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Patriots, be sure to raise an American flag this Sunday in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in 1941.
 
Some upcoming events at the Palm Springs air museum have been posted on the Airshow Dates page. Dec 6th will see some sort of reenactment at the museum.

Click here for more Aviation Nation (Nellis) photos!

One of my Raptor shots made it into the AV Press recently.....

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This past week, two different Janet 737s were doing touch n go's in Palmdale......

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Fox Field firebomber action........this is a P-3 that I've not seen before. #17, and it still has its old military bureau number on the tail, so I think this might be a new acquisition by Aero Union.

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I've got some Nellis shots going up at ASB, check out the Members' Photo Galleries and look for mine under "f4_phantom_fan".

Additional Miramar shots being posted here (click on Miramar gallery 5 link)

Here are a few images of my latest calendar releases.............order now for 2009!

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Airshow fans here's a chance for you to help out a well-known warbird. Pls sign the petition! From AirshowBuzz:
 
"The airport in Van Nuys California has evicted this beautiful plane from it's hanger and the men who have worked on and kept this work of art flying are in danger of having it fall victim to the elements. It was always on display during the airshows at VN and now may be sent to another facility/airstrip.

Please take a second to sign the petition, many of the men who have worked on this plane are WWII vets and are very dedicated to their hobby!"

Story:
http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_1....dailynews.com

Petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/N8195H/petition.html
 
"World Airshow News"  magazine  has just been dropped by Barnes & Noble in Palmdale. I urge AV area airshow fans to call them or write and complain about it, maybe we can get it reversed.
 
B&N
39228 10th St West, Palmdale
661-272-9958

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PhanCon and Miramar airshow photos coming soon! Some Miramar shots are already up on page 6 of the Miramar review thread at Airshowbuzz.com.
 
PhanCon Report: 2008 saw the return of the F-4 Phantom Society to Tucson, Arizona, for their annual “PhanCon” event. We were last allowed on base at DM/AMARG in fall of 2005, and we were actually asked to come back by officials there, which was amazing to hear.

Rob Raine, the chief public affairs person at AMARG, gave us a rather animated safety briefing on Tuesday evening at the Radisson Hotel near Tucson International Airport, complete with a closing slide showing a jackrabbit with blood red fangs, as a gag. Rob was nowhere near this animated at our briefing in 2005. The only airplane that they requested we not photograph, were some B-1s, that were being fitted with sniper pods. Everything else was fair game.


The schedule went like this: On Wednesday we were to go out to AMARG and check out the ramps, then go to lunch. Afterwards we would then explore the storage areas where the Phantoms were. Thursday’s plan was to go out to one of the Davis-Monthan EORs to watch A-10s, then return to the ramp for the group shot in front of a QF-4 drone. Each day we also were allowed out to the base’s airpark, containing a pretty good handful of restored jets, including an F-4B being passed off as an F-4C! Our bonus was that we were able to see two separate RF-4C launches - one from an ex-Bergstrom aircraft, the other an ex-Zweibrucken aircraft. RF-4Cs are the photo recon version of the Phantom. As you can imagine though, schedules and timing do not always go 100% according to plan. Wednesday morning we were split into two busses, one went to go see the RF-4C launch, while the other group went to one of the storage areas. Well I was lucky enough to be sitting near the front of the bus that went to the launch. We got there just in the nick of time to see the plane takeoff, however that also meant anyone sitting in the back of the bus was not able to get off the bus soon enough, and lift their cameras in time to get photos, so only about the first twelve of us off the bus were able to get the shot. Imagine the wrath of those Phantom Phans! Another plan was to get us all back out on the final processing ramp where we saw that RF-4C start up and taxi out. This ramp also had eleven other Phantoms, just begging to be photographed. One bus did make it back to the ramp, however, the second group was not so lucky - we got instead what amounted to be an extended Pima bus tour, staying out amongst AMARG relics, most of which were NOT Phantoms, to the chagrin of most. We would’ve all gladly traded that in order to get back to some Phantom drones on the ramp. Later on, we were allowed to walk through the “SLEP” hangar, which was interesting, too.

On Thursday, we were out on the Davis-Monthan EOR, watching A-10s and after about 90 minutes, we then got together for the group photo, and were greeted by someone playing the “Spook” character, complete with a middle finger (in good fun) as he walked up to take his place in the photo. Just after taking the group photo, we saw the second of two RF-4C launches. This time everyone got the shot.

