A friendly rivalry broke out between the crews of two of the biggest airplanes parked on the tarmac, the C-17 Globemaster III and the C-5 Galaxy.
The C-5, the Air Force’s largest cargo plane, “is much bigger than a 17,” said flying crew chief Tech Sgt. William Skeeter, of the 512th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Dover Air Force Base.
“We’re don’t do air drops any more,” he said with a smile. “The C-17 stole those from us. So I’m not really the biggest fan of the C-17.
“But we have more power than them,” he said, still smiling. “We can fly faster than them. We look cooler than they do — just all around, in my opinion, better."
Back in the C-17, Master Sgt. Rob Shircliff, of the 445th Airlift Wing, noted that these cargo planes are so large that they need to fly in early so the show can build its array of static displays around them.
“This jet flew in Wednesday morning,” loadmaster Tech Sgt. Justin Bateman said. “I think it was one of, if not the first, one parked here. Then everything kind of goes around us.”
The even bigger C-5 has been in Dayton “for like three weeks,” joked Shircliff.
“Yeah, I think it was from the last airshow,” Bateman said. “They weren’t able to get it off the ground.”
In all seriousness, Shircliff hailed the C-17 as a “smooth flying jet. It’s agile.”
Show-goers enjoyed familiar favorites such as the Army Golden Knights, the Red Bull Air Force, Third Strike bi-plane wing-walkers, the B-29 Superfortress, and the Air Force Thunderbirds, who capped off the afternoon as window-rattling headliners.
Gerry Anderson, of Harrison Twp., was the first to grab a spot in line on the first morning, as he was in the past two years.
“We like to patronize the show,” Anderson said. “That way, we’re not sitting way back in the back, not if we’re here, when the gate opens. You’re right in there. You hustle back in there and get your spot.”
“Our biggest thing is, the first ones in there usually get the best seats,” said Andrew Anderson, who was with Gerry.
Guests got a good look at the Goodyear blimp, celebrating its centennial anniversary. This is the blimp’s first appearance at the show in close to 20 years.
Goodyear pilot Fayth Rascon-Ryn is rated on single-engine, fixed-wing airplanes and the blimp. Compared to conventional planes, the blimp is “responsive enough. But it’s nothing like a helicopter or airplane.”
“It feels a lot like a boat,” she said. “It sways a lot with the wind and the air, and we go up and down with the thermals.”
What you might experience as turbulence in a plane, with the blimp, “it feels more like quite literally riding the waves.”
“This thing is huge,” she added.
Crowds and heat
With 75,000 having attended last year’s show over two days — and a record 85,000 showing up the year before — guests were advised to be prepared for crowds. Show organizers suggested arriving early and taking in the dozens of ground-based, “static” displays.
Scott Buchanan, chairman of the U.S. Air and Trade Show, which produces the show, said the show provided blowing stations connected to water tanks to generate cooling mists.
In terms of ticket sales, Sunday was too soon to talk numbers. But Buchanan smiled and said: “It’s going to be a busy weekend.”
Actor Gary Sinise was in town Friday evening to perform with his band, the Lt. Dan Band, at a new air show event, Flight Fest, put on in lieu of the traditional pre-show parade.
About three hours before taking the stage at the Vandalia Recreation Center, Sinise reflected on what has long been a passion for him — supporting and thanking military members, Gold Star families and first-responders. He created his foundation in 2011 to advance that work.
“I’m a Vietnam-era guy,” Sinise said under the shade of a tree outside the Vandalia Recreation Center. “The last combat year was 1973, that’s when I graduated high school. So people just a little older than I was were off in the jungle while I was in high school. And I remember what it was like for them to go off to war and come home and not be supported. I wanted to just do my bit ...
“I just want them and their families to know that we were behind them,” he added.
He, his band and his foundation have raised hundreds of millions for the causes he honors.
“We’ve deployed those resources all over the place, and one of the things we do is provide entertainment,” said the actor known for his roles in Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, The Green Mile, among many other films. “That’s why we’re here.”
Before his performance, Sinise spent considerable time speaking with local veterans and Gold Star families.
Sinise’s foundation covered the cost of Friday’s show, so tickets were free. But air show officials gave him a check for $10,000, which the actor was not expecting, a show spokesman said.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
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