Thunder in the Valley: Three in a Row for AviationBull

Submitted by Jason on Wed, 03/24/2010 - 15:41

For the third year running, Jon lead an AviationBull expedition to Columbus, GA's Thunder in the Valley Air Show this weekend. It's a bit of a smaller show, but it's always a fun time! Read on here for an overview and watch for a couple other topics big enough to warrant their own stories.

Maybe it's wrong to start with the climax, but the last act of the show was a pair of aerobatic planes dueling across show center. Nobody was expecting 50 barrels full of gasoline to go up on this pass, but it was sure a great surprise. The shock wave thumped me firmly in the chest and there was a noticeable wave of heat right behind it.

	This MX-2 put on a great show. I'm always impressed at how aerobatic pilots can make their planes tumble as if out of control and then recover on a moment's notice. This one did some really crazy stuff...he landed on the roof of a hangar doing about 150 knots. (Ok not really, but it's a cool picture, isn't it?)
	The wing of an Air Guard C-130 provided a nice shady spot for watching the show...as long as you didn't mind dodging droplets of oil or hydro or something. I think the Navy guys sticking out the top of their E-2 had the best seat in the house though.