Thunder Over Michigan PHOTODUMP

"MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner" (montegoman562) 08/19/2014 at 13:09 • Filed to: Aviation, Photodump, AirShow, FlightClub

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Hey guys, I've been so busy lately I haven't been able to get all these pictures up. I hear it's Aviation day or something though so it seems like the time is right!

My son enjoying the view (and yelling IT'S A PLANE! Over and over!)

Parade close up:

On August 9th my wife's company had a VIP Tent up against the runway at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, MI for the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow. When I say VIP, I mean VIP - this was bad ass. All the planes taxied by us, the para-troopers landed right next to us, it was nuts.

Because of the awesomely historic airport and Bomber Factory at Willow Run which produced Bombers for WWII there was a huge classic plane display. I've got a ton of pictures, so brace yourselves - classic planes are coming.

We were right up against the runway, we unfortunately had to leave before the Thunderbirds went up for their display, but that's ok it probably would have been too loud for our 1.5 year old (who LOVED the planes).

Thunderbirds:

Here you go guys, watch for the series of the paratrooper, he had red smoke hooked to his boot so we could see him!

I'm no plane expert so have fun labeling all the planes you can if you want! Photos surprisingly taken with my Galaxy S3 Potato.

Entering the Airport (yeah we just drove right in, no TSA groping or anything lol):

First pictures from our VIP area:

Paratrooper Series:

(bad ass pose when he landed ^^^^)

Time for some close up planes:

Dude in the Mustang was having a BLAST up there (top right corner above my wife and son)

They said this was the Parade Formation, 5 different planes together

Old and New together:

Oh were we about to leave? Hold on let's stop and enjoy the traffic until we are allowed to walk back across this runway.

ttyymmnn > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/19/2014 at 13:20

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Fun fact about the B-17G: Fully loaded, the max crew weight for the aircraft was 1200 pounds. So for a crew of 10, the average weight for each crew member was a mere 120 lbs. Fill it with scrawny 19-year-old farm boys and you have no problem. Good luck crewing one of those birds today.

I'd post a pic of the crew weight stencil from the side of a B-17 but Kinja won't let me.

user314 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/19/2014 at 13:21

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B-25D Yankee Warrior. Looks like she's based there.

user314 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/19/2014 at 13:23

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C-47, also from the Yankee Air Museum

user314 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/19/2014 at 13:25

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Lockheed C-60 Lodestar

user314 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/19/2014 at 13:25

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B-24 Liberator

user314 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/19/2014 at 13:29

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I spy a B-52 in Vietnam-era camo.

user314 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/19/2014 at 13:30

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That's a pretty sweet mix of planes. Nice to see all those WWII era birds flying; the sound of all five must have been amazing!

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > user314 08/19/2014 at 13:34

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It was EPIC

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > user314 08/19/2014 at 13:35

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I believe that may have been the one who made the flight up here from TEXAS.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > ttyymmnn 08/19/2014 at 13:35

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Haha thats crazy, they'd have to drop the crew size to 6 today!

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > user314 08/19/2014 at 13:37

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The announcer was interviewing one of the guys from the Yankee Air Museum and he said (and this is really a quote) "If we have it, and it's capable of flying right now - WE'RE FLYING IT TODAY!"

user314 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/19/2014 at 13:45

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It gets worse: the kid in the ball turret couldn't wear a parachute.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > user314 08/19/2014 at 13:51

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F THAT.

Can he hook one on his foot maybe? lol

I'm really hoping that my wife's work does this again next year, we'll stay for the jets then. We had to get to her brother's birthday party.

Thanks for the planelopnik share btw

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 08/19/2014 at 16:01

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Thanks for posting, that brings back memories. We used to go to the Willow Run airshow every year when I was a kid. I'm having flashbacks to a full afterburner F-14 flyby. IT WAS GLORIOUS!!!!

Also sitting in a C-130 pilots seat, F-15 flyby, Blue Angels, F-117 flyby right after it was declassified..... I need to go back one of these years. The Finnlet would have a blast.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 08/19/2014 at 16:17

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Yea as you can see my son was NUTS for it.