Publisher:AirShowsReviewLLC.

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

Occasionalcontributors:
BrianR.Veprek

Advertising:Pleasecontactusat
info@theaviationmagazine.com

Copyright 2015 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 41st edition of The Aviation Magazine with our revised bimonthly
date schedule. We are 100% mobile compliant on the Joomag magazine reader platform, http://
www.joomag.com/en/newsstand?q=the+aviation+magazinemeaningthatyoucanseeourmagazine
issuesonyoursmartphones,andtabletstoonotjustondesktopsorlaptops.

The2016seasonhasnotyetstartedasofthepublishing.However,itwillbeaninterestingseasonfor
all.Manyproposedairshowsdatessharethesamedates,anditwillbearealscrambletocoversev
eraleventsatthesametime.Weremainpositivethatwecancontinuetogiveyouthebestcoverage
withoursmallteamin2016.

Wefinallyhadthetimeduringtheslowerwintermonthstobringourreadersadetailedlookatone
ofthemostinterestingplacesforaircraftenthusiastintheworld:TheRussianFederationAirForce
Museumin Monino, nearMoscow.YoucanseeourmuchanticipatedAnnualBestAirShow Award
too!

Welookforwardtothe2016airshowseasonwithalotofenthusiasm,andtobringingyoutheBest
for Free ebased aviation magazine as we take you to aviation events As close as you can get
withoutbeingatanairshow! TellallyourfriendstolikeusonFacebook,followusforthelatest
reviewsandnewsonTwitterandtosubscribeonJoomagtoautomaticallyreceivethelatestissueof
The Aviation Magazine .

2015NormanA.Graf

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publishedsixtimesayear,byaTeamof
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cises, civilian spotting, pilot and vet
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RoundCanopyParachuteTeamWWIIReenactorsatWingsOverHoustonAirshow

TheMFG5isflyingtheSeaKingMk41since1975andhas21initsinventory,primarilybeing
usedforSearchandRescue.However,theSeaKingisalsousedfortacticaltrooplift,verticalre
plenishmentandMEDEVAC/CASEVAC.Itcanoperatenightandday,andinadverseweathercon
ditions.Whenscrambledthecrewwithitshelicopterisairborneinnotmorethan15minutes
duringdaytimeandamaximumof60minutesatnight.TheareaofresponsibilityoftheMFG5is
the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the northern part of Schleswig Holstein. In 2015 the MFG 5
flewsome140SARmissions.

The German Marinefliegergeschwader 5 (Naval Air Wing 5) was

hosttothe8thinternationalSARMeet.Aircraftandaircrewfrom
five nations met from August 13th to August 17th, 2015 at the
Naval Air Station Nordholz to discuss new developments, proce
duresandinternationalcooperationwithrespecttoSearchand
Rescueoperations.KeypartoftheSARMeetwastheFlyingChal
lenge,consistingofthreedifferenttasks:

1) Thenavigationchallengewastofollowaroutewiththreeway
pointsataspeedof90KIAS(knotsindicatedairspeed)in500
ft above ground. The crew was given 30 minutes to prepare
therouteandtocalculatethetimeovereachwaypoint.Elec
tronicdevicessuchassmartphonesorcomputerswerenot
allowed. This had to be done the old fashioned way with
maps,aeronauticalaviationcharts,rulerandprotractor.The

2)

3)

challengewastobeexactatthecalculatedtimeovertherespectivewaypointandataspecificlanding
spot.
Nextwasthehoverchallenge,startingwithlandinginanassignedarea.Therethecrewwasgivenarope
withabucketattachedtoit.Thentheyhadtohoveracoursewithmovingthebucketbetweentwogoal
posts without touching the ground and not exceeding a certain height. After finishing the course the
bucketandtheropehadtobedroppedinanareamarkedbyacircle,followedbyaprecisionlandingon
acertainspot.
Precision landing was the last challenge. There was a small mark on the taxiway. Within five minutes
fromtakeoffthepilothadtoflytothisspotandlandsothatthefirstpartofthehelicopterthattouches
groundhitsthissmallmark.FortheSeaKingthisparthadtobethetailwheelachallengeofitsown!

ElevencrewstookpartintheFlyingChallengefromAustria,Belgium,Germany,Latvia,andtheUK.Thewin
nerwastheAustrianTeamwiththeirSA316BAlouetteIII.

2015DevidRyckewaert
2015RalfPWalter

2015RalfPWalter

TheSeaKingHU5fromtheRoyalNavy,aboveinsetandcenter.
The Bo105P1 German Army Aviation, performing the bucket challenge to
hoveracoursewhilemovingthebucketbetweentwogoalpostswithouttouch
ingthegroundandnotexceedingacertainheight.
UH1DGermanArmyAviation,insetbelow.

