Smyrna Air Show 2014: Blue Angels I am not able to go to the Great Tennessee Air Show this year so I did the next best thing - I went to watch their rehearsal on the day before the air show. I also made a time-lapse video of the performance that you can see here: youtu.be/Wwmrw2y6cMQ I also have a bunch of 2012 airshow photos you can see here: seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=ruther/smyrna-air-sh...
T-38 Talon at Tennessee State University The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twin-engined supersonic jet trainer. This one is located on the campus of Tennessee State University. The plane was dedicated in Nov. 1996 at a ceremony with noted alumnus Lt. Gen. Lloyd "Fig" Newton. (Newton was the first Black pilot with the USAF Thunderbirds, flying a T-38) According to the marker: TSU's Reserve Officers' Training Corps Established in April 1919, the Reserve Officers' Corps at TSU (then Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School) was one of the first ROTC units at an African-American college. Under First Lieutenant Grant Stuart, emphasis was placed om military science and preparing African-American officers as leaders.
Skytypers #1 The Skytypers are group of 6 (but today only 5) vintage World War II U.S. Military planes that now tour to write messages in the sky a airshows. Their title sponsor is Geico. www.geicoskytypers.com/
Gene Soucy soon to take off.
Julie Clark with flag back on land Julie Clark's American Aerobatics is a stunt plane show with a patiotic twist as Red, White & Blue smoke come out of the plane. www.americanaerobatics.com/v3/site.html
Red Eagles Red Eagle Air Sports performs here. The two planes fly parallel but the one on the left is upside-down. At this moment, both planes turn upwards. Seen at the 2008 Smyrna Air Show www.redeagleairsports.com/
Blue Angels C-130 Fat Albert
Children exit through the plane's lips Bouncey zone - Jolly Jumbo Jet $3 for 4 minutes, then the kids have to leave through the mouth. You don't want to see where they go in. Suggested alternate title: The Inflatable Plane that EATS CHILDREN!
Pacific Prowler This vintage military plane is put on display at various places around the country, including the 2008 Smyrna Air Show. For $5, you can go inside which includes sitting at the front bay and pretending to fire the machine gun. If there's ever a plane that needs HDR it's this one
Gene Soucy back on land
Blue Angels C-130 Fat Albert taxis to take off.
Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes
Blue Angels Diamond Formation #2
Tenn air guard plane, Nashville, Centennial Park Note: This has been moved and is no longer at Centennial Park.
Capt. Jeff Kuss USMC Memorial (5) - Smyrna, TN Description of the memorial: www.captjeffkussusmcmemorial.com/ On June 2, 2016, at the age of 32, Kuss tragically lost his life when his jet crashed a day before the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna. A Blue Angel F/A-18C Hornet similar to the jet flown by Captain Kuss and on loan from the National Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL. Although I wasn't home at the time, I live less than a mile from where Capt. Kuss crashed in Smyrna. This memorial is also nearby, located on TN266 Sam Ridley Pkwy and across from the Smyrna MQY airport. Parking is available at Lee Victory Park.
MTRCS sign Those in Nashville and Middle TN who like to fly model airplanes can do so at a model runway at Cane Ridge park on the south side of Davidson County. This is the sign there at the entrance. On the other side is the board where the enthusiests reserve their plane's frequency. My brother was really into this hobby in the late 80's
F-4C - Arnold A.F.B. Several military jets are on display outside of the entrances to Arnold Air Force Base near Tullahoma, TN. This one is dedicated to the memory of Col Lawrence H Golberg and Maj Patrick Edward Wynne who were killed in the line of Duty when the plane crashed in Vietnam.
F/A-18 Hornet - Arnold A.F.B. Several military jets are on display outside of the entrances to Arnold Air Force Base near Tullahoma, TN. This one is dedicated to the memory of Naval Lieutenant Commander Frank C. Wittwer
T-38A Talon - Aviation Heritage Park - Bowling Green, KY This Northrop T-38A(N) Talon #901 was made for NASA for Astronaut training. It is dedicated to Col. Terry W. Wilcutt, USMC at the Aviation Heritage Park in Bowling Green, KY. Of the six lunar landings of the Apollo program, every astronaut who walked on the moon have flown in this specific aircraft, including Neil Armstrong, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Alan Shepard and Wilcutt.
T-33A-5 Shooting Star - Aviation Heritage Park - Bowling Green, KY This Lockheed T-33A-5 Shooting Star is the trainer version of the F-80 and was built for the U.S. Air Force in 1953. It is dedicated to Gen. Russell Elliott Dougherty at the Aviation Heritage Park in Bowling Green, KY.
Capt. Jeff Kuss USMC Memorial (3) - Smyrna, TN Description of the memorial: www.captjeffkussusmcmemorial.com/ On June 2, 2016, at the age of 32, Kuss tragically lost his life when his jet crashed a day before the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna. A Blue Angel F/A-18C Hornet similar to the jet flown by Captain Kuss and on loan from the National Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL. Although I wasn't home at the time, I live less than a mile from where Capt. Kuss crashed in Smyrna. This memorial is also nearby, located on TN266 Sam Ridley Pkwy and across from the Smyrna MQY airport. Parking is available at Lee Victory Park.
