Keesler, Biloxi finalize airshow performers

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  • 81st Training Wing Public Affairs

Aerial Performances:

**Not listed in order of performance**

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
Team Aeroshell – 4 x AT-6D
Army Special Ops – Black Daggers
Alabama Boys – Decathlon & Cub
Twin Tigers – 2 x Yak 55s
Jeremy Holt – Pegasus Bi-Plane
Wild Blue Rodeo – RV-8
Scott Francis – MXS
P-40
P-51 – Quick Silver Mustang
T-33 – Ace Maker Airshows
F-4U Corsair
MIG-17 – Fighter Jets Inc. with Randy W.  Ball
OV-1 MOHAWK
B-2 Spirit fly-by (Saturday)
B-52 Stratofortress fly-by (Saturday)

Ground Exhibits:
Smoke and Thunder Jet Truck
MSN-7 – Mobile Tower
Air Force Performance Lab
A7 & F-101 Cockpits
Stennis Space Center STEM

Confirmed Static Displays:
Hurricane Hunters (C-130J)
Flying Jennies (C-130J) Medevac
MQ-9 Reaper
C-17 Globemaster
T-45 Goshawk
B-25 “Killer B”
T-6 Texan
A-10 Thunderbolt

 AERIAL PERFORMANCES:

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

The Thunderbirds have the privilege and responsibility to perform for people all around the world, displaying the pride, precision and professionalism of American Airmen. In every hour-long demonstration, the team combines years of training and experience with an attitude of excellence to showcase what the Air Force is all about. The Thunderbirds showline consists of 24 professionals in various aircraft maintenance specialties. They are selected before each demonstration season based on their job proficiency, dedication to duty, and overall attitude. For each Thunderbirds F-16 aircraft that travels, a crew chief and an assistant crew chief are assigned to it, ensuring their jet is always mission-ready. Millions of people have witnessed the Thunderbirds demonstrations, and in turn, they’ve seen the pride, professionalism and dedication of hundreds of thousands of Airmen serving at home and abroad. Each year brings another opportunity for the team to represent those who deserve the most credit: the everyday, hard-working Airmen voluntarily serving America and defending freedom.

Team Aeroshell – 4 x AT-6D

The AeroShell Aerobatic Team performs tight, awe-inspiring formation aerial maneuvers in front of millions of airshow fans all over North America. With Mark Henley, team lead; Bryan Regan, right wing; Steve Gustafson, left wing; and Jimmy Fordham, slot; this four-ship of T-6 Texan aircraft perform a series of loops, rolls, and bomb bursts in close formation for a classic aerobatic routine.

Army Special Ops Black Daggers

The Black Daggers preform live aerial demonstrations in support of Army special operations community relations and recruiting. Composed of volunteers from throughout Army special operations, the Black Daggers have diverse backgrounds and are skilled in various military specialties including Special Forces, Rangers, civil affairs, psychological operations, and signal and support. With the average number of free-fall jumps at 560, the team represents the professionalism and dedication of Army special operations forces.

Alabama Boys – Decathlon & Cub

Flown in the 1946 Piper J-3 Cub, this act begins as Greg – farmer Clem Cleaver – climbs up on the announcer’s stand, demanding a flight lesson. Later in the show, he “steals” the plane and takes off alone, with his whole crew chasing. Grandpa shoots off a tire to get him down, and Clem lands on his pickup truck driven by Grandpa Fred as it races down the runway.

Twin Tigers – 2 x Yak 55s

Tiger Airshows combines the best in what a family friendly Circus has to offer with the thrill and excitement of an Airshow. Precision WALKABOUT Tigers formation aerobatics, custom smoke ring special effects, and a comedy act that is so funny it should be illegal.

Jeremy Holt – Pegasus Bi-Plane

This will be Jeremy’s 2nd appearance at a Keesler Air Show, having performed gravity defying stunts over the Bay in 2015. Jeremy’s love of the skies isn’t just a weekend thing, as he currently is a pilot for the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

Wild Blue Rodeo

Wild Blue Rodeo puts on a one of a kind aerobatic show using Wild Blue. In their words, “Wild Blue is the RV-8A that wants to be a fighter jet by day, and a cop car by night.” Get ready to experience a flying cop car soar through the skies.

Scott Francis – MXS

Scott has been performing in airshows since 2006, starting with a Pitts S-1T, then moving on to a Giles 202, and currently flying the ultra-high performance MXS aircraft

P-40 Warhawk

There are only five TP-40’s known in existence today, and ‘American Dream’ is the only TP-40 in the world offering dual instruction on a commercial basis to the general public.

P-51 - Quick Silver Mustang

A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, North American Aviation’s P-51 Mustang was the first U.S. built fighter airplane to push its nose over Europe after the fall of France.

Although first designed for the British as a medium-altitude fighter, the Mustang excelled in hedge-hopping strafing runs and long-range escort duty. It made a name for itself by blasting trains, ships and enemy installations in Western Europe and by devastating Axis defenses before the Allied invasion of Italy.

The Mustang was the first single-engine plane based in Britain to penetrate Germany, first to reach Berlin, first to go with the heavy bombers over the Ploiesti oil fields in Romania, and first to make a major-scale, all-fighter sweep specifically to hunt down the dwindling Luftwaffe.