For those of you who have not driven by AMARG recently, or haven’t taken the Pima Air Museum’s bus tour, I recommend you do so, soon. The number of F-4 Phantoms is dwindling rapidly. At the rate they are going, I would not be surprised if they are all gone in the next 10 years. The Air Force is already beginning to look at the F-16 as the next FSAT, or Full Scale Aerial Target. Most of the Navy and Marine Corps birds are now gone, or moved to areas where the tours do not go. Only a handful of F-14 Tomcats remain as well. I would estimate the number of Phantoms left to be under three hundred airframes. That’s half of what it was in 2005! If you are familiar at all with the base, and you’ve gone over to Kolb Road and the facility’s eastern perimeter, you’ll know that up to about the fall of 2005, that area, known as storage Area 10, was completely full of F-4 Phantoms, F-14 Tomcats, and A-10s, with a splash of C-130s and KC-135s behind that. Well, now that area only has a few rows of C-130s and a fraction of the green A-10s.

The Phantoms are gone, as are the Tomcats. Scrapped! All of them. Most of the remaining Phantoms are now in Area 7, which is just around the corner from Celebrity Row.

Hopefully in 2009, the group will go to Holloman AFB and the priority will be placed on photographing Phantoms, (at least more than what we got in 2008), not socializing, going to officer’s clubs, etc etc. Otherwise what’s the point in having people shell out $150 for fees and then shell out even more on travel from such far distances as both coasts or even the UK and Europe?

 
Miramar Report:  This year’s airshow at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California, marked the return of the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration team. Last year, the USAF Thunderbirds were the headliners - their first show at Miramar in about 30 years. Once again the organizers did a spectacular job in not only presenting a great show, but also in handling the rain which made yet another appearance, canceling nearly half of Saturday’s evening show. In spite of this, they did go on with the fireworks and the “Wall of Fire”. It really wouldn’t be a complete Miramar night show without those. During the bigger of the two scheduled “Walls”, there was a snafu in the line of charges, and the Marines involved went above & beyond the call, in handling the situation. They could’ve easily said “hey this is too dangerous” and could’ve cancelled, but they stuck to their guns and,

About 20 minutes later, we had the BIG Wall of Fire. The Marines had to set things off manually, as the electronic box which normally sets off the charges, had become wet and unusable. Hats off to them & a big “Semper Fi”, for going well out of their way.

This year also marked the first performance of the F-22A Raptor demonstration. The Raptor last flew at Miramar in 2005, but it was not the jaw dropping demo that we’ve seen in 2007 and 2008. Major Paul “Max” Moga also had an opportunity to jump out of a perfectly good airplane with the Golden Knights. Other major performances included the Patriot team, the Harrier demo, the F-16 demo from Viper West, flown by “Spicoli”, the F-18 Super Hornet demo and Navy Tailhook Legacy Flight, the ACC Heritage Flight (F-22, F-16, P-51), Bill Reeseman and his Mig 17, and of course the popular Marine Corps MAGTF demonstration, featuring numerous CH-53s, CH-46s, Cobras, C-130s, Harriers, Hornets, tanks, armored vehicles, and troops.

Aerobatics and other flying sequences were provided by Sean Tucker, Ed Hamill, John Collver, Bret Willat, Chuck Aaron in the world’s only civilian helicopter designed for aerobatics, the US Army Golden Knights, and the Silver Wings Stearman team featuring Margaret Stivers and Hartley Foldstat. The Shockleys were generous in bringing over their “Super Shockwave” for the show, as the regular “Shockwave” was damaged at another airshow back east, with Kent Shockley getting out ok. So again thanks go out to those who went out of their way to make sure the show went on.

 
An OT-tail coded, sniper pod-carrying B-1 Lancer was flying around Palmdale recently -  see Palmdale gallery.

Players for Red Flag 9-1:

http://www.nellis.af.mil/library/flyingoperations.asp

RED FLAG PARTICIPANTS
October 2008 Red Flag participants:
(Subject to change)

F-15, F-16, 64 and 65 Aggressor Squadrons, Nellis AFB
F-15, 18 Wing, Kadena AB, Japan
F-16, 31 Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy
A/OA-10, 355 Wing, Davis-Monthan AFB
F-16, Greece
F-18, Spain
F-16, Singapore
F-15E, 4 Fighter Wing, Seymour-Johnson AFB
EA-6B, NAS Whidbey Island
E-3, Tinker AFB
E-8, Robins AFB
RQ-1, Creech AFB
U-2, Beale AFB
HH-60, 23 Wing, Davis-Monthan AFB
HC-130, Moody AFB
KC-135, 128 Air Refueling Wing, Wisconsin
KC-135, 185 Air Refueling Wing, Iowa
KC-135, 127 Air Refueling Wing, Michigan

 

Red Flag schedule for fiscal year 2009 has been released.............

