Grand Junction, CO Airshow - Blue Angels - Sept 21, 22, 23 2012

denverpilot

denverpilot

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DenverPilot
Tickets ordered. We'll be there. Dad also.

Anyone else going?

http://www.gjairshow.com/

Dad and I never miss an opportunity to see the Blues when they're close-by. Sometimes not so close-by.

Get this... Karen has never seen a jet team... not once. And she's not coming to OSH this year, so... her first taste of Airshow jet teams will be the best one (heh heh...) the Blues, right here in Colorado.

Can't beat that! :) :) :)
 
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Thanks for the link, I may try to non-rev out there for it. My dad is based out in Aspen through October so it would be a fun trip out there.
 
Are you planing on flying in? I didn't see any info about aircraft parking, airport closure times etc. It would be cool to fly in for the day!
 
Not planning on flying in. Also slightly conflicted about supporting GJT, but it is what it is and as far as I can tell, the money isn't going to the airport.
 
I inadvertently became an act in the Grand Junction air show a number of years ago...
 
We have been talking about it. I'm actually off that weekend; might be baby Myles' first airshow.
 
gkainz said:
ok, Paul Harvey time ... :confused:
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We had an air ambulance trip and they stopped the airshow in the middle to let us land. I didn't really think anything of it one way or another until I taxied off the runway and saw the huge audience.
 
That's the power of "Lifeguard"! ;)

They also let the airliners in and out during breaks in the show.
 
Everskyward said:
We had an air ambulance trip and they stopped the airshow in the middle to let us land. I didn't really think anything of it one way or another until I taxied off the runway and saw the huge audience.
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I once timed my arrival a little bit too close to the start of an airshow I was flying into. I beat the airspace closing and the beginning of the airshow by maybe a minute or so. :rolleyes:

Made one of my best landings in front of a very large audience, right after the inverted fly by. :D
 
The pictures look amazing on the home page. Which of the three days is best to go? Is it just the same thing repeating each day? Can two days really be spent, or is one enough? What is the weather like in September (how hot)?

Makes me wonder if we have an "cool" shows down here. I think there is one in Salinas that seems neato.
 
Friday night is new. Night airshow. The new Thing(TM) in airshows. No Blues. We may not even go to that. We have tickets for Sat/Sun only and will call an audible on the night show Friday. ;)

Sat and Sun are usually the same show, but...

Weather can roll in since it's getting nearly "Fall" and change or cancel specific acts, including the Blues if they don't have the required conditions in the valley. Or they can switch from a High Show to a Low Show. Etc.
 
denverpilot said:
Friday night is new. Night airshow. The new Thing(TM) in airshows. No Blues. We may not even go to that. We have tickets for Sat/Sun only and will call an audible on the night show Friday. ;)

Sat and Sun are usually the same show, but...

Weather can roll in since it's getting nearly "Fall" and change or cancel specific acts, including the Blues if they don't have the required conditions in the valley. Or they can switch from a High Show to a Low Show. Etc.
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Yes I missed them. Fat Albert came out, and the Blues did one diamond, circled, then left. The fog bank over SF was too large (I was on a handheld on the airboss frequency).

Edit: Saturday show they flew. Sunday show - my day - they did not. However, it was several hours long and I got to see a 747, Osprey, Heli, Oracle plane, the Patriot Jet Team, the Snowbird Jet Team, and more. Not a bad day and all for the price of free in a boat over near Alcatraz.
 
For 2/3 three days shows, I usually go for the two long days. The night show is cool, but often times not worth the hassle. With a Sat/Sun affair, the flying portion is usually the same, so I go one day to watch the flying and the other day to spend checking out all the static displays. That also gives a little bit of flexibility if the wx hampers flying on one day.
 
Also gives different lighting conditions and maybe a chance at fixing a bad photo shot the first day. :)
 
Reviving this thread. We drove over today. Nice drive.

Watched the night airshow from the parking lot of the hotel in lawn chairs with beer from our cooler. ;)

Will post photos as I can. Got some shots of the Blues practicing today through the fence.
 
Nice pics Nate! Thanks.

I had to divert to Grand Junction once due to a really bad line of T-storms between me, and Denver. At the time it wasn't too hostile to GA, but the stories I hear now are a bit different.
 
P.S. He meant as in "in the show". I replied, "A 182 in Denver!" Heh. Apparently we're at the hotel most of the teams are staying at. ;)
 
Karen's wearing her Amelia's Landing shirt Jay, even if she's an evil Apple user unwelcome on random Texas islands. ;)

abavamyv.jpg
 
N801BH said:
So..............

What does Karen think of her first jet show???:dunno::dunno::confused:
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Her answer was... "Sweeeet!"

(That was some time after the "Holy ****!")

These guys had the best seats in the house, and well-deserved...

9adesyqa.jpg


Stairway to heaven?

4a2y3ere.jpg
 
Today's airshow photos will be posted later. I decided beer at the bar was more fun than scrubbing photos. :-)
 
Bartender to my dad: "I'm just learning people patience skills from you." ROFL!
 
Dad and I had scanners out for the Blues show today. Folks in the crowd around us always ask, "Is that the airplanes?"

I need to look and see what #4's callsign is, but if it's not "Hello", he's added a very funny routine to the radio calls.

During the big Diamond passes the lead asks for a roll-call. Of course, all of this is scripted and serves a purpose, but during those longer approaches where lead wants to know the solos have departed the Diamond back to their own solo frequency, he asks for a "roll-call" with all the usual cheesiness and goodness the team always utilizes to their great effect.

Roll-call is of course, a fast affair with lead sing-songing out the next maneuver and direction, "And now the Diamond break... Roll-call!" And the team responds.

In two days of listening I still haven't caught #2 and #3's callsigns, but #4 has perfected the dumb guy in the back who just woke up voice like he's surprised but the roll-call and ends each roll-call with "Hello!"

Other than the Air Boss telling the FAA maintenance guy who needed to turn off the VASI for some reason, "I don't know where you need to go... Hang on, I'll find out!", the #4 guy made me laugh out loud every time he did it.

One spectator near us said, "Those guys are having way too much fun." Absolutely!

Another comment overheard, "The Thinderbirds are all about airshows. These guys, it's all about flying."

Couldn't agree more. Go Blues!
 
Doing the walk of shame back to the hotel for SD cards. LOL. Checklist utilization, fail. :)
 
Playing Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" on the PA while a jet powered outhouse drives up and down the runway, is pretty funny.
 
denverpilot said:
In two days of listening I still haven't caught #2 and #3's callsigns, but #4 has perfected the dumb guy in the back who just woke up voice like he's surprised but the roll-call and ends each roll-call with "Hello!"
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#2 is "JK" or "Johnny Kittens".....was an instructor of mine in the Hornet FRS before he got picked up for the team a couple seasons ago. Not sure about the others, aside from #6 who was one of our T-45 instructors when I was going through advanced. I think his callsign probably got changed when he became a public figure, so I won't ellaborate on it :)
 
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