One of the highest honors accorded to the Mustang was its rating in 1944 by the Truman Senate War Investigating Committee as “the most aerodynamically perfect pursuit plane in existence.”

T-33 – Ace Maker Airshows

Ace Maker Airshows presents the T-33 Shooting Star, American’s first operational jet fighter and trainer with Greg “Wired” Colyer who has been flying for almost 3 decades after earning his license in 1982 while serving in the US Army from 1982-1987.

F-4U Corsair

The Corsair was designed and operated as a carrier-based aircraft, and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy in late 1944 and early 1945. It quickly became one of the most capable carrier-based fighter-bombers of World War II. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II, and its naval aviators achieved an 11:1 kill ratio.

MIG-17F – Fighter Jets Inc (Randy W. Ball)

MiG pilot Randy W. Ball is a premier jet demonstration pilot with more than 1,000 performances and 26 years of airshow experience. During his demonstration in the MiG-17, Randy routinely pulls 8gs and reaches speeds approaching 700 mph, sometimes while flying less than 100 feet off the ground.

OV-1 Mohawk

The Grumman OV-1 Mohawk was an armed military observation and attack aircraft, designed for battlefield surveillance and light strike capabilities. It was a twin turboprop configuration, and carried two crew members in side-by-side seating. The Mohawk was intended to operate from short, unimproved runways in support of United States Army maneuver forces.

B-52

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The bomber is capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds of weapons, and has a typical combat range of more than 8,800 miles without aerial refueling.

B-2

The B-2 Spirit is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. A dramatic leap forward in technology, the bomber represents a major milestone in the U.S. bomber modernization program. The B-2 brings massive firepower to bear, in a short time, anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses. The B-2 has a crew of two pilots, a pilot in the left seat and mission commander in the right, compared to the B-1Bs crew of four and the B-52’s crew of five.

Smoke and Thunder Jet Truck

Hot Streak II is a twin jet engine 57 Chevy Pickup capable of speeds of 350+MPH entertaining fans across the country for over 20 years. Watch as Hot Streak will face off in a race down the Keesler flightline against one of our other performers! *Note: This portion of the show will only be available for viewing during the morning on-base portion.

 

STATICS:

Hurricane Hunters (WC-130J)

The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron’s main mission is tropical storm surveillance. They are aligned under the 403d Reserve Wing at Keesler AFB. They can fly up to three storms at a time with a response time of 16 hours. To complete this mission they use the WC-130J, outfitted with weather instruments to effectively analyze tropical storm data.

 Flying Jennies (C-130J) Medevac

The mission of the 815th Airlift Squadron ‘Flying Jennies” is to recruit, organize and train to deploy, redeploy and employ air and ground forces to any area of the world and provide them with logistical support. The tactical airlift unit has 10 C-130J aircraft capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for air dropping troops and equipment into hostile areas.

 MQ-9 Reaper

The MQ-9 Reaper is an armed, multi-mission capable, remotely piloted aircraft. With its multifunctional camera, wide-range sensors, and precision weapons this aircraft has the ability to gather intelligence and perform strikes on targets if needed.

 C-17

The C-17 Globemaster is the most flexible cargo aircraft that the Air Force has in its arsenal. Its rapid delivery of troops and cargo, and the ability it provides for tactical airlift and airdrop missions is why it is a key to the success of our overall Air Force mission.

 T-45

The T-45A Goshawk is a tandem-seat, carrier capable, jet trainer whose mission is to train Navy and Marine Corps pilots. The T-45A aircraft, the Navy version of the British Aerospace Hawk aircraft, is used for intermediate and advanced portions of the Navy/Marine Corps pilot training program for jet carrier aviation and tactical strike missions.

B-25 “Killer B”

The B-25J-30-NC SN 44-86697 now flying as "Killer B" was delivered on June 15, 1945. Accepted surplus to military needs, she was initially flown to storage at Smoky Hill AAF, Kansas. In November of 1945, she was transferred to storage in Independence, Missouri. She was moved to Pyote, Texas in September of 1947. In October of 1951, she was removed from storage and overhauled at the Brookley Air Depot, Alabama. She was transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force in January of 1952.

T-6

The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company. The T-6A is used by the United States Air Force for basic pilot training and Combat Systems Officer (CSO) training, the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps for primary and intermediate Naval Flight Officer (NFO) training, and by the Royal Canadian Air Force (CT-156 Harvard II designation), Greek Air Force, Israeli Air Force, and Iraqi Air Force for basic flight training. The T-6B is the primary trainer for U.S. student naval aviators (SNAs). The T-6C is used for training by the Mexican Air Force, Royal Air Force, Royal Moroccan Air Force, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

A-10

The A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin turbofan engine, straight wing jet aircraft developed for the United States Air Force. The A-10 was designed for close air support (CAS) of friendly ground troops, attacking armored vehicles and tanks, and providing quick-action support against enemy ground forces. It entered service in 1976 and is the only production-built aircraft that has served in the USAF that was designed solely for CAS. Its secondary mission is to provide forward air controller – airborne (FAC-A) support, by directing other aircraft in attacks on ground targets.