On Saturday, there were scattered rain showers in the morning and the afternoon was cloudy. Yet, the weather did not dampen the spirits of the thousands of spectators who swarmed the South Dakota Air National Guard Base for the 2012 Sioux Falls Airshow. As a matter of fact, the gloominess of the day, coupled with the intermittent breeze, were welcomed with gusto as they served as a cooling system to what would have been an excruciating hot summer day!
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My colleague/friend and I drove 60 miles to witness the event. I have not been to an airshow before, so imagine the thrill I was feeling just to watch one. Organizers made sure that every traveler would not have a hard time finding a space to park; three vast designated parking areas were made available and buses were provided to transport everyone from the public parking to the event area. The transport system was so efficient that we found ourselves in the bus just minutes after we parked our car. The buses run round trip continually all day!
There were a number of aircraft displayed on ground. I was amazed that my friend was familiar on most of them, and that he can immediately identify one from the other.
The spectators – adults and children alike – packed the viewing field. With food booths and a free kid zone scattered around the area, there were plenty of things to keep everyone busy . Some people sat on the browning grass and hid behind their umbrellas, while others happily content themselves on their own folding chairs. My friend and I stood by the wayside as we waited for the famous Blue Angels, the United States Navy’s flight demonstration team, to fly.
It was later in the afternoon when the Blue Angels team finally performed the heart-stopping aerobatics. Six pilots each maneuvered a F/A-18 Hornet as they crisscrossed, dove, and rolled in midair. They did stunts in all directions possible — vertical, horizontal, and oblique or slanted. The one I liked the most was when two jets slowed down their speeds and pitched their noses of up to 45 degrees!
There was an instance that I was caught by surprise when a jet coming from behind streaked overhead – so fast, so low that it was gone before I could even click my camera for a shot!
Although I was expecting smoke trails to come out from the jets in a variety of colors (like the video of an airshow I saw online), the Sioux Falls show left a noise beautifully buzzing in my head hours after the event ended. Kudos to the performers for an awesome airshow!
I was able to capture some stunning shots. See the gallery below (click a photo to view).
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What camera did you use? I also took pictures but not as good as yours.
Awesome pics!!!!! I was there last Sunday but with much lesser crowd.