Tinker AFB Air Show 2023 Blue Angels, F-35 Demo Team and much more! FREE ADMISSION!

[Pulp]

My wife’s cousin was a Blue Angel pilot for awhile. Retired from the Navy, flew commercial jets for a couple of years. Said it was too boring, re-upped and got shot down over VietNam. His remains were finally returned to the US after about 20 years.
His Blue Angel jet is in Tishomingo.

 

[DavidMcmillan]

Probably 15 years ago, or so, there was an air show at Davis Field outside Muskogee. There was a group of WWII aircraft and a mock Japanese attack on the USS Batfish submarine on the NW area of Muskogee. The Batfish is "docked" pretty close to the turnpike and there were so many cars pulled over to watch that OHP had to come out to get them all moving again. That was the last time they planned an event like that.....

 

[mtnboomr]

I'll just sit on my roof and watch it. And I won't have to worry about parking.

 

[okiebertt]

I always liked a good airshow, especially the military jets. I went to a lot of them. The F22 demo was awesome, looking forward to seeing the F35.


Here is my son back in the 80s at Tinker with a Thunderbird T-shirt.

And here he is about 20 years later with boys of his own. Going to all those shows must have rubbed off on him.

 

[Snattlerake]

Probably 15 years ago, or so, there was an air show at Davis Field outside Muskogee. There was a group of WWII aircraft and a mock Japanese attack on the USS Batfish submarine on the NW area of Muskogee. The Batfish is "docked" pretty close to the turnpike and there were so many cars pulled over to watch that OHP had to come out to get them all moving again. That was the last time they planned an event like that.....

I was there! Well, maybe not that year. I was there in 85. We flew down from Pratt, KS for the Jaycees to interview and get acts for our show. They had a Harrier come in along with an F-14 Tomcat. The funny part was you could see the air force fighters landing really smoothly with a chirp chirp when they touched down. The F-14 came in on final and WHAM! down on the runway. We laughed our asses off.

 

[Jason Freeland]

I was there! Well, maybe not that year. I was there in 85. We flew down from Pratt, KS for the Jaycees to interview and get acts for our show. They had a Harrier come in along with an F-14 Tomcat. The funny part was you could see the air force fighters landing really smoothly with a chirp chirp when they touched down. The F-14 came in on final and WHAM! down on the runway. We laughed our asses off.

Had a friend who was a flight attendant, and they could always tell the AF vs Navy pilots by how they landed.

 

[RickN]

I was there! Well, maybe not that year. I was there in 85. We flew down from Pratt, KS for the Jaycees to interview and get acts for our show. They had a Harrier come in along with an F-14 Tomcat. The funny part was you could see the air force fighters landing really smoothly with a chirp chirp when they touched down. The F-14 came in on final and WHAM! down on the runway. We laughed our asses off.

That is how F-14s land. I know, back in the late 70s I got to take a ride in one. Scared the hell out of me and the pilot was a friend of mine taking it easy on me, he said. I still almost tossed my cookies but luckily did not. They train them to do that short carrier landing and I do not think they know any other way. He was practicing his take offs and landings doing what he called Touch & Goes between the air base and the carrier. I made one circuit with him and that was more than enough.

 

[Lee Beaittie]

Recall the air shows at the FAA. They had the SR71 one year and the AN225 monster.
Tinker shows are always good plus free.

That was the year Tom Jones passed away when he crashed his Sukhoi.

 

[Lee Beaittie]

I was at that one on Saturday. Sunday, one of the stunt pilots suffered a midair heart attack and flew his plane into the ground.
Edit, I'll miss this air show, but will get to see the blue angels next year. We will be RV'ing near Pensecola Fla. They said if they aren't gone to a show, they are practicing just offshore.

Yes that was Tom Jones the Air Show coordinator, he used to own the Del Rancho on S.W 44th and Penn, Chopper 4 pilot Mason Dunn and I use to work for him circa 78-79

 

[Gadsden]

That is how F-14s land. I know, back in the late 70s I got to take a ride in one. Scared the hell out of me and the pilot was a friend of mine taking it easy on me, he said. I still almost tossed my cookies but luckily did not. They train them to do that short carrier landing and I do not think they know any other way. He was practicing his take offs and landings doing what he called Touch & Goes between the air base and the carrier. I made one circuit with him and that was more than enough.

Going up in a fighter jet is on my bucket list, I see it as the ultimate coaster ride. I know there's a couple places that will take people up in some of the older jets, one of them is in Florida, but it ain't cheap.