2015RalfPWalter
2015RalfPWalter

Mi171VfromLatvia

2015RalfPWalter

NH90NFHfromBelgium

2015devidRyckewaert

The winner was the Austrian Team with

theirSA316BAlouetteIIIfromAigen

SuperLynxMk88A
GermanNavy

2006LaszloNyary

TupolevTu95MS(NATOname:"Bear")

2015WolfgangJarisch

Monino,maynotmeanmuchtoaverageairshowenthusiasthowever,tothosewhoaretrulyinterestedin
aviation it is a must place to visit, at least once in a lifetime. It is not exactly in anyones neighbourhood,
unlessofcourseonelivesinMoscow,Russia.

TheofficialnameoftheplaceisTheRussianFederationAirForceMuseum,itisalsoknownasTheCentral
MuseumoftheAirForcesatMonino.Eitherway,itisthelargestandbestaviationmuseuminRussia,andit
isinthetop10placesintheworldthatexhibitsaircraft.

Themuseumislocatedapproximately24milesnortheastfromMoscow,andwasuntilafewyearsagothe
homeoftheGagarinAirForceacademy.Themuseumopenedin1958,andduringtheformerUSSRera,one
requiredaspecialpermissiontoenterthefacilitiesifonewasfromtheWest.Now,itisopentothepublicon
weekdaysfrom09:30to15:30andonSaturdaysfrom09:30to14:00.Avoidgettingtherebetween1300and
1430sincetheticketdeskwillbeonalunchbreak.ThemuseumisclosedonWednesdayandSunday.Ifone
goes,toseealltheaircraftbothindoorsandout,itwilltakeseveralhours,andwouldrecommendgetting
thereatopeningandduringaweekday.Thebestwayofcourseisbycar,butitcanbereachedviapublic
transitviabusorbyrailway,seebelow.

Wehadtheopportunitytovisitthemuseumtwice;in2006byLaszlo,andmorerecentlyinAugust2015by
Wolfgang.Currentlytheadmissionis150Rublesperperson.Themuseumconsistsofalargeoutdoorairpark
andtwohangars.TheexhibitsincludefromthebeginningoftheRussianaviationtomoderntimes,andin
cludemanyexperimentalandoneofakindaircraft.Theairparkisbeingthemainattractionformost,while
thesearestationaryexhibits,therearesomemovementofaircraftduetorepainting,etc.Ivemadealayout
ormapoftheairpark,indicatingthelocationandthemakeandmodeloftheaircraftfrom2006andalso
from2015.Thelayoutoftheairparkisveryaccurate,takenfromasatelliteimage,whiletheaircraft
areshowninapproximatescaleonlyrelativetoeachotherssize.

2006LaszloNyary

2006LaszloNyary

2006LaszloNyary

AsoneheadstowardstheHangar1(buildingAonthemaps)onecanfindtwoversionsoftheTu16(NATO
Badger)AandKsupersonicbombers,theAversionisshownbelow.TherearetwoversionsoftheTu22
(NATOBlinder)whichisfixedwingsupersonicbomberandtheTu22M(NatoBackfire)withvariablesweep
wings.TherowendswiththeTupolevTu128(NATOFiddler)prototypewhichwasalongrangeinterceptor
aircraftintroducedbytheSovietUnioninthe1960s.

Inside the hangars as mentioned earlier one will find on display relics of the Russian aviation all the way
from the beginning to the Great Patriotic War, as WWII is known in Russia. Some are only replicas while
somearetheactualaircraft.SeveralwarbirdsfromtheWWIIeraweredisplayedoutsidein2006andnow
canbefoundinside.However,themainattractionisclearlythemorethan90+aircraftparkedoutside.

2015WolfgangJarisch

2015WolfgangJarisch
2006LaszloNyary

As one enters the "airpark", the first attraction to the left is the MilV12 (NATO reporting
name Homer), the worlds largest helicopter, which could carry 196 passengers. This twin rotor
monster still holds the 1969 record for carrying a load of 40,000 kg (88,000 lb) to an altitude of
2,255m(7400feet).Onlytwowerebuiltandtheprojectwaseventuallycancelledin1974.TheMil
V12 has been repainted since 2006, and the Mig29 and the Su35 prototype has been moved to
anotherarea,asseenfromimagesaboveandtopright.

TotherightoftheentranceisTupolevrowandthefirstaircraftistheTupolevTu4(Nato:Bull)as
shownbelow,isapistonenginedSovietstrategicbomberthatservedtheSovietAirForcefromthe
late1940stomid1960s.ItwasareverseengineeredcopyoftheAmericanmadeBoeingB29Su
perfortressthatcrashedinChinain1944.

Onethingthatwillbequiteevidenttothevisitorsisthatalltheaircraftdisplayedoutsideareex
posedtotheharshRussianwinters,andmanyareinneedofrefurbishingandanewpaint,before
theyrustaway.

Allimagesonpage2015WolfgangJarisch

Tu144(RussianConcorde)

Theairparkiswellorganizedbaseduponthenameofdesignoffice,suchAntonov,MikoyanGurevichaka
MiG,Sukhoietc,althoughsomeareintermixed,duetotheextremesizeoftheaircraft.

