Selfridge Air Show 2005

My first air show of the 2005 season was a great one - Selfridge's air show was held on May 21-22 of this year. Aside from having the Blue Angels (and their KC-130 doing a JATO takeoff!) perform, the theme of this year's show was the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war. As such, there were loads of aircraft from the Vietnam era flying, including an O-2, A-37, MiG-17 and many more. A real thrill was seeing an F-4 in the air again, in the form of the Collings Foundation's F-4C in the markings of USAF aces Steve Ritchie and Chuck DeBellevue. Having it perform a mock napalm strike (which looked straight out of Apocalypse Now!) was icing on the cake. The Phantom wasn't the only J-79 powered aircraft at the show, for the two-seat CF-104D from the Starfighters demo team was also in the air. The F-104 is a uniquely cool plane in flight.

More modern aircraft were not neglected, with a simulated attack on a Taliban cave in Afghanistan (complete with pyrotechnics and a very un-PC soundtrack!) by a Michigan ANG F-16 and the mighty B-2A Spirit stealth bomber. This was the first time I've seen a flying wing in flight - really an awe-inspiring sight.

All that was missing were the strains of Ride of the Valkyries! An immaculate Hughes OH-6A Cayuse takes off to reprise its Vietnam role as an aero scout over a simulated Viet Cong position. After drawing ground fire, the OH-6 called in a Cessna O-2 FAC aircraft, which in turn called in airstrikes from a number of planes, including an A-37 Dragonfly and the Phantom.

Adding to the many distinctive sounds of the aircraft participating in the Vietnam simulation was the roar of the R-3350 at the front of this AD-4 Skyraider painted in USAF markings. The Skyraider put on a remarkable show, doing a number of dives and rolls over the target, which shook from the explosions caused by its bombs.

The climax of the Vietnam attack came when "Puff the Magic Dragon" made its appearance. Circling the target, this beautifully restored AC-47 gunship made an immense racket as its three 7.62mm miniguns opened up on the target. I know that it's not real ordnance that was expended, but these pyrotechnical displays are something very different from most Canadian air shows and really cool and fun.

One of the great things about this show is that there is more than just aircraft on the ground. The US Army's TACOM is based at Warren, Michigan, and brings lots of the newest and coolest US Army vehicles to show. Aside from the massive M1070/M1000 HET combination shown above, there were a variety of HMMWVs, M3A3 Bradley, M270 MLRS, M1A2SEP Abrams, a Stryker reconnaissance vehicle, M109A6 Paladin, and more. A large number of vintage military vehicles were also on display, as well as vehicles and equipment from area first responders (I thought the ATF bomb disposal truck was especially interesting).

Here's something you really don't see every day! Looking like something out of the movie Aliens, this is the 8x8x8 Captain armoured personnel carrier, a member of the GPV (General Purpose Vehicle) family being developed by a Michigan company for a variety of military and paramilitary tasks. Aside from a five-ton armoured truck, all of the other vehicles are 4-wheeled, six-wheeled, 8-wheeled or 10-wheeled variations of this design.