September 2019 / Volume 3 / Article 45
USAH
NAS Oceana 2019
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Naval Air Station Oceana held their annual airshow on the 19th and 20th of September. The weather was spectacular all weekend with sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s to low 80s. Something was different, though at the Navy’s East Coast Master Jet Base. The headliner for the show was the United States Air Force Thunderbirds. It marked their first time ever performing here. A scheduling conflict with Naval Air Station Lemoore had the Blue Angels on the other coast. I noticed that the Thunderbirds were not parked out front as the Blue Angels do. I came to find out that there is a clearance off the nose to the crowd line and it was not enough for Thunderbird regulations. If I recall correctly, it was only a few feet. With the Thunderbirds parked at the back of the hot ramp, I must comment that I felt no connection to the team at all during the show. Then they took off left to right and landed right to left, never taxiing in front of the crowd. If I were the Commander, I would have insisted that if the Thunderbirds are going to demonstrate at this Navy Base then we are going to show up and show out. Waive that slight restriction or angle the parking arrangement and be present in front of a very partial Navy crowd. My first stop on the way to the airshow, when the morning sun is bright, is to pull over along Oceana Boulevard to photograph the new squadron colors on the F-14 “MUTHA ship”. It is a different squadron every year awarded to the fighter squadron that best exemplifies
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NAS OCEANA 2019
the spirit of MUTHA. Check the internet for an interesting read on the history. This year’s recipient is the VFA-32 "Swordsmen Static displays were very light on naval assets and, in particular, based squadron examples. On Saturday morning, a C model F/A-18 and an F model, both from VFA-106 “The Gladiators”, appeared on the ramp near the entrance. Other naval aircraft on static were a P-8 Poseidon, E-2D Hawkeye, and a DeHavilland Twin Otter from the Naval research Laboratory. The other end of the ramp featured Warbirds from the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, a Texan II trainer, an SH-60 Helicopter and in the middle of the ramp, an MH-6 Little Bird helicopter. After a flag drop and the National Anthem to open the show, featuring the US Army Black Daggers and Skydive Suffolk, a few aerobatic aircraft per f ormed. Dell Coller performed in the Jack Links Extra 300 and Greg Shelton performed a solo routine in his Super Stearman. He would return later with his wife, Ashley for a wing walking routine. The Shockwave jet truck performed and raced Dell Coller. There was also a Dodge Hellcat doing burnouts and spins on the ramp. The C-17 from Altus AFB performed a solo routine. The Geico Skytypers performed their 6-ship routine in T-6 Texans and then it was time for the fleet air demonstration. The first aircraft to launch was that same C-17. It had the Black Daggers on- board who would drop tactically into the secured landing zone. Five F/A-18 Super Hornets and two Legacy Hornets from VFC-12 launched left to right and flexed to a hold point over the Atlantic Ocean. VFA-34, “The Blue Blasters” were the squadron in charge getting some support from VFA-106 aircraft. Once the stage is set by the narrator, “Joker 1” approached from the right and an adversary appoached from the left into the merge. The weird part of
Article and Photos by Shawn Byers
Photo by Shawn Byers
On Saturday, while the fleet was taxiing back, two more Super Hornets launched. This was for an airborne Change of Command of the Commanding Officer of NAS Oceana and very interesting to see. The next three acts were all aircraft from the 1920s and 30s. Gene Soucy performed in his Grumman Showcat. Greg Shelton performed a wing walking routine with his wife, Ashley in a Super Stearman. Finally, John Klatt performed in his jet powered Waco, “Screamin Sasquatch”.
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this scenario is that they fought Super Hornet to Super Hornet and Legacy Hornet to Legacy Hornet. The Super Hornets fought in the horizontal airspace. A second dog fight took the fight into the vertical airspace. Once the skies are cleared of enemy aircraft, the Black Daggers are dropped into the area. On the ground, they direct ground strikes from the Super Hornets. Joker Flight approaches and lays down precision bombing or strafing fire to elimin- ate ground threats. A special appearance is made from the E-2 Hawkeye which has been managing the airborne battle space. The Hawkeye landed and taxied with wings folded. It would depart a bit later back to Norfolk. Two Horn- nets passed by demonstrating aerial refueling refueling. All six Hornets returned for a Fleet flyby. The seventh one was now- here in sight. We expect this and wait for a high speed left to right pass that did not come. The 6 ship reversed course and passed by again right to left. The sneak pass then occurs right to left. Sneaky. All aircraft recover and then taxi past the crowd.
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The F/A-18F Super Hornet solo demonstration launched in the early afternoon and finished up with a Legacy Flight with an F-4U Corsair. Skip Stewart performed in the final slot in his highly modified biplane “Prometheus”. The Thunderbirds closed the show and were without Thunderbird 6 due to a wrist injury. It was interesting to see them in the skies over Oceana but as I wrote earlier, I would have done things differently. On Saturday night, a Beach Blast is held near 31st Street on the Boardwalk at Virginia Beach. A Navy band plays music at the band shell and once it is dark, a Super Hornet perf- orms afterburner flybys, followed by sky divers down to the beach. Attending the show both days as well as the Beach Blast makes for a full immersion airshow weekend. Sunday, we did it all again. Oceana is one of my favorite airshows and the weather this year was a welcome companion to the fun I have visiting Virginia Beach and Naval Air Station Oceana every September.