ThereareseveralinterestingsuchastheTu144(RussianConcorde),therareMyasishchev3M(M4)stra
tegic long range bomber, NATO reporting name Bison (production only lasted until 1963. Three of them
wereconvertedintotheVMTAtlantheavyliftaircraftusingthepiggybackabovethefuselagemethod.
Thesingleverticalfin/rudderwasreplacedwithtwolargerectangularfin/ruddersatthetipsofthehorizon
talstabilizerstoimprovecontrolduetotheturbulencecausedbythecargo.Oneofthemcanbeseenat
ZhukovskyAirport,nearMoscow.And,trulyoneofakindaircraftondisplaysuchastheSu100(T4)built
mostlyfromtitanium,above,similartotheNorthAmericanAviationXB70Valkyrie.

Currently there are two Tu95 (NATO name: "Bear") Tu95LL and the Tu95MS on display as well as the
passengerairlinerderivativewascalledTu114.TheBearisalarge,fourengineturbopropwithcounterro
tatingpropsstrategicbomber,missileplatform,andairbornesurveillanceaircraft.Firstflownin1952,the
Tu95enteredservicewiththeSovietUnionin1956andisexpectedtoservetheRussianAirForceuntilat
least2040.

Unfortunately,oneofthemostinterestingaircraftonthefarletendoftheairparkistheBartiniBeriev
VVA14,[Vertikal`noVzletayuschayaAmphibia(verticaltakeoffamphibiousaircraft)]oneofthetwoproto
types,inatrulydilapidatedcondition,suchashame!ItlookslikeitisfromtheStarWars,althoughitwas
designedintheearly1970s.DesignedbyItalianborndesignerRobertBartini,theaircraftwas

Myasishchev 3M (M4) Bison at

Monino, main image. The VMT
Atlant variant of the M4, heavy lift
aircraftusingthepiggybackabovethe
fuselagemethod,displayedatMAKSat
ZhukovskyAirport,nearMoscow,inset
below.

2006LaszloNyary

2015WolfgangJarisch

2015WolfgangJarisch

totakeofffromthewaterandflyathighspeedoverlongdistances,itwastomaketrueflightsathighalti
tude,butalsohavethecapabilityof'flying'efficientlyjustabovetheseasurface,usingaerodynamicground
effect.Thistrulyoddlookingaircraftwasinvolvedin107testflights,withatotalflighttimeof103hours.
AfterBartini'sdeathin1974,theprojectslowedandeventuallydrewtoaclose.TheonlyremainingVVA14,
No.19172,wasretiredtoMoninoin1987inadismantledstate,whereitcarriesthenumber'10687'and
'Aeroflot'markingswhicharenowbarelyvisible.Theimageisfrom2006below.

Allimages2015WolfgangJarisch

TheMiGalleysectionpresentsagreatvarietyofaircraftfromtheMikoyanGurevichdesignbureau,from
theirearliestjettypessuchastheMiG9tothevenerableMiG31interceptorNATOFoxhound.TheMiG
31hasthedistinctionofbeingoneofthefastestcombatjetsbuiltsofarintheworld,withatopspeedof
Mach3.2however,highaltitudespeedistemperatureredlinedtoMach2.83asabovethatspeedsposeun
acceptablehazardstoengineandairframelifeinroutineuse.WhiletheMiG31receivedseveralupgrades
totheMiG31BMandMiG31BSMstandards,andareexpectedtoremaininserviceuntil2030,suchfast
interceptorsarebeingreplacedwithmuchfasterS400SAMdefensivesystems.ThenthereistheYe152,
therecordbreakingaircraft,thatestablishedthreeworldrecordsintheearly1960s:
OnOctober7,1961.thetestpilotFedotov,establishedtheworldrecordofspeedalongtheclosedby
100kmroute.Isachievedtheaveragespeedof2401km/h.
On July 7, 1962. by the test pilot Mosolovym, is established the world record of speed. The average
speedof2681,7km/hisachievedonthespeedtestcourse1525kmintwodirections.Inoneoftheap
proachestheaircraftdevelopedthespeedmorethan3000km/h.
OnSeptember11,1962.thetestpilotOstapenko,establishedtheworldrecordofheight22670mwitha
sustainedthespeedof2500km/h.

While the Ye152 was never put into production it led to the development of the dual engined MiG23,
MiG25andultimatelytotheMiG31.

LookinglikealargeshoetheMiG105EPOS(ExperimentalPassengerOrbitalAircraft)wasamannedtestve
hicletoexplorelowspeedhandlingandlanding,oneofthetestpilotswasGhermanTitov,thesecondman
toorbittheEarthinaVostok2.Thisprojectwascancelledin1978.

