2005
Wheels & Wings Airshow & Car Show, Millville, NJ
20-22 May 2005
(Photos courtesy of
Greg Witmer & Stan Piet)
Despite
the unfortunate rainout of the Friday evening “Light the Night” airshow at
the Millville Airport on 20 May 2005, well over 70,000 attended the two day
event on Armed Forces Weekend and saw some of the best military and civilian
performers in the business today.
By far, the 2005 Wheels & Wings Airshow and Car Show represented the best
variety and talent in the history of the event.
The
All-Star cast of performers that graced the flightline and skies above Millville
included military performers such as the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, US Army
Golden Knights, USAF F-15 Eagle West Coast Demonstration Team, US Navy F/A-18C
Hornet East Coast Demonstration Team, and daily flybys from the 49th
FW in the F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter and the 108th ARW in their
McGuire AFB based KC-135E Stratotanker.
Flybys on Saturday included a Dyess AFB B-1B Lancer, Dover AFB C-5B
Galaxy, and Whiteman AFB B-2A Spirit Stealth Bomber.
On Sunday, a McGuire AFB C-17A Globemaster III joined the airshow.
Coming
back to Millville for their second visit in the past 3 years, the Canadian
Forces Snowbirds flew fantastic performances at the conclusion of the airshow
which provided the airshow fans with over 35 different maneuvers and formations
during their 40 minutes performance. Other great military demonstrations were flown by the
F-15 West Coast and F/A-18C East Coast demonstration teams, along with the USAF
Heritage Flight.
Each
morning started with a short flight demonstration by the American Modeler
Association’s RC Modeler demonstration followed by the National Anthems of
Canada and the United States being sung while the US Army Golden Knights flew in
the colors of each nation. Following the anthems, a mass exit showline spread was
performed by the Golden Knights to the delight of the thousands that made it an
early day at the 2005 Wheels & Wings Airshow and Car Show. Following the opening ceremonies we had Ron Saglimbene
in his SF260 Marchetti with tri-color smoke followed by the 
“Torch”
whose daredevil antics delighted the early arriving crowd.
Roger Lehnert then performed as the “Flying Farmer” in his J3C Cub.
Following Roger, McGuire AFB provided numerous KC-135E Stratotanker and
C-17A Globemaster III flybys.
Next was “Mr. Airshow” Gene Soucy with his ShowCat Solo and later in
the day he performed once again with Ms. Teresa Stokes wingwalking on the orange
and yellow aircraft.
The
Vultures Formation Team performed each afternoon as well with two different
aircraft combinations. On Saturday,
the team flew with 4 RV-6s and 2 Rutan LongEZ/VariEZE designs as the soloists.
On Sunday, the team fielded a 5-ship of RV-6s.
This great formation team delighted the crowd both days during their 15
minutes of airtime.
As the
Millville Army Air Field Museum is the main sponsor of this event, the event
would not be complete without Warbirds.
The 2005 warbird flight at Millville included Marine’s Dream FG-1D
Corsair, a TBM-3E Avenger, P-47D Thunderbolt, P-51D Mustang, and T-6G Texan.
Kevin Russo performed in his SNJ-6 on Saturday afternoon and Jim Beasley
Jr. flew several passes in his P-51D Mustang on Saturday and a full
demonstration on Sunday.
More of
the All-Star line-up continued with Drew Hurley in his YAK 55 and Tim Weber in
the GEICO sponsored Extra 300.
Both of these performers showcased the best in German and Russian built
aircraft and also the reason why they are considered to be two of the best
airshow pilots in the world today.
On of
the most talked about demonstrations/flybys came from the USAF F-117A Nighthawk
each afternoon. Saturday’s
flight included numerous low level passes with tight turns and great profiles of
the nimble stealth fighter. On Sunday, the aircraft sneaked up on the crowd with a
high speed, low level entry from directly behind the crowd that “wowed” the
airshow audience.
Along
with all of the civilian pilots, TORA TORA TORA re-enacted the attack on Pearl
Harbor on 7 December 1941. Along
with the TORA Bomb Squad, the performances each day were educational, emotional,
and perfectly choreographed and narrated.
Well
over 1000 classic cars, hot rods, race cars, and motorcycles graced the car show
arena of the event throughout the weekend.
Greg Biffle’s Army National Guard NASCAR was also in attendance as were
numerous vintage cars from the Thunderbolt Raceway which will be built adjacent
to the Millville Airport in the next few years. A Monster Truck also provided
daily rides to airshow and car show fans and the FAA William J. Hughes Technical
Center demonstrated their new “Snorkle” Fire Truck numerous times each day.
Listing of
Display Aircraft
Static
Display each afternoon were widely varied and offered the attending public a
sample all sorts of aviation. From aircraft engines to Army tanks and Hot Air Balloons to
AMA’s exhibit of RC Models, there was something for everyone.
A huge 707 was on static display as was the Delaware Air National Guard
C-130H Hercules. The US Navy
brought in a new T-6A Texan II and the Canadian’s brought in one of the CT-142
Gonzos. The NY
Air National Guard displayed one of the HH-60G Pavehawk III aircraft and was
flanked by Stubby from the American Helicopter Museum.
The FAA Tech Center was on display with their LearJet 60 and King Air 300
along with various warbirds from the Yankee Air Force, Commemorative Air Force,
and numerous private owners.
Several CJ-6s, YAK-52s, an L-39, and L-29 also graced the ramp.
Although
Friday evening’s show did not go off as planned, the event was a massive
success for the Millville Army Air Field Museum.
Look for another great airshow and car show at the Millville Airport in
the Spring of 2006.