Another exciting and dynamic airshow hosted by the US Marine Corps at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay last weekend. My first time here at an airshow here in Hawaii, I was really looking forward to attending with a good friend of mine, who just happens to be an 18 year Marine (hey, when in Rome, right?). Also, I couldn’t wait to put my new Canon EOS camera with the EF 75-300mm telephoto lens to the test!
The Kaneohe Bay Airshow Experience
We went to check out the various planes, helicopters, jets, military artillery and other displays. Interesting exhibits manned by very friendly presenters, both military and civilian. Of course, we had to check out the food booths too, as Taste of Oahu was also staging an event.
Back to our seats for the performances. The show featured some great aerobatics by well known stunt pilots including Kirby Chambliss on the Red Bull team. Several crews of sky divers also: the US Navy Parachute Team “Leap Frogs” and the Flying Leathernecks. Plenty of noisy, good fun, fireballs, and smoke and mirrors.
After the USAF Pacific Air Forces F-16 Demo team performed, we had the opportunity to chit chat with them a bit about their unit, their travels around the world doing these shows, and how they felt about being in Hawaii. No big surprise that Hawaii is one of their favorite invitations to accept.
The team (3 pilots and 8+ crew) really look forward to performing at the Kaneohe Show, especially with the onset of cooler weather coming in Japan. Not to mention they get to spend a week in Hawaii enjoying our delightful islands. What an honor to meet and speak with them.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels Performance
Next up, of course, was the U.S Navy Blue Angels.
An Impressive Performance and Show
Exciting, exhilarating, heart pounding, non-stop precision flying at its finest! Watching awestruck crowds watching them never gets old. The kids in the audience were entranced, as were the adults. Intricate maneuvers at high speeds done with such skill…so impressive, so humbling. Lots of chicken skin in the crowd! An absolutely stunning display that never disappoints.
A big bonus for me was that I was able to get some sweet photographs of the show and size up my new camera. I highly recommend any of the Canon EOS. Sam’s Club and Costco have some super deals on good DLSR cameras.
Todd Barrett, R(S)
October 9, 2012
Great post Jayney! Our family was seriously “bummed out” this year as we were not able to attend this event. I was born on an Air Force base in Japan, and my father flew F-4 Phantoms, so I’ve had the opportunity to get up close and personal with these birds and the amazing men who fly them so effortlessly. It really speaks to the professionalism of the U.S. military and it’s awesome that civilians have this opportunity every year to see American skill and technology at work!
Todd Barrett, R(S)
October 9, 2012
Great post Jayney! Our family was seriously “bummed out” this year as we were not able to attend this event. I was born on an Air Force base in Japan, and my father flew F-4 Phantoms, so I’ve had the opportunity to get up close and personal with these birds and the amazing men who fly them so effortlessly. It really speaks to the professionalism of the U.S. military and it’s awesome that civilians have this opportunity every year to see American skill and technology at work!
Jayney Sharpe, RA SFR
October 9, 2012
Thank you Todd! My new friends from the USAF F16 Demo team are actually from AF Base in Misawa-shi, Aomori, Japan!! They are coming back in 2013 for the Hawaii Invitational Airshow at Kona and I am personally invited by them as their guest 🙂 Of course, I’m going! Can’t wait to see you all at the show!
Jayney Sharpe, RA SFR
October 9, 2012
Thank you Todd! My new friends from the USAF F16 Demo team are actually from AF Base in Misawa-shi, Aomori, Japan!! They are coming back in 2013 for the Hawaii Invitational Airshow at Kona and I am personally invited by them as their guest 🙂 Of course, I’m going! Can’t wait to see you all at the show!