AboveisaSukhoiSu7variantwithskisknownasS26withskiunder
carriage, double brake parachute and JATO boosters to operate from
snowcoveredorrough/unpavedfields.
TheMyasishchevM17NATO"MysticA"isahighaltitudeaircraft,ini
tially developed to shoot down US reconnaissance balloons drifting
overtheUSSRinthemid1950s.TheM17isarmedwiththeGryazev
ShipunovGSh23isatwinbarreled23mmcannonwith600roundsper
guninadorsalgunturret.However,itwasneverusedinthisrole.

There are several helicopters on display mostly from

Mil Helicopters covering several decades, including
the Mil26 NATO Halo worlds largest helicopter in
production.ApartfromthestandardMilMi6NATO
Hook, there is another rare variant the Mi6PZh
(PZhpozharnyyRussianforfirefighting)helicopter
prototypewithasteerablewatercannoninthenose,
painted in red and white, as shown to the left. In
2006accordingtomyRussianguideaformerRussian
Air Force officer, this particular helicopter partici
pated in the Chernobyl accident disaster response
teamalongwithseveralMi26s,sprayingdeactivating
liquidsinimmediateproximitytothenuclearreactor.
The crews were protected with filter systems and
antiradiationprotectivescreens.

Allimagesunlessnoted2015WolfgangJarisch

Sikorsky S22 Ilya Mouremets, replica largest

bomberinWWI,lefttop
PetlyakapovPe2BuckWWII,leftmiddle
BereznyakIsayev BI1 rocket plane replica, ex
perimentalWWIIfighter,leftbottom.

Polikarpov U2 (Po2vs) Mule trainer from

WWII,righttop
Ilyushin IL2 Bark WWII ground attack air
craft,rightbottom

2006LaszloNyary

Allimagesunlessnoted2015WolfgangJarisch

Tu22M3 NATO Backfire C

Cockpit, with the white nu
clear flash covers in place, to
theleft.

2006LaszloNyary

2006LaszloNyary

The Tupolev ANT25 from the early 1930s was a Soviet long
range experimental aircraft, designed by Pavel Sukhoi, who later on
formedhisownDesignBureau.Firstconstructedin1933,itwasusedby
theSovietUnionforanumberofrecordbreakingflights,above.Acom
memorative stamp illustration of the MoscowSan Jacinto transpolar
flighttocelebratethe75thAnniversarywasissuedin2012,farleft.

ThecockpitoftheTu144above.

The interiors of Russian passen

ger aircraft build during the
USSR era, were always very
Spartan,tosaytheleast.
First class seating right mid
dle
Business class seating right
bottom
Tourist class that was even
more cramped, right mid
bottom.

TheWingsOverHoustonAirshowtookplaceOctober1718atEllingtonFieldinHouston,Texasunderclear
blueskiesandwithperfecttemperatures.Asusual,theshowwasdominatedbythelargenumberofwar
birds, but with civilian aerobatics, the Navys Super Hornet Tactical Demonstration, the Coast Guards
SearchandRescuedemoandtwojetteams,therewassomethingforeveryone.TheThunderbirdsshared
theskiesthisyearwiththeBreitlingjetteamwhowereflyingtheirfinaldemonstrationoftheir2015North
AmericanTour.

Thegatesopenedpromptlyat0800.Withsomuchgoingonintheskyandonthegrounditalwaysmakes
sensetogetthereearly.PhotographershadtheoptionofpurchasingaSunrisePhotoTourPassorPhoto
PitPasstogainearlyaccessorelevatedrisers,tentarea,drinkingwater,andrestroomsinachaletarea.
TheLegends&HeroesTentopenedat9AM.Almostallofthewarbirdsonstaticdisplayflyduringtheday,
sothewholehotrampisclosedforviewingat11AM.Thenumberofmilitaryaircraftondisplayisstilla
shadowofitsformerselfduetotheeffectsofthefederalbudgetsequestration,buttherewereseveralair
craftfromtheUSArmy,AirForceandNavyaswellasseveralNASAaircraft.

TheRE/MAXParachutejumpersopenedtheshowat11AM,flyingintheUSnationalandTexasstateflags.
ACoastGuardMH65DDolphinhelicopterfromCoastGuardAirStationHoustonpresentedaSearchand
Rescue demonstration to start off the days flying. David Martin then put on a very energetic aerobatic
show in the Breitling CAP 232. He was followed later in the day by local aerobatic legend Debby Rihn
Harvey,alsoflyingaCAP232,andnewcomerKevinColemanintheExtra300.