Capt. Jeff Kuss USMC Memorial (2) - Smyrna, TN Description of the memorial: www.captjeffkussusmcmemorial.com/ On June 2, 2016, at the age of 32, Kuss tragically lost his life when his jet crashed a day before the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna. A Blue Angel F/A-18C Hornet similar to the jet flown by Captain Kuss and on loan from the National Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL. Although I wasn't home at the time, I live less than a mile from where Capt. Kuss crashed in Smyrna. This memorial is also nearby, located on TN266 Sam Ridley Pkwy and across from the Smyrna MQY airport. Parking is available at Lee Victory Park.
F-111F - Aviation Heritage Park - Bowling Green, KY This General Dynamics F-111F was used in a bombing mission in Libya in 1986 and also in Desert Storm and retired in 1996. It is dedicated to Bowling Green native USAF Col. Arnie Franklin at Aviation Heritage Park.
News Channel 5's traffic and weather copter
Corky's Landing BBQ along the Old Jasper Rd. near Kimball, TN
Tennessee Air Gurad Note: This has been moved and is no longer at Centennial Park.
Arctic Research Laboratory Plane - Portland, TN - Days Gone By Museum There is a hidden gem museum in the small town of Portland, TN which is worth the drive from Nashville. It started as a private collection of tractors, but has expanded to much more, including multiple forms of transportation: Cars (hot rods, race cars, Volkswagens, 1920s, etc.), trucks, motorcycles, fire engines, a couple of planes and a caboose. Other highlights include vintage toys, cameras, and Maytag. I'm not an aircraft expert. The best I can tell, this is a Douglas DC-3 and was used by the Office of Naval Research in Barrow, Alaska from 1971 to 1977. Before that, it was used in World War II in the Pacific Theater After decades in the military, it was in private use for about 30 years. It was sent to the museum as a static display in 2011. In addition to photos, I took a video tour of the museum, inside and out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyIQrZ9j16A If you'd like to see a gallery of many of the items on display, check my website here: seemidtn.com/gallery3/index.php?album=MidTN-Counties/Sumn...
Blue Star 786 - Soddy-Daisy Veterans Park This UH-1 Huey Helicopter was built by the Bell Helicopter Company in 1965 and was flown in combat by the 48th Assault Helicopter Company in Vietnam in 1966-67. She was damaged by enemy fire multiple times but was never shot down. After the war, was flown by several National Guard units until retired in 1995. The Huey is dedicated to all who served - Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 203 - Chattanooga Tennessee - June 30, 2001. This is located at Soddy-Daisy Veterans Park and was uploaded in honor of Veterans Day 2021.
TA-4J Douglas Skyhawk This jet is located at Veterans Memorial Park of Collegedale, TN. According to their plaque: The TA-4J Skyhawk is a two-seat, lightweight, high-performance aircraft with a modified delta wing. The primary role of the TA-4J was to train carrier pilots. The aircraft was first flown on Dec. 17, 1968 and was retired from active service in May, 2003. The Navy Blue Angels utilized the aircraft during the 1970s for aerial demonstration.
Collegedale Patton Tank & Skyhawk Jet These are located at Veteran's Memorial Park of Collegedale, TN. This M 48 A5 Patton Tank is one of 11,700 Patton Tanks were built between 1952 and 1959 and is powered by a 750hp diesel engine. See just the tank here: flic.kr/p/2nMvc26 The TA-4J Skyhawk is a two-seat, lightweight, high-performance aircraft with a modified delta wing. The primary role of the TA-4J was to train carrier pilots. The aircraft was first flown on Dec. 17, 1968 and was retired from active service in May, 2003. The Navy Blue Angels utilized the aircraft during the 1970s for aerial demonstration. See just the jet here: flic.kr/p/2oebxB5
TR-896 along Route 66 - Elk City, OK This former U.S. Air Force Lockheed Shooting Star T-33A is located at the entrance to the Elk City Municipal Airport. On the edge of the airport grounds, the plane faces the road which was once Route 66 and now Business Loop I-40.
F-15A - Stafford Air & Space Museum This is a McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle located at the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, OK. In April 2024, it was relocated here from its previous display at the National Museum of the Unites States Air Force. oklahomaroute66.com/news/f-15-eagle-aircraft-arrives-at-s...
Chilhowee Gliderport painted barn I like barns with advertisements on them - this one is unlike any other I've seen. This barn is on the property of Chilhowee Gliderport. Gliderport is a new word for me, so I guess it's an airport which caters to Sailplane Gliders. These gliders do not have an engine, so another small plane tows it into the air and lets go - the glider then gently floats back to the ground after about 20 minutes. They've been open since 1973. I'm going to guess this was a farm before that and they had a barn which was repurposed for storing glider equipment. This is located in rural Polk county along highway US411.
Air Show: F4U Corsair An estimated 50,000 people were in attendance at this years Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna, TN. While I have 14 Air Show photos on flickr, if you'd like to see more, I have several on my website here: seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=ruther%2Fsmyrna-air-...
