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I've recently been to both the Whiteman AFB airshow on 6/14 and the Sioux Falls, SD airshow on 6/21. Whiteman had the West team and Sioux Falls the East team (they had cooler stuff to hand out, BTW). My question is how much different would the 'Hawg perform with full 30mm load and underwing ordnance, versus the clean, light demo aircraft? I can't believe the speeds and climbouts that the A-10 achieved during it's demo and wondered if it could still perform that well with a typical weapons load. Thanks.

Everything that can feasibly be taken off of the demo bird is taken off. The plane flies with several pylons removed, no bullets, no external ordnance (obviously) and only about half a tank of gas. Performance is dramatically increased. I don't have any numbers, but I know that a normally loaded hog wouldn't be able to do 90% of the stuff the demo birds do the same way the demo pilots do it.

I sort of figured that...I'd never seen a Hawg climb so high (at least 6,000'-8,000' after a diving pass), like it was a lawn dart or something!

Thanks for the complement Westfield62. You should have let me know you were at the Sioux Falls show. I may have been the one you got the goodies from? And yes, we are cooler than the west team <img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>

Ghorsepower...I thoroughly enjoyed the demo on Saturday in Sioux Falls. The weather was not cooperative, but it reminded me of my days when stationed at RAF Mildenhall in the mid-1980's and during base exercises, A-10s from RAF Bentwaters would fly over the base as "bad guys". That was my first exposure the the Hawg's manueverability and lethality. Thanks for the nice sticker and collector cards.

I thought Whiteman's could have been better, but i loved it anyway. I wish i coulda got some stuff. I brought no money and was forced to steal money from small children.

Here's another question, if i go to a base where an a-10 unit is stationed, like whiteman, and we are not in a conflict, can the base's unit perform a display there? I used to watch a Richards-Gebaur, where the 442nd was stationed, and the A-10's would do a bomb run, and strafin run, (with actuall explosions, not real but cool, becuase u could really feel it). Thanks



Edited by - jetman on Jun 24 2003 1:58 PM

Demos can only be performed by qualified demo pilots in demo planes. Units can't put on impromptu demos of their own volition. I can't imagine what kind of backlash would come of something happening if it wasn't an official function.

oh sorry i was wrong. But why at demos do they never do the pass where the charges blow up in the runway. I have only see them do it on large bombers now. It's been a couple of years since i have seen an a-10 demo that has done that.

Maybe the A-10 is scray enough as it is, it doesn't need any charges or anything to intimidate. It's looks alone do the job.

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI

true but it still would add even more, although i agree with that!!

Pyrotechnics take a lot of time and effort to setup (not to mention money). Every time that pyrotechnics are used at airshows, a special team has to be hired to set them up and set them off. Additionally, licenses are required that are sometimes not easily gotten, or in some locations, not allowed.

The ACC A-10 demo teams have just been approved for pyrotechnics, they should begin using them in August. It's up to the individual show sites, of course, we don't provide them.

As far as non-demo demonstrations, those are legal, too. But they take approval from ACC. That usually only happens at an airshow where the A-10 unit is assigned, as we did at Pope over Memorial Day weekend.

Coach

cool. Well at the Whiteman they did some pyro for tora tora tora and a B-2 fly-by. No one knew it for the B-2 and right after the speaker yelled, "good morning saddam."

hey ghorsepower,
how would you like to come to austrailia?

The 104th here at Barnes ANGB we are doing an A10 pyro demonstration. Its not a full blown demo like the teams do, but it is cool. Some guy called The Mad Bomber does the actual pyro. He takes plastic bags full of gasoline and sets them off. Pretty impressive even if you have seen a real Capstone demonstration.

_________________
YGBSM !

Mad Bomber indeed... Seems like that guy has a lot of fun!

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI

[quote]
Demos can only be performed by qualified demo pilots in demo planes. Units can't put on impromptu demos of their own volition. ----------

I loved uncontrolled fields and performing a few impromptu demos. This was Naval Aviation and never got caught. This is well beyond the statue of limitations.

Jack

Ivan, I would love to come to Australia. In fact my brother lives there now. But, its not even remotely up to me where the team goes. All those descisions are made way up the chain at Langley. Who knows, the F-15 west team did Australia this year, maybe in the next few years you will get an A-10 there.

But you need a C-5 to carry the A-10 to australia, right ?

Kill the innocents ! Kill them now !<img src="http://www.purekaos.com/board/images/smilies/rocket.gif" border=0>
lol

They can fly there with tanker support.

"face it....perhaps your only purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others!"

If we sent Hogs to Australia, we would probably have to use Osans'. Then arrange tanker support from Osan to Australia. IMO Not impossible, just unlikely. It is not easy to just call up a tanker unit and say "hey I'm going to an airshow can you fly a tanker to Singapore and hang around to give us some gas?" It would take alot of work.

lol... he he he
I agree... trying to get tankers would be hard...
could you take the wings off and ship them? it'd probably cost less.

Many times deployments can be coordinated with things such as what the demo team does....but I agree the logistics would be prohibative. NO Ivan they would not take the wings off the jets to get them there, thats just not something that is done....its just easier to say "maybe next year". Besides.....Osan has A-10's.....perhaps a deal could be cut with them to get some airplanes to an air show in that hemisphere, they could always "island hop" instead of air tank. Just a thought.

"face it....perhaps your only purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others!"

Edited by - m&m on Jul 09 2003 06:53 AM

Edited by - m&m on Jul 09 2003 06:57 AM

worth a shot...

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
The ACC A-10 demo teams have just been approved for pyrotechnics, they should begin using them in August. It's up to the individual show sites, of course, we don't provide them.

As far as non-demo demonstrations, those are legal, too. But they take approval from ACC. That usually only happens at an airshow where the A-10 unit is assigned, as we did at Pope over Memorial Day weekend.

Coach
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Hey Coach - that's great news. We were told that we would be doing no more pyro for the military for quite some time after 9/11, maybe never again. That was a huge letdown for us. Do you know if they are going to let Commemorative Air Force units set up the pyro once again?