A great spotting week at KCLE!

This has been a great week for spotting at Cleveland Hopkins Airport!

First, we had a visit by Air Force One on 7/23. The day was the not the greatest for photography due to the weather because it was overcast with low clouds and rain. Thankfully, the rain stopped in time for Air Force One's arrival. The added moisture in the air was wonderful for vapor and vortices! Despite popular opinion, I love shooting planes in the rain!

President Obama was in town to visit the Cleveland Clinic and sell his Health Care Reform plan. So while he was away, Air Force One sat on Atlantic's ramp getting attended to.

Of course, with the arrival of the President and Air Force One, there's always other interesting craft that show up as well. A USCG Dolphin provided air support. A C-17 from McGuire AFB was present to take the motorcade. And a second C-17 from Dover AFB arrived after the President's departure to take other equipment.

The next day, a Saudi 747SP came to Cleveland to pickup someone before heading to Paris non-stop. A fellow "Opshotter", Paul, found some interesting statistics regarding the 747SP. Only 45 planes were built, 16 are still active, 18 have been scrapped and the remaining 11 are either being stored, derelict or being repaired. ( see Opshots for info and link) So this was a rare sight indeed!

For further photos, please see the main AoA Photo site here.

July 18 - Dayton Airshow

This was my second trip to the Dayton airshow. I was really looking forward to the Brazilian Smoke Squadron, Apache, A-10, F-18, Tora^3, Sean Tucker, Patty Wagstaff, the Thunderbirds in newer (louder) F-16s, B-2, B-52....well, ok, I guess I should just say I was looking forward to airplanes and the people who fly them.

And boy did the Dayton airshow deliver! I was impressed with the quality and diversity of the acts. There really weren't any lulls during the show (That were not weather related or mechanically induced).

I thoroughly enjoyed the Brazilian Smoke Squadron's performance. I did not know that this was their only North American appearance. That makes seeing them feel a little more special. It was quite impressive to see them put those 7 Tucanos through their paces. There seems to be a different "feel" to the foreign teams performances and it was a breath of fresh air to witness something out of the "norm".

This was also my first time seeing Tora, Tora, Tora. One word: WOW!!!! It was really cool to see those planes diving and coming from all directions. How you guys keep tabs of each other and not collide I don't know. I am astounded at the caliber of your perfomance!

Props:

1-Brazilian Smoke Squadron's only North American performance. My hat's off to this team for a job well done!
2-I really love the layout and diversity of the statics. There's plenty of room for ALOT of people to move around without getting into a bottleneck. And there weren't alot of multiples to "fluff" up the static lineup.
3-The first time I went to the Dayton airshow, I didn't like having the "midway" of consessions. However, this year I appreciated this layout even more. It's nice to have that in one location for those people into that sorta thing. That leaves the static areas free from the clutter of concessions and mobs of people waiting for them.
4-Excellent pacing of the show! The only real lulls came from weather and a mechanical issue with the F-18. (BTW, what happened? I'm glad they got her down safely. I salute the pilot and WSO for their professionalism and keeping safety the utmost priority!)
5-Danny Clisham & Rob Reider - I'm glad to see you guys announcing shows together! You both bring a unique perspective to the table and I enjoy the work you guys do!
6-An awesome lineup with great diversity.
7-Louder Thunderbirds! I REALLY LIKE the Block 50s!!!
8-FREE WATER! Thankfully the temps were low enough that dehydration wasn't a concern. But it really irks me when I'm expected to pay $1 for a dinky bottle of water to make sure I don't pass out from sun stroke. I wish all airshows did this!
9-Photo Tour/Pit - I wish more shows would offer this (do you hear me Cleveland?). I have yet to take advantage of this, but I think it's great that it exists!

Slops:

1-Weather - I know it is out of the show management's hands. But this is a review of the show I experienced. I was really hoping for some blue skies to peak through. At least we got SOME blue towards the end. The rain, IMO, wasn't a factor. In fact, I look forward to a little rain at a show. that only means more vapor for later!!!
2-Only one pass from the B-2 and B-52. I was really hoping for more. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the one pass, but it's frustrating to hear that Michigan got 3 passes out of the B-2 and we only got 1.
3-The F-18 Super Hornet demo getting cut short. I know he had a mechanical issue and I salute the pilot and WSO (see above). But I was disappointed that we didn't get to see the whole demo. Same thing happened last year at TOM. (Boy, I hope it isn't me.... )
4-Getting smoked out from the Tora^3 performance. If only the wind was going the OTHER direction. Again, out of the airshow management's hands, see my comment on weather above.

All in all, this show can be summed up by one word: AWESOME! Dayton delivered another quality show and I will definitely be back again. Thank you Dayton Airshow management, staff, performers and volunteers for a great show!!!

Photos can be viewed on the AoA Photo site: here.