The Blue Angels made an appearance at the St. Louis Spirit Air Show. We were able to watch from a bluff overlooking the event airport allowing us to look directly at the planes. Here they are flying their F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. Low flying and precision acrobatics made for a lot of excitement. Click here toContinue reading “F-15 Fly By”
Category Archives: Warbirds
Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXc
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXc is an iconic World War II British fighter. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin 60 series engine, it was famously designed as an emergency response to counter the Luftwaffe’s Fw 190. The “c” designation indicates its wing armament configuration. This Spitfire is performing at the 2026 Spirit of St. Louis AirContinue reading “Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXc”
F-22 Raptor
The F-22 Raptor is combination of stealth, supercruise, maneuverability, and integrated avionics, coupled with improved supportability, represents an exponential leap in warfighting capabilities. The Raptor performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions allowing full realization of operational concepts vital to the 21st century Air Force. Click here for complete air show photos.
The “Warthog”
The A-10C Thunderbolt II is the first Air Force aircraft specially designed for close air support of ground forces. They are simple, effective and survivable twin-engine jet aircraft that can be used against light maritime attack aircraft and all ground targets, including tanks and other armored vehicles. Click here for the all photos from theContinue reading “The “Warthog””
Blue Angels at the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels currently fly the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (specifically the single-seat F/A-18E and the two-seat F/A-18F). They transitioned from the older “Legacy” Hornet to the larger, more powerful Super Hornet to showcase the maximum capabilities of modern naval aviation. These are spectaculr to watch. Phots were taken at the 2026 SpiritContinue reading “Blue Angels at the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show”
23 Skidoo
Old and new
North American P-51 Mustang flying with Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. The Mustang was introduced in 1941 and has a top speed of 441 mph. The Raptor was introduced in 2005 and has a top speed of 1,500 mph (well, maybe). The extreme maneuverability of the Raptor is demonstrated here, where it is easily flying inContinue reading “Old and new”
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
From time to time nearby Scott Airforce Base hosts a fantastic air show showcasing aircraft from early bi-planes to the latest technology fughters. Here, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather tactical stealth fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force.
Waking the Beast
If someone woke you up, you would be grumpy too. Starting this Wright Twin Cyclone’s 14 cylinders is fun to watch as it kicks and backfires during the startup process. Here you see the co-pilot watch the engine as each cylinder comes in line until they all are working in unison. Once all is running smoothlyContinue reading “Waking the Beast”
Stearman
Commemorative Air Force’s P-17 Stearman. The Army and Navy both used the trusty Stearman where they were referred to primarily as a PT-17 with the Army and a N2S-3 with the Navy. Although the Stearman was challenging to fly in the hands of a student pilot with no previous experience, it allowed instructors to quickly evaluateContinue reading “Stearman”