Tora!Tora!Tora!begantheirdemonstrationjustafternoonandsoontheskieswerefilledwithamulti
tudeofaircraftflyingfromleftandright,divinginfromhighaboveandmakinghighspeedpassesdownon
thedeck.Thesmokefromthemassiveamountofpyrotechnicsoftenobscuredtheplanes,providingareal

isticrecreationofthemorningofDecember7,1941atPearlHarbor.Thewarbirdextravaganzacontinued
withthetrainerflyby,featuringexamplesofthetrainingaircraftthataspiringairmenwouldhavetomas
terontheirwaytobecomingpilots.Primary,basicandadvancedtrainerssuchastheStearman,Valiantand
Texanallflewbyinvariousformations.TheEuropeanTheaterdemonstrationopenedwithabombingpass
by the B25J Mitchell Yellow Rose and B17G Flying Fortress Texas Raiders. A Messerschmitt 262 jet
fighterwasscrambledtointercept,whichsoonattractedtheattentionofaSpitfireMkIX,aP51DMustang
DakotaKidandtwoP40Warhawks.Afterasimulateddogfightbetweentheseadversaries,theMe262,
SpitfireandMustangjoinedupforabeautifulandveryrareformationflyby.TheSpitfiresplitoffandthe
MustangandMesserschmittreturnedforafewpasses.WithairsuperioritynowestablishedaC60Lode
starGoodtimeGalflewover.MembersoftheRoundCanopyParachuteTeamjumpedfromthetransport,
reenactingthemissionsofWWIIparatroopers.OnSundaythejumpwasabortedduetohighwinds,but
oneoftheskydivershadalreadyexitedtheaircraft.Hedriftedintothecrowd,landedonavendorstent
andbrokehisleg.ThenitwastimetomovetothePacificTheaterofOperations.Theactionstartedwith
lowlevelpassesbytheDouglasSBDDauntless,GrummanTBMAvengerandCurtissSB2CHelldiver,com
pletewithsimulatedbombandtorpedoexplosions.Theywerefollowedbythefighters:VoughtF4UCor
sair,GrummanF7FTigercatandtwoF8FBearcatsandaMitsubishiA6M2Zero.

TheBreitlingJetTeam,composedprimarilyofexFrenchAirForcepilotsflyingsevenL39trainers,ended
their2015NorthAmericantouratHoustonandtheypulledoutallthestops.Theybegantheirshowwitha
seriesofsmoothaerobaticformations,transitioningfromoneshapeintoanother.Inthesecondhalfthe
tempoincreasedandthemaneuversbecamemoreenergeticandexciting.Theyconcludedtheirshowwith
adynamicbreakoutaimedatthecrowd,anddeployedfireworksastheywentvertical.Ifyoumissedtheir
showthisyear,youllhaveanotherchancein2016,astheyhaveextendedtheirNorthAmericantour.

ThejetnoisegotevenlouderastheNavysSuperHor
net Tactical Demonstration started. The F/A18F from
VFA122basedatNASLemoorepowereddowntherun
waywithfullafterburnerandperformedabeautifulroll
on takeoff. Pilot Zach Sprite Pleis and WSO Nolan
Fat Hands Lucas tore up the sky with highspeed
passesandhighgturns.DuringFridaysrehearsalshow
these resulted in an impressive amount of vapor, in
cludingafullshockcone.Thevaporwasmuchlesspro
nouncedduringtheweekend,buttheflyingwasjustas
impressive.

The Thunderbirds closed the show in their usual style,

although Saturdays show was delayed when the #4
plane encountered mechanical difficulties on the run
wayjustpriortotakingoff.Maj.CurtisDoughertytax
ied back in and jumped into the twoseater F16D
spare,butwasunabletostartit.Luckilyanotherspare
wasavailableandtheshowwenton.

RalphRoyceandRobReiderteameduponceagainas
AirBossandAnnouncer,respectively.Wewouldliketo
thankScottTimsfororganizingthemediaopportunities
and all the staff, sponsors and volunteers for making
Wings Over Houston one of the worlds premier war
birdairshows.

GrummanF8FBearcat

GrummanTBM3Avenger

CurtissSB2CHelldiverDouglasSBDDauntlessGrummanF7FTigercatCurtissP40NWarhawk

Tora!Tora!Tora!Valreplica

Tora!Tora!Tora!Valreplica

Tora!Tora!Tora!Katereplica

Tora!Tora!Tora!Zeroreplica,mainimage
Zeroreplicas,inset

MesserschmittMe262B1a,lefttopand
NorthAmericanB25JMitchellYellow
Roseleftbottom

NorthAmericanP51DMustang,MesserschmittMe262andSupermarineSpitfireMkIXinfor
mation top right Round Canopy Parachute Team WWII Reenactors jumping from the Lock
heedC60LodestarGoodtimeGalrightbottom

F/A18FfromVFA122basedatNASLemoorepulling
amassiveconeofvaporontop,andUSAFThunder
birds#5driverwithakillersmile,inset.

