthefighteraircraftafterhejoinedServiceAero
nautigue atthe beginning of the war. Heandaircraft designer Raymound Saulnier collaborated in his idea
thataforwardfiringmachinegunattachedtotheaircraftcouldbeusedasaweapontobringdownanair
craft.And,itwasGarroswhoachievedthefirstsuccessfulvictorybyanaircraftwithafixedforwardfiring
machinegun.Thusthefighteraircraftwasborn.
GarrossucceededinshootingdownseveralGermanaircraft,butonedayhisairplanedevelopedamechani
calfailureandthisforcedhimtolandbehindtheGermanlines.WhilehetriedtodestroyhisMoraneSaulnier
TypeLafterlanding,theGermansrecoveredenoughofthewreckagetoevaluatethedesignandgettheir
ownfighterdesignedbytheDutchAnthonyFokker,thusthefirstmassproducedfightermono

planetheFokkerEindeckerwasborn.

On18thofApril,1916,squadronNo.124wasestablishedbytheFrenchAirService.ManyAmericanvolun
teers chose to enlist with the French Air Service and as direct result of this the French government sanc
tionedanAmericanSquadronon 4thNovember1916,EscadrilledesVolontaireswasborn. On6thofDe
cember1916itwasrenamedEscadrilleLaFayetteNo.124,afterMarquisdeLaFayette,whowenttoAmer
icatofightagainsttheBritishandservedasamajorgeneralalongsideGeorgeWashington,intheAmerican
RevolutionaryWar.
InitiallycommandedbytheFrenchmanCapt.GeorgesThenault,No.124comprisedsevenAmericanpilots:
Victor Chapman, Elliot Cowdin, Bert Hall, James McConnell, Norman Prince, Kiffin Rockwell and William
Thaw.Itsinauguralflightmissiontookplaceon13May1916andtheEscadrille'sfirstaerial'kill'occurred
fivedayslater,whenKiffinRockwellclaimedvictoryoveraGermantwoseaterL.V.G.,inOctober1916.A
SeminoleIndianheadwaschosenbyCapt.Thenault,changedtoaSiouxsometimelater,asthesymbolfor
Escadrille Lafayette No.124. As their fame grew worldwide an increasing number of American volunteers
soughtservicewithNo.124.AlthoughnotalltheapplicantsbecamemembersoftheNo.124,manyofthem
nevertheless passed through the Lafayette Flying Corps. About 200 Americans eventually passed through
theFrenchAirService'strainingprogram.
AfterAmerica'sformalentryintothewartheEscadrillepassedintoAmericanhandsinFebruary1918.
ThehistoryoftheLaFayetteEscadrilledidnotendwhenthesquadronwasincorporatedintotheAmerican
AirService.From1920to1939,TheFrenchMinistredel'Air(AirMinistry)assignedthetitleLafayetteEsca
drilleinrecognitionoftheAmericanflyers,andtocarryonthetradition,amongthem:

In19207thSquadronofthe35thAeroRegiment,anditsplanescarriedtheSiouxheadinsignia.

In1933,theSiouxSquadronwasjoinedwiththeotherelitegroup,Cigognes(theStorks)toformthe

At the beginning of WWII, the La Fayette unit was reformed in North Africa where it flew with the Free
FrenchAirForce.InitiallyoutfittedwithCurtissHawkstheyweresoonupgradedwiththesuperiorP40F
Warhawks.OverthecourseoftheWar,theGroupe2/5flewintheNorthAfrican,Italian,FrenchandGer
mantheatres.InApril1944,theP47Dbecametheunitsaircraftwhichitflewuntil1949.InJanuary1945,
theGroup2/5returnedtotheLuxeuilAirBase,thefieldfromwhichthefirstLaFayetteEscadrillehadflown
in1916.DuringWWII,EscadronLafayetteflew8,531sorties,1,452missionsandwascreditedwith103vic
tories.
In July 1947, the Groupe 2/5 was reorganized as the Groupe de Chasse 2/4 La Fayette. In the following
years,theunitsawcombatactioninIndochinaflyingSpitfireMkIX'sin19471948,andlaterinAlgeria,flying
NorthAmericanT6G's.
In1949TheEscadronLaFayetteenteredthejetagewiththeDeHavillandDH100''Vampire"in1949thenin
1953 the French built Ouragan. From 1954 they began flying the Republic F84F "Thunderjet" which they
flew until 1966 when it was replaced by the DassaultBreguet "Mirage IIIE". In July 1989, the "Mirage
2000N"armedwithASMPAnuclearcruisemissile,beganservicewiththeGroupe2/4.Theunithasbeena
partoftheFrenchStrategicAirCommandandwasdesignatedasaTacticalNuclearStrikeUnit.Initiallythe
LaFayetteGroup,consistedofthreeEscadrille:EscadrilleNo.124Sioux,EscadrilleSPA167Cigognes,"The
Storks"(wingsup)andEscadrilleSPA160,lesDiablesRouge,"TheRedDevils."
LaFayettesquadronwasmovedfromBasearienne116LuxeuilSaintSauveurtoIstres,inSeptember2011
andmergedwiththeEscadrondeChasse2/4Limosin,thus2/4remainingtheonlyMirage2000Noperating
squadron.
Overtheyears,tocommemorateanniversarymilesstonessuchas50th,75th,95thandnowthe100thyears
several interesting paint schemes emerged. The 100th anniversary is specially striking when compared to
the95ths.

2016A.Courtillat/Armedelair

2013LaszloNyary

95thAnniversaryscheme

GroupedeChasse2/5,theEscadronLaFayette.ThisunitflewtheDewoitine500,atvariousbasest hrough
outFranceduringthe1930sandwasstationedatToulCroixdeMetzwhentheSecondWorldWarbroke
outinSeptember1939.

100thAnniversaryscheme

2016A.Courtillat/Armedelair

2016A.Courtillat/Armedelair

2016PatriceOlivier

Thepilotsandthe100thAnniversarypaintschemeoftheLafayetteSquadronontheRamexDeltaMirage
2000N.

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary, Ramex Delta Mirage

2000N(front)Mirage2000N(mid)andRafaleB(rear)