Mon, Apr 01, 2019
A-4 Skyhawks, F-100s Return To The Air Show Circuit In 2022
Aero-News April 1 Special Edition
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are going retro, bringing back some of their classic airplanes for the 2022 air show season.
The two teams jointly announced April 1 that the Blue Angels will fly the season in A-4 Skyhawks, while the Thunderbirds will take to the skies in F-100 Super Sabres.
The Blue Angels flew the A-4 Skyhawks from 1974 to 1986. The Navy determined that they had the best chance of finding and getting a team of seven A-4s in the air, rather than going back to something earlier. "The A-4 is an airplane that many fans will recognize, and still give us the capability to put on much the same show as we do today," said Rear Admiral James Bynum, commander of the Naval Air Training Command. "They always were a great airplane, and we're looking forward to presenting that part of our heritage during the 2022 air show season.
The Thunderbirds became the world’s first supersonic aerial demonstration team when it transitioned to the F-100C Super Sabre in 1956. "I'd love to get into the cockpit of one of those classic old birds," said Lt. Col. John Caldwell is the Commander/Leader of the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron. "The weren't in use for very long. We went to the F-105B for a little while in 1964, then back to the F-100s until we got the F-4 Phantoms in 1969. It will present a challenge to the pilots, but I'm sure they'll be up to the task. And the fans will love that "sound of freedom".
Not to be outdone, the U.S. Army Golden Knights said they will bring back round parachutes for at least a portion of their shows. "We want to pay homage to those thousands of troops who dropped into combat zones using a classic round canopy," U.S. Army Recruiting Command Commanding General Maj. Gen. Frank M. Muth. "It will add some uncertainty to where the soldiers will land, but we're working through all those questions. It's going to be great! I'd be first in line to jump with one."
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