AllIsraeliimages2015MoniShafir

DassaultMirage2000N
overFrance,topleft
Imageofapilot,bottom
left

Boeing7073L6CRe`em
with(3)BoeingF15I
Ra'am,topright
BoeingF15IRa'amtak
ingoff,midright
BoeingF15IRa'am
landing,bottomright

AllIsraeliimages2015MoniShafir

Supermarine361Spitfire
LF9E,lefttop

BoeingAH64APeten,left
bottom

BellAH1FTsefa,righttop

BoeingAH64DSaraf,
rightbottom

AirCaraibesAirbusA330200topandRoyalAustralianAirForceBoeing7377DTmidimage,bothatMaltaInter
nationalAirportMLA/LMMLbyRayBiagioPace
GhadamesAirTransportFokker70/100atMaltaInternationalAirportMLA/LMMLbyChristopherMifsud

Jet2HolidaysBoeing7378K2(WL)top,PrimeraAirNordicBoeing737800middle,NouvelairTunisieAirbus
A320214bottom,allatMaltaInternationalAirportMLA/LMMLbyRayBiagioPace

Europe Airpost Airlines Boeing 737700 at Rhodes Airport RHO/LGRP, Greece top image. Pegasus Airlines Boeing
737800atTelAviv,BenGurionInternationalAirportTLV/LLBG,Israelmidimage.AlaskaHorizonAirlinesBombardier
Dash8400atSeattleTacomaInternationalAirportSEA/KSEA,USA.AllimagesbyMoniShafir.

TransaviaAirlinesBoeing737NextGen,topimage,andUkraineAirAllianceAN12KBmidimagebothatMalta
InternationalAirportMLA/LMMLbyChristopherMifsud.MNGAirlinesAirbusA300B4andIberiaAirlinesAirbus
A319bothatTelAviv,BenGurionInternationalAirportTLV/LLBG,Israel,bottomimage,byMoniShafir.

AlaskaAirlinesBoeing737800withWildAlaskaSeafood(topimage)andDisneyworld(bottomimage)liveriesat
SeattleTacomaInternationalAirportSEA/KSEA,USA.AllimagesbyMoniShafir.

MarineCorpsAirStation(MCAS)CherryPointandMCASNewRiveraremajorairbasesoftheUS
MarineCorpsontheUSeastcoast.TheyarelocatedclosetotheAtlanticcoastinNorthCarolina.
The aviation units at these bases fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd
MAW), headquartered at MCAS Cherry Point. A total of 25 squadrons from three Marine Aircraft
Groups (MAG14, MAG26 and MAG29) are under the command of 2nd MAW and they build the
AviationCombatElement(ACE)oftheIIMarineExpeditionaryForce.TheACEconductsairopera
tionssuchasantiairwarfare,offensiveairsupport,assaultsupport,electronicwarfareandairre
connaissance.Aircraftandpersonneldeployworldwidebeitlandbasedoronboardofamphibious
assaultships.

BoeingAV8BHarrierIIoftheVMAT
203MCASCherryPoint.

MCASCherryPoint

ThesignatthegateofMCASCherryPointreads"Pardonournoise,itsthesound
offreedom".Thenoisecomesfromawidevarietyofaircraft.Jets,propellerair
craftandhelicoptersin12squadronssharethebase.MCASCherryPointishome
tothelastthreeoftheHH46EPedroandtheEA6BProwler,whicharestillinac
tivedutywiththeUSmilitary.TheHH46E,usedforSearchAndRescuewillstay
in service until 2016, the SAR mission then will be returned to the US Coast
Guard.TheEA6Bwillnolongerflyfromaircraftcarriersbutwillbedeployedon
landbasestoconductElectronicCounterMeasureMissions.Accordingtocurrent
plansthelastProwlerSquadronwilldeactivatein 2019.VMAT203conductsall
AV8BpilottrainingwithintheMarineCorps.Severaltimesayeartheydeployto
MCASYumaforlivebombtraining.

SikorskyCH53ESuperStallionoftheHMH366
Hammerheads,MCASCherryPoint.

BoeingHH46ESeaKnightoftheVMR1
Search&Rescue,MCASCherryPoint.

Northrop Grumman EA6B Prowler of the

VMAQT1Banshees,MCASCherryPoint.

LockheedMartinKC130Jtankerofthe
VMGR252Otis,MCASCherryPoint.

McDonnellDouglasC9BSkytrainIIof
VMR1takingoff,MCASCherryPoint.

MCASNewRiver

MCASNewRiverisahelicopterandtiltrotorbase,currentlyhometoMAG26
andMAG29withatotalof13squadrons.AllEastCoastMV22BOspreyare
based on MCAS New River. VMMT204 Raptors is the Marine Corps' only
squadronprovidingtrainingtobothMarineandAirForceOspreypilots,Ma
rinecrewchiefsandunitsintheuseandmaintenanceofthetiltrotoraircraft.
All flight training for newly commissioned Naval Aviators, conversion pilots,
refresherpilots,andenlistedaircrewintheCH53ESuperStallionisthemis
sionofHMHT302Phoenix.CurrentplansaretodeactivateHMLA467bythe
end of 2016 and to start the transition from the AH1W to the AH1Z with
HMLA167in2017.

