Lemoore is the West Coast’s main Strike Fighter base and is home to all the Navy’s West Coast Hornet squadrons. In total there are 18 front line squadrons based here and, since VFA-125 was merged with VFA-122, one large training squadron giving a total of over 300 aircraft home based at Lemoore, all Hornets apart from a handful of T-34C Mentors.
Reeves Field has two main parallel runways, 14/32 Left and Right, with the hangars and aprons between them. For the airshow the west apron was used as the car park and to get to it the traffic was directed along Runway 32L! Runway 14L/32R was the main display runway, on the east side of the field, which meant that the light got progressively better during the day.
It’s seven years since Lemoore had an airshow, so the opportunity to visit and the level of participation was no doubt sufficient for the majority of the crowd. However, for the hardened airshow goer the number of aircraft on display, both in the air and particularly on the ground, was disappointing.
For the static display the home team provided a selection of F/A-18 Hornets of various models, including two of the specially painted CoNA aircraft. All but one of the others were brightly painted Commanders' aircraft. Visiting US Navy aircraft were an E-6B Mercury, the CoNA EA-18G Growler from VAQ-129 at NAS Whidbey Island, an F-16A from the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at NAS Fallon and a pair of T-34C Mentors from TAW 5 at NAS Whiting Field, including one of the CoNA ones. The only other military aircraft on display were a pair of F-16Cs from the 144th Fighter Wing of the California Air National Guard at nearby Fresno, and an MQ-1B Predator. The only other static display items were a small number of warbirds and a number of light aircraft.
The flying display consisted of a number of the regular West Coast display acts, a selection of warbirds, primarily from the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force at Camarillo, the USAF’s Viper West Team, a tactical demonstration by an F/A-18F from VFA-122 and the US Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels.
Opening the flying display were the US Navy’s Leapfrog Parachute Team, who jumped from the Commemorative Air Force’s C-53D “D-Day Doll”. There were several solo aerobatic displays; Bill Cornick and Spencer Suderman in their Pitts S-2s, Doug Jardine in the only Sbach 342 flying in the USA and Jacquie B in her recently acquired Extra 300. An interesting twist on the usual aerobatic routine saw Bill Cornick and Spencer Suderman in an aerobatic race. This saw them performing the same manoeuvres but as a race, flying side by side, pitting their different models of the Pitts – Bill has an S-2C whilst Spencer’s in as S-2B - against each other.
The Silver Wings Wingwalking team performed twice, first with founders Margaret Stivers and Hartley Folstad followed by Marion Wagner and Lee Oman. Both acts were different, with Margaret and Hartley’s display being more gentile, whilst Marion and Lee jazzed it up with various aerobatic manoeuvres. One pass had Marion hanging upside down off the front of the wing! Not only were their routines different but Margaret was wearing a bright red suit, Marion a bright yellow one!
One of the more unusual routines was Dan Buchanan and his hang glider. He started off being towed aloft whilst Doug Jardine was completing his display. This resulted in him being chased by the local Law Enforcement until he released from the tow-line and performed his routine before landing in front of the commentary position, where he was promptly "arrested"! What makes his display special is that Dan is a paraplegic!
The main warbird display consisted of the Commemorative Air Force's B-25J Mitchell “Executive Sweet”, P-51D Mustang “Man o’ War”, F-8F Bearcat and Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero, one of only three flying in the USA. The Mitchell flew simulated bombing runs, which provided an excuse for plenty of pyrotechnics, while the Mustang and the Bearcat protected it from the Zero! The Bearcat was being flown by Capt Mark Hubbard, one of Lemoore’s own. His day job is Commander Strike Fighter Wing Pacific (CSFWP) and his F/A-18C Hornet was in the static display, in a WWII CoNA colour scheme.
Greg Colyer, in his Canadair built T-33 “Ace Maker”, was the lone jet warbird and rounding it off was John Collver in his SNJ-5 “War Dog”. Having flown his display he then raced the Smoke and Thunder jet car, driven by Bill Braack, down the runway,
The only item from the USAF was Air Combat Command's F-16 Viper West Demo Team, flown this year by Capt Garrett “Mace” Dover from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB. Mace flew a spirited display with plenty of burner, noise and vapour, which generated lots of excitement for the large crowd! The host station provided a pair of F/A-18F Super Hornets from VFA-122, one flew a Tactical Demonstration and then both joined up with Capt Hubbard in the Bearcat for the Legacy Flight.
The show was wrapped up by the Blue Angels, who flew with their usual precision. However, they did appear to be having some technical issues. Their normal take off routine is for '1' to '4' to launch in formation in one direction and then for '5' and '6' to go the other way. On Sunday '5' got airborne alone and performed some solo passes before eventually being joined by '6'! The team's C-130 “Fat Albert” normally gets in on the act but didn’t fly on either day.
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