Commander Greg McWherter assumed command of the Blue Angels during a change of command ceremony on November 16th. Commander McWherter will lead the team through the 2009-2010 airshow seasons. Joining Commander McWhether as new members of the team are #3 Major Chris Collins and #6 Lieutenant Frank Weisser.

The United States Navy has posted a list of eligible aviation events for 2009. Keep in mind the major demonstration teams will be releasing their 2009 schedules next month at the ICAS convention in Las Vegas.

The highly popular Shockwave jet truck has crashed while performing at the Great New England Air Show. Eyewitnesses report the parachute(s) did not deploy at the end of a run and the truck departed the runway. According to a news release by the 439 Airlift Wing Public Affairs at Westover ARB, the driver indicated he was not injured.

Alan Henley, team leader of the AeroShell Aerobatic Team, has been injured in an accident at his home. Adam is currently in the Intensive Care Unit at the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital. More information can be found at the AeroShell’s website.

This airshow is held every March in Columbus, Georgia and has been my first show of the season for the past several years. It is the perfect sized show for getting back into airshow photography after the long winter break.

The weather in Georgia can be unpredictable in March, as evidenced in my photos from the show that I have added to the site. The airshow opened on Saturday with overcast skies and fog. As the day progressed the ceilings lifted but then the winds picked up. The performers had to battle sustained 20 mph winds with gusts as high as 40 mph. Thankfully that is as bad as it got and the Columbus area was spared the severe weather that struck the Atlanta area starting Friday night with a tornado and continuing through Saturday. The weather on Sunday was almost perfect with clear blue skies and warm temperatures.

Due to a limited aerobatic box, this airshow favors the civilian acts. Those included the Aerostars, Tim Weber, Greg Poe, the Flash Fire Jet Truck, Greg Koontz and the Alabama Boys comedy routine.

The warbird contingent included B-25s Pacific Prowler and Panchito, a P-51 Mustang, an SNJ-5 Texan, a TBM-3E Avenger, SDB-5 Dauntless,  a T-28C Trojan, the P-47 Thunderbolt Wicked Wabbit, the Vintage Thunderbird T-33, and a Hispano HA200 Saeta.

The only military performers were the U.S. Army Silver Wings parachute team and a B-52 flyby, although the static F/A-18 Hornet did tear up the pattern Sunday morning before the gates opened.

A small classic car gathering was added to the static displays this year. One of the best looking cars on display was a Concours d’Elegance quality 1927 Pierce Arrow Model 80. On the humorous side was a 1932 Chevrolet 4-door sedan with simulated bullet holes and a Thompson submachine gun in the back seat.

As they have in years past, all proceeds from the airshow are given to various youth organizations in the Columbus area.

Back in March, the Fence Check aviation photography website held it first ever photopit at the Tyndall AFB airshow. My photos from the pit and some words about the experience can be found in this article at the Fence Check website.

Forget Star Wars pod racing, NASCAR-style rocket racing is almost here! Check out the following from today’s news release:

 On August 1st and August 2nd, the first Exhibition Race of the Rocket Racing League® will be held at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI, the largest air show in the world. For the first time ever, two Rocket Racers will compete head-to-head in a demonstration race in the raceway in the sky. The Rocket Racer pilots will view the “raceway in the sky” via in-panel and 3D helmet displays and the 700,000 people in attendance at EAA AirVenture will witness the racing action live on multiple large projection screens.

More information about the racers can be found at the RRL website.

Finally, my website makeover is complete! Over the next several weeks I will be adding the galleries missing from the 2005 and 2007 seasons as well as adding new content from the 2008 season. Here is a recap of what’s new:

• Bigger, bolder banner graphics.

• Redesigned menubar - gone is the bloated javascript menubar.

• Added a gallery index where you can select which gallery to view (the old site used the javascript menubar).

• I am now using a new javascript to display the images in the gallery. Although the old script (Litebox) was doing a fine job, the new script (Shutter Reloaded) loads a lot quicker.

• Added a new video section. New content will be added in the future.

• Completely integrated the blog and website through the use of a common menubar.

The United States Navy released their findings today from a command investigation into the crash of Blue Angel #6 during a flight demonstration at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort on 21 April 2007.

The crash which killed the pilot, LCDR Kevin Davis, occurred after the Blue Angels had completed the Loop Break Cross, a maneuver in which all six aircraft converge on show center from different directions and altitudes. After the aircraft cross show center a choreographed maneuver takes place which allows all the aircraft to rejoin on the leader before their final maneuver, the Pitch Up Break. It was during this rendezvous maneuver that Blue Angel #6 entered a 6.8g turn and slowly lost altitude until impacting some trees and crashing in a sparsely populated area.

According to an opinion stated in the findings, “…although the high rate of turn and sudden onset of positive Gs during the rendezvous maneuver resulted in possible physiological impairment to LCDR Davis, the impairment did not result in either G-LOC [G-induced Loss Of Consciousness] or G-excess illusion. LCDR Davis had fully demonstrated through his Centrifuge training, previous NFDS [Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron] practice and show events and overall flight proficiency an adequate G-tolerance for all demonstration maneuvers. However, the mishap pilot’s failure to perform a proper AGSM [Anti-G Straining Maneuver] resulted in him suffering from possible physiological effects that contributed to his loss of situational awareness of his rate of descent and ultimately a controlled flight into the terrain (CFIT). Had the mishap pilot performed a proper AGSM throughout the maneuver and maintained full situational awareness of his flight attitude, this mishap may have been averted.”

So what is this AGSM? To quote an article from the Air Force Association Magazine, “The AGSM consists of a deep intake of breath, followed by breath-holding and grunting for about three seconds, followed by an explosive exhalation and repetition of the process. This act increases the pressure inside the lungs and chest and, in effect, supercharges the blood pressure on the ‘inlet’ side of the heart. With this technique, a well-trained pilot can raise his blood pressure around four Gs’ worth.” Failure to perform a proper AGSM can lead to grey-out or tunnel vision, followed by black out, and finally loss of consciousness.

Back on 2 Nov 2007, an F-15C from the 110th Fighter Squadron suffered a structural failure and in-flight break-up while performing Basic Fighter Maneuvers. The pilot ejected and survived. The accident resulted in the grounding of all F-15s in the USAF inventory.

Yesterday the USAF released their findings from the accident investigation. They concluded a manufacturing defect in the upper right longeron allowed a fatigue crack to form which resulted in the catastrophic failure of the longeron during a high g maneuver.

The executive summary of the accident investigation board, along with interview transcripts, computer animations, and photographs can be found at http://www.acc.af.mil/aibreports/.