BellBoeingMV22BOspreysoftheVMM264
BlackKnightsontheapronatMCASNewRiver

2011LaszloNyary

BellBoeingMV22BOspreysofthe
VMM365BlueKnights,withwings
stowed and rotors folded above,
and parked on the apron at MCAS
NewRiver,mainimage.

Reinstallingtheprop/rotorcowlingabove.
Osprey 02 parked adjacent to 00 below was fea
turedonthecoverofour 13issue,whenthe
BlueKnightsvisitedTorontoinSeptember2011.

Bell UH1Y Venom on top and the Bell AH1W

SuperCobra,bottomimage,oftheHMLA269
TheGunrunners,ontheapronatMCASNew
River.

The Sikorsky CH53E Super Stallion (the largest and

heaviesthelicopterintheUSmilitary)oftheHMHT302
Phoenix,ontheapronatMCASNewRiver,below.

BellAH1WSuperCobraoftheHMLA167War
riors MCAS New River on the apron at MCAS
NewRiver,above.

The Sikorsky CH53E Super Stallion of the HMHT461

Iron Horse, receiving maintenance check on the apron
atMCASNewRiver,below.

We would like to thank the Public Affairs Office of 2nd

MarineAircraftWing,MCASCherryPointandMCASNew
Riverformakingthisreportpossible.

BoeingF/A18FSuperHornetbelow

Tomostpeople,thetermsStarWarsCanyonandtheJEDITransitionimmediatelyevokethoughtsofa
galaxyfar,faraway.However,aviationenthusiaststhinknotofthesciencefictionmoviefranchise,butof
thelowlevelmilitarytrainingrouteinsouthernCalifornia.

Thereare20,000squaremilesofmilitarytrainingairspacespreadoutovertheMojaveDesert.Luckily,how
ever,thereisapinchpointthatconcentratesthelowlevelflyingandevenbetter,itislocatedwithinDeath
ValleyNationalPark,makingitaccessibletothegeneralpublic.RainbowCanyon,asitisofficiallyknown,isa
shortcut between two legs of the militarys Sidewinder Low Level Route. The military refers to it as Star
WarsCanyon,andtheshortcutisknownastheJEDITransition.

Aircraftofalltypesroutinelyflythroughatlowlevel,butphotographersflockheretocatchthefastjetssnak
ingtheirwaydeepwithinthebowelsofthecanyon.Apullout,namedFatherCrowleyVista,issituatedatthe
headofthecanyonjustoffHighway190westofPanamintSpringsandprovidesanexcellentlocationtopho
tographtheaction.However,observingaircraftpassingthroughtheJEDITransitionishitormiss.Although
aircraftfromEdwardsAFB,NAWSChinaLake,NASLemoore,FresnoAirNationalGuardBaseandNellisAFB
allmakeregularuseofthiscomplex,therearenopublishedflyingschedules.Ifyougo,bepreparedforlong
periodsofinactivitypunctuatedbymeresecondsofactionasthejetsflybyathighspeeds.Herearesome
photoswetookonarecentvisit.

RAFC130JSuperHercules,leftpage
F/A18ESuperHornet,topright
F/A18FSuperHornet,bottomright

"Lifeislikeaboxofchocolates,youneverknow
whatyou'regonnaget."Hereisasampler.
F/A18FSuperHornet,topleft
TornadoGR4fromtheRoyalAirForce,was
arealsurprise,bottomleft
F/A18ESuperHornet,topright
F/A18FSuperHornet,bottomright

GrummanC2Greyhound,VRC30Providers,NASNorthIsland

Twiceayear,NavalAirFacilityElCentroopensitsdoorsandinvitesphotographersfromaroundtheworldon
board. The yearround good weather and proximity to hundreds of square miles of bombing and gunnery
rangesattractawidevarietyofaircraft,makingthisphotocallverypopular.Thefacilitybenefitsbyhavingits
storytoldthrougharticles,photosandvideos.Attendeesbenefitbygettinganupcloseandpersonalviewof
militarytrainingactivitiesmerefeetawayfromanactiverunway.Winwin.

ForfurtherdetailsaboutNAFElCentroandareviewofourpreviousvisitearlierin2015,pleaseseeourre
view at http://theaviationmagazine.com/2015_El_Centro_photocall.htm During that Winter photocall the
BlueAngelsperformedtwofullairshowdemonstrations,whichlimitedboththenumberofparticipantsand
theamountoftrainingflightsbyothersquadrons.Forthisvisit,approximately100photographersassembled
outsidethemaingateofNAFEConthemorningofNovember17.KrisHaugh,PublicAffairsOfficer(PAO),and
membersofhisteammetusandsoonhadeveryoneassembledonbaseforthesafetybriefing.Wehadall
receiveddetailedsafetyinstructionsviaemailbutKriswentthrougheachoftheitemsonceagain.Afterthis
detailedsafetybriefing,wewerewarmlygreetedbyCommandingOfficerCaptainWilliamDosterand
ExecutiveOfficerCommanderAdamSchlismann.