Air Show: Thunderbirds in Precision Flight An estimated 50,000 people were in attendance at this years Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna, TN. While I have 14 Air Show photos on flickr, if you'd like to see more, I have several on my website here: seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=ruther%2Fsmyrna-air-...
AH-1H Cobra - Bristol, VA This Helicopter is located in Cumberland Square Park near downtown Bristol. The city parks department also plans to soon add a UH-1H Huey.
Veteran's Memorial - Bristol, VA This photo is uploaded in honor of Veterans Day, 2011. The Veteran's War Memorial is located at Cumberland Square Park. The memorial contains five 6'2" bronze statues representing the men and women of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. The statues are arranged on a platform in the shape of a V for Victory. The helicopter in the background is an AH-1H COBRA
Getting Ready for the Blue Angels in Smyrna The Blue Angels did a rehearsal today for the air show tomorrow. For those of you familiar with Smyrna, I parked over at the Towne Center along Nolan drive and set up across the street from the airport with a couple hundred like minded folks. By going here, I was actually further from the end of the runway compared to just staying at home, but here there was an unobstructed view. Now that it's a few days later, and the Air show has passed, I have an online gallery if you are interested in Blue Angels or other Air Show pictures. You can check it out here: seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=ruther%2Fsmyrna-air-...
2012 Smyrna Air Show: John Klatt This photo was taken at the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna, TN on Sat. May 12, 2012. If this kind of thing interests you, or you're a fain of Air Show or general aviation photography, I invite you to check out my website's gallery where I have an additional 200 photos taken at the show featuring all performers. Check it out here: seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=ruther%2Fsmyrna-air-...
2012 Smyrna Air Show: Blue Angels Inverted Flight This photo was taken at the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna, TN on Sat. May 12, 2012. If this kind of thing interests you, or you're a fain of Air Show or general aviation photography, I invite you to check out my website's gallery where I have an additional 200 photos taken at the show featuring all performers. Check it out here: seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=ruther%2Fsmyrna-air-...
Welcome to Ozark, AL and the U.S. Army Aviation Museum Some "welcome to" signs are more interesting than others. It's not every day that you see a helicopter on top of a pole. (Well, I guess it would be if you live near Ozark.) Seen along US231
Patriot Park - Covington, TN From the Covington Parks webpage: www.covingtontn.com/Departments/Parks.htm This park was dedicated on Nov. 11, 2004. Centerpiece to this park is an A-4L Skyhawk Attack Bomber. This bomber was utilized extensively during the Vietnam Conflict and was developed to provide better ground attack and support services. Hello to anyone who found this here: murfreesboro.com/news/local-news/roadside-tn/2/
The Futuro - UFO House - Pensacola Beach, FL From 1968 to 1978 the Finnish company Oy Polykem Ab sold houses like this one known as Futuro II designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen. The prefabricated home was assembled in their facility and then flown by helicopter to this spot in Pensacola Beach. The house has one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen and dining area, and a 23 foot long couch that's by several of the windows. Admit it, you secretly wish this was your house. Not only is it cool, there's a second reason to love it. Round houses are better able to withstand strong wind as this has outlasted Hurricanes Ivan, Dennis, and any other storm that has come through the Santa Rosa area. Today, the home is a local landmark, and you can tell the owner embraces the spaceship look with the aliens in the windows. It's located along Via De Luna, which is the most important road through town and used to be highway US98.
Aeroplane Filling Station - Powell, TN Dating back to the glory days of roadside architecture is this vintage gas station eye-catchingly shaped like a plane built by proprietors Elmer and Henry Nickle in 1930. (Here's a photo from 1931.) Powell is located north of Knoxville along US25W on the road to Clinton, TN. The gas station went out of business half a century ago and was abandoned for a while. Other businesses moved in to keep it open, such as a liquor store, a produce stand, a bait & tackle shop and finally a used car lot. About a decade ago, locals who wanted to preserve their roadside heritage from demolition began to rally to save the plane. They created a website (now gone, I think) and sold t-shirts to raise money for the novelty architecture preservation. One thing that caught me by surprise during my visit is the exterior has shiny new sheet metal compared to other recent photos I had seen online. Also new are the windows and the light along the wing. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also helped by the Tennessee Historic Commission
Airplane Casket This casket was desinged to look like a KLM Airliner and is on display at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, DC Hello to anyone who found this here: www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2007/02/02/bizarre-airplane-c... or here: joedonatelli.com/2008/10/26/halloween-column-what-i-fear/ or on Rand McNally's website: ontheroad.randmcnally.com/2009/05/15/smithsonian-online-t... COMMENTARY: Smithsonian Institute’s Online Tours Aren’t the Real Thing, but They’re Close or here: connect.phocuswright.com/2010/01/lost-in-transition/ Lost in Transition or here: aliceatthetable.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/fear-of-flying-d... or here: www.vagabondish.com/things-you-dont-want-to-know-about-ai... 24 SECRETS YOU REALLY DON’T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT AIRPLANES
