Messaged the airport and they said that the Thunderbirds will be located in a different area this year with limited space and they will not be able to have a viewing area.
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Messaged the airport and they said that the Thunderbirds will be located in a different area this year with limited space and they will not be able to have a viewing area.
Just another reason why the T-Birds should've gotten a waiver to use Republic Airport this year!
The T-Birds are missing the boat once again when it comes to public relations and recruiting for
this show with the people and most importantly kids who want to see and meet them up close !!
Very true Chris.
Also asked them if they had an ETA for their arrival. They said that unfortunately they do not get an exact time on their arrival but its usually in the afternoon. That would make sense for only having a 3-4 TFR.
FYI - I was trying to find out arrival time info for the Super Hornet from Republic Airport,
but the only info they had right now was that the F-18s would be parked over at Sheltair
for the show this weekend.
Team Oracle and Jacks Links are giving media rides to News 12 and other media people right now at Sheltair.
I work in the rockaways and saw a couple of the civilian acts flying together yesterday afternoon out over the ocean keeping it low as to not interfere with JFK. I live close to republic and this morning I had the pleasure of seeing quite a few of the same acts out of my skylight flying together presumably doing media flights...gotta love it, except for the T birds being all secretive and such lol...
I expect you to defend the Air Force, but you know deep down that them skipping Republic is not right and the Thunderbirds and AF demo teams basically hiding their aircraft and cutting off virtually all access at Islip is antithetical towards everything being an air show team is about
I’ll give you that they may not want to violate their stated minimums for runway length. OK, if that’s a hard rule, so be it. But there really is no excuse for the AF not making the jets and teams more accessible to the fans at ISP then. They are a demo team. PR is the name of the game. And they are doing a bad job with it by limiting access so much.
Listen, we've been through this before and I know you'll always stick up for the T-Birds since you're an Air Force guy, Moose.
Funny how back in 1983 when the T-Birds first started flying the F-16 they had NO PROBLEM using FRG back then for the
Coney Island Air Show AND they didn't even have a temporary arresting system in place or an EMAS system installed at FRG!!
Either way, the T-Birds are still dropping the ball by being hidden away somewhere on the ISP field where it's hard for their
fans and possible future recruits to see their jets up close and meet them in person after they fly at Jones Beach.
I don't know that's it's just the runway length - although if it is shorter than their minimums, I can see they not wanting to spend the time and energy trying to get a waiver. Didn't one of the Blue Angel jets spend weeks at FRG following the show a couple of years back after fodding an engine? I know the last time the Snowbirds were at the show, I heard Lead refuse to taxi back on the taxiway east of 1/19 because of loose pavement on the taxiway. If there is other stuff going on, beyond just runway length, it may all go into their choice.
Someone on Facebook in the Ronkonkoma area reported seeing a Thunderbird flying toward MacArthur yesterday afternoon. Would make sense for it to be the advance pilot if the team is arriving today.
Thunderbirds tweeted at around 8:30am that they are headed our way and will be conducting site survey at 3pm.
ISP tower reports ETA around 2pm.
Just heard the Super Hornets have landed at FRG :cool:just before 1PM.
F18's just landed.
Golden Knights just landed.
That makes zero sense. FOD can happen anywhere. FRG is the biggest GA airport in the country with plenty of jet traffic every single day, several top of the line FBO facilities, etc. It gets everything from Cessna's to Gulfstreams to Boeing airliners in and out all day long. This aint no podunk dirt field in the middle of nowhere.
Id LOVE to speak to some of the T-Birds pilots who flew in to FRG last time and find out what their experiences really were. If he told me operating out of FRG was tough on the pilots and hard on equipment....if he had to go full burner just to get off the ground with room to spare or had to stand on the brakes on every touchdown...then fine.....Ill never complain about this again. But if thats not the case, then this refusal to even consider FRG is just bureaucratic paperwork bull**** as far as Im concerned. And hiding the jets and by extension the pilots and crew away from the public at ISP is just wrong for a team whose primary mission is PR.
This is just my opinion and we all know what opinions are like.
Thunderbirds just landed
2 solos just finished at jones beach.
Only 5 and 6 did circles today...any chance we get 1-4 up before the storms?
Thats totally fair. I just made another comment to this effect on a separate post...if FRG just doesnt work for them for bona fide operational reasons, then fine. We cant complain. That said, I think whats really triggering me here is the idea that they are not being more public friendly at ISP. Not saying they have to park at arms reach and yes, we are a bit spoiled when the Blues are at the terminal at FRG. But there has to be a happy medium somewhere, right?
What is their stated minimum runway length? These are the technical specs for an F-16:
Takeoff Distance (F-16A) 1,750 ft (535 m) with 4,000 lb (1,815 kg) external load Landing Distance (F-16A) 2,650 ft (810 m) with 4,000 lb (1,815 kg) external load
I'm assuming those are minimums, which means full A/B, but FRG has two asphalt runways: 14/32 is 6,833 by 150 feet (2,083 x 46 m) and 1/19 is 5,516 by 150 feet (1,681 x 46 m). Either one is double those stated specs of the aircraft...
When the Thunderbird slid off the runway 2 years ago I saw 6,000-8,000 was required in wet conditions. Couldn't find anything more specific about what they require. However their support manual states that if the runway is less than 7,000 feet it must have arresting gear. So for Replublic we're talking what 167 feet short?
The Super Hornet Demo is scheduled to fly twice on Friday so that both F-18 crews can practice their demos at Jones Beach!
Anyone have times for tomorrow? Definitely interested in seeing both Hornet demos. I'm guessing the first will go up around 11:30-12? Thanks in advance and hope you all enjoy the weekend!
Yes, I heard one of the Super Hornet Demos is scheduled for around 11:30 but not sure when the other will be yet.
The Show organizers announced on Facebook that they will not be releasing any type of flying schedule except that the Thunderbirds are scheduled to perform at 2:00PM.
Also FYI The Meadowbrook Parkway only has two lanes open near the old toll booth due to construction. It will cause delays getting down to the show.
Wantagh Parkway has all 3 lanes open
Thunderbirds 1-4 going up at 10
No Golden Knights today due to wind
Super Hornet practice demo this morning reminded me of one from a few years ago. If there are "high shows," this one would be called a "far show."
Was a bit out there, I'm guessing due to the winds out of the north.
Nice to watch, not great for photography, but that's fine too.
So... The Air Force's premier demo team & PR machine won't fly out of the airport that hosts an awesome museum, won't have a viewing area at the airport they ARE staging out of, and won't even release any kind of schedule... nice... notQ! :rolleyes::confused: :confused:... and this coming from someone with a LONG history of Air Force in the family, who would have joined himself if not for being denied due to diabetes...
NYS Park officials said that today marked an attendance record for a Friday practice at Jones Beach at around 66,000 people !!
BTW, who ever flew the AAM's B-25 over the beach today did a GREAT job, but did anyone notice the
the tacky Hulu advertisement on the top side of the B-25 saying "Catch-22" on the top of each wing
and "Now streaming on Hulu" on the top side of it's fuselage also !! Geez !!
Can anyone confirm was that a low show the Thunderbirds flew yesterday? Loved the 3 sneak passes but aside from that wasn't impressed.