2008 Wichita Air Show

I have been hearing about the air show since I moved to Wichita. Being an aviation enthusiast, I was looking forward towards this experience. Wichita air show was on 23rd and 24th august.http://www.wichitafestivals.com/events/WFF/index.html

When I reached close to the airfield, I could see pilots performing stunts in the sky. I wanted to stop driving and just gaze at the sky. I was enthralled. Eventually I did find a parking and parked my car. There were many acrobat pilots including Patty Wagstaff. http://www.pattywagstaff.com/ I had read about Patty that she is one of the best and this was my chance to see her finesse. Hers was my favorite stunt. The best one was when she flew her plane upside down approx 100ft above ground. To execute a performance like that one needs temperament, poise, and has to be flying connoisseur. Kudos to this young female pilot.

All the pilots were twirling their planes, stalling their planes so skillfully, forming beautiful formations etc. One pilot spin the plane with engine shut off, then came out of spin, and landed. He did all this with engine shut off by just manipulating the elevators, rudders, and flaps. It was amazing. Then a trio performed displaying all sorts of formations in the sky. The scariest one was when all three planes were converging towards each other just to traverse each very narrowly. I missed a breadth for a second. I felt like they almost collided. There was a beautiful display of absolute symphony in their performance.

While all these thrilling performances were being exhibited in sky, there were planes on display in ground. There was a F-86 on display. I climbed on the wings to experience the thrill inside the cabin. I was awed at the sight of the gadgetry installed on that minuscule cabin. It is a beautiful piece of art, majesty, and annihilation. There were business jets and a Boeing plane on display too.

Towards the end of the show came the mighty F-15E. I could feel the sound of this ogre in my heartbeat. It was a breathtaking experience. No, wonder why the world is petrified of it. The show was brought to an end with a performance called Harmony. An old fighter plane and F-15E flew next to each other in complete harmony. Then they went apart horizontally and later the F-15E rose straight up in a line. F-15E flies at the speed of sound and the speed can be professed by the swiftness at which it covers distance vertically. It vanishes in seconds.

I came out of the show convinced that there is nothing more liberating than flying free in sky like a bird.