 
RF 9-1............Oct 18 to Nov 1, 2008
RF 9-2............Jan 24, 2009 to Feb 2nd
RF 9-3............Feb 21, 2009 to March 14th
RF 9-4............July 11, 2009 to July 29th
RF 9-5............Aug 22, 2009 to Sept 5th
 
 

Additional past airshow season images can be viewed here

Past airshow season photos can be viewed here

New Yahoo Group - United States Airshow Review - click here to go to its homepage & join

   All photography Copyright 2008 / Brian Emch
  SoCal Airshow Review & Aviation Photography
      (Proud member of the Antelope Valley
                Independent Minutemen)
 

Our military veterans did not, and ARE not dying for the mexican flag. They fought, and are fighting for, Old Glory. PERIOD.
            - ME
 
"If the pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough."
          - Robert Capa
 
"If you call yourself an artist, you won't get anything published. If you call yourself a photojournalist, you can do whatever you want."
         - Robert Capa
 
"It's not a near miss! It's a NEAR-HIT!"
           - George Carlin
 
"Get on the plane!"
"(bleep) you - I'm getting IN the plane! Let the daredevils get ON the plane."
         - George Carlin
 
"It's all BS and it's bad for you"
        - George Carlin (we miss you George!)
 
"It's Michelin-On-Nike time!"
       - George Carlin
 
"Making people mad is a good thing"
     - John McCain (hehe, right on, Senator!)
 
"I don't take crap from anyone - bees
     included!" - J.M.
 
"I GOTTA have more cowbell!"
          - Christopher Walken
 
"Here's to swimmin' with bowlegged women"
         - R.S.
 
"If you have to crop, you didn't do the job."
     - ME (King of the Crops, INDEED! LOL)
 

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Look at the photo of the newspaper article above. This was in Thursday's AV Press. According to the USBP, these incidents have doubled in the past year - from 18 in 2007, to nearly 40 so far, since Oct 2007 until now. WAKE UP AMERICA!!!
 
Americans, your Tucson International Airport is currently flying a mexican flag HIGHER than both the American flag and the Arizona state flag. See pic below. I urge all patriots to call or write the Tucson Airport Authority and complain about it!
 
520-573-4868, 7005 S. Plumer Ave, Tucson, Az.    85756

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Photographers - be sure to GET PAID for your work!  Editors and other prospective clients are finding out quickly they can get stuff for free, thanks to these idiots who keep offering them free images. It's one thing to give out a FEW freebies to airshow performers/pilots, but there are a LOT of supposed 'up & comers' who are undercutting the rest of us by offering to work for free. That has to stop.
 

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that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government -

US Declaration of Independence
 
“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government” – Thomas Jefferson
 
Organized Religion is Organized Bullsht - (Me)
(yeah there's some old bearded man in the sky looking down on us - what a crock! Talk about people being brainwashed, lol.) It's amazing what people will buy into if you sell it enough!
 
Barack Obama's Possible "Red Dawn"
 
In 1984 "Red Dawn" played in theaters all across America.
The gist of the very popular movie starring Patrick Swayze
is that America has been invaded by communist military forces.
 
Americans who resist are rounded up and sent to internment camps. Those that own guns are pursued and persecuted with extreme vigor. Mass exterminations are common.
 
A group of feisty American men and women begin fighting the invaders for their survival and to free imprisoned Americans. They called themselves "Wolverines". The movie was very well received and it struck a nerve with many that saw it including myself. 
 
Fast forward to today's America. We have just elected a Marxist president who on the face of easily available information has no love for America. His attendance of Rev. Jeremiah Wrights' Black Liberation Theology, America hating, "God Damn America"  church is all that is needed to size up Mr. "O". His wife, Michelle, appears to be an angry woman who also does not like America, a country that has made it possible for the two of them to become multi-millionaires that live in a mansion and who will soon become the unworthy occupants of the White House.
 
Barack Hussein Obama, our newly elected president didn't like his American name, Barry Dunham. He has never wanted to identify very strongly with America or with whites unless they are nut jobs like Bill Ayres, the former leader of the Weathermen. This is why he became Barrack Obama.
 
Barack has said that he will sit down at the table with terrorists and the enemies of America and make "nice" with all of them as only a communist can. He will do well with Russia, China, Cuba, Vietnam, Venezuela and North Korea. A meeting of the comrades will occur...don't you doubt it.
 
Is it inconceivable that he will make tight relations with these countries, bring their armed forces in for cross training, station some of them here in the USA and when he is  ready orchestrate a chain of events that will culminate in the complete overthrow of our system of governance as we have known it?
 
The muscle to back him up will already be here. Every military secret that we possess can be made available to our enemies..his friends... by comrade Barack.
 
It would be wise for him to have a national youth corps that has infiltrated every home in America and have them report on their families and friends.
 
In order to completely control us and make Americans incapable of fighting back he must seize all weapons from us and void the second ammendment. He must institute gun control.
 
Isn't this where we are headed now?
 
Do you think that  we could be in for a " Red Dawn" ?  I do.
 
PS Obama has yet to produce his original certificate of birth.
He and our government must not be allowed to hand over
presidential authority to him until his citizenship status is
made clear to all of us. Currently World Net Daily
has a petition that they would like for us to sign.
 The demand is that Obama make available
all documents, certificates, scholastic records etc in order
to resolve without question the status of his citizenship.
You will find this petition by clicking on:  SIGN THE PETITION