Thenitwastimetoheadfortheflightline.Itdidnttakelongforeveryonetofind aplacealong
runway8/26andsettleinforalongdayofphotography.Bytheendofthedaywehadseenover
threedozendifferentaircrafttakeoffandlandonlyfiftyfeetaway.Themajorityoftheaircraft
andflightswerestudentpilotsearningtheirwingsintheT45CGoshawk.Theamountoftime
andeffortrequiredsimplytogainproficiencyflyingthesehighperformancejetsisamazing.
Equallyasimpressivewerethetrainingflightsconductedbytheactivedutysquadrons,pri
marilyflyingSuperHornets,GrowlersandHarriers.

Manyoftheaircrafttookoffloadedwithtrainingbombsormissiles,headingouttotherangestopractice
delivering their ordnance. Even these veterans performed multiple touchandgo landings, improving their
performance and perfecting their techniques. Although you really have to be there to fully appreciate the
experience we hope that the accompanying photos provide a sense of the intensity of the training which
goesonhere.ItsoftensaidthatPracticemakesperfectandafterourvisititsclearthatNAFElCentrois
theperfectplacetopractice.

TheAviationMagazinewouldliketothankKristopherHaughandthemembersofhisteaminthePublicAf
fairs Office for arranging this visit, and Commanding Officer Captain William Doster and Executive Officer
CommanderAdamSchlismannfortheirhospitalityinallowingthisphotocalltotakeplace.Itshardtoimag
ineamilitarybasemorewelcomingandaccommodatingtosuchalargegroupofaviationphotographers.

Aircraftincluded:

BoeingEA18GGrowler,VAQ129Vikings,NASWhidbeyIsland(1)
BoeingEA18GGrowler,VAQ130Zappers,NASWhidbeyIsland(9)
BoeingF/A18ESuperHornet,VFA122FlyingEagles,NASLemoore(1)
BoeingF/A18FSuperHornet,VFA122FlyingEagles,NASLemoore(5)
McDonnellDouglasTAV8BHarrierII,VMAT203Hawks,MCASCherryPoint(2)
McDonnellDouglasAV8BHarrierII,VMAT203Hawks,MCASCherryPoint(4)
GrummanC2Greyhound,VRC30Providers,NASNorthIsland(1)
McDonnellDouglasT45CGoshawk,VT7Eagles,NASMeridian(19)
BellAH1ZSuperCobra/ViperofHMLA267StingersfromMCBCampPendleton(1)
BellAH1ZSuperCobra/ViperofHMLA169VipersfromMCBCampPendleton(2)
BellUH1YSuperHuey/VenomofHMLA267StingersfromMCBCampPendleton(1)

BoeingEA18GGrowlertakingoff...

1ofthe19McDonnellDouglasT45CGoshawks,above
BoeingEA18GGrowler,VAQ129Vikings,NASWhidbeyIsland.
Thisisthe100thGrowlerbuilt!below

BellAH1ZSuperCobra/Viper,above,
BellUH1YSuperHuey/Venom,below,bothfromMCBCampPen
dleton.

All the McDonnell Douglas Harriers from VMAT203

Hawks,MCASCherryPoint.Someareshownwithprac
ticebombsandmissiles.AV8BHarrierIItopleft,AV8B
Harrier II with 20mm gun pack top right and (2) TAV8B
HarrierII,ontherunwayreadytotakeoff!

2015NormanA.Graf

2015ChristopherMifsud

For2015,baseduponourairshowvisitsintheUSA,CanadaandEurope,ouroverall
winnerwasThePlanesofFameAirshow,(clickonlinkforreviewonourwebsite)
heldannuallyinChino,CA,isamustseeshowforanywarbirdenthusiast.Inaddition
tofeaturingthemuseumsextensiveflyingcollection,theshowattractsaircraftfrom
aroundthecountryandeachyearhasadifferentemphasis.ASalutetoVeterans
wasthethemeforthe2015PlanesofFameAirShow.Nearly50aircraftperformedfortherecordcrowdsof
30,000andoveradozenveteranssharedtheirexperiencesinpaneldiscussions.Inadditiontothewarbirds
theairshowfeaturedmoderntacticaldemonstrationsbytheUSAirForcespremierfighteraircraft,theF22
Raptor,andtheCanadianForcesCF18Hornet.Aerobaticperformancesfrombiplanestojetplanesrounded
outtheaerialentertainment.NewthisyearwastheadditionofapreviewdayandtwilightshowonFriday.

OtherNorthAmericanairshowswerecontenders,likelastyearswinnerWingsoverHoustonintheUSA,as
wellastheWarbirdsOvertheBeach.ForEuropethebestwastheFlyingLegendsatDuxfordduetoallthe
old timer warbirds, while RIAT at RAF Fairford, was almost as good that featured more modern aircraft,
bothlocatedintheUK.

PleasevisitoursiteatTheAviationMagazine.comtoreadallthereviews.