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THUNDER OVER DOVER
Thunderbirds highlight of weekend show
Dover Air Force Base hosts open house on 75h anniversary
Two of the Thunderbirds perform a seemingly impossible maneuver known as the Calypso Pass during a show on Friday afternoon. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will perform on both days of the air show. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO
August 26, 2017
Military families enter an Air Force cargo plane during Friday’s open house. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO
Dozens of airplanes are on display in front of the Dover Air Force Base hangars. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO
A member of the Army Black Daggers Parachute Team brings the U.S. flag to the family day event. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO
Four of the six Thunderbirds fly in formation. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO
Skip Hyle pilots a restored Harvard Mk IV aircraft, used for training during World War II.
Members of the Air Force Wings of Blue Parachute Team come in for a landing.
The Thunderbirds taxi to the runway to prepare for takeoff.
Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds seemingly pass within a few feet of one another in the inverted opposing knife edge maneuver.
The Thunderbirds perform their signature Delta Burst.
Thunderbirds pilot Maj. Alex Turner waves to the crowd after landing.
Thunderbirds pilots pose for photographs.
Thunderbirds are ready for action. The team will complete 72 demonstrations this year.
Members of the Air Force Wings of Blue Parachute Team are done performing.
Thunderbirds pilots stand at attention before going to their jets.
Thunderbirds pilot Maj. Nick Krajicek gives a thumbs up.
Maj. Whit Collins is the opposing solo pilot in the six-man team.
CM-5 Super Galaxy is among the largest cargo planes in the world.
Visitors seem lost in the large cargo bay of a C-5.
John Lackey stands on a wing of the TBM Avenger “Doris Mae.”
U.S. Army Black Daggers parachute in tandem.
A Black Dagger parachute team member brings the U.S. flag to the ground.
Alex Williams of the Air Force Wings of Blue Parachute Team prepares to land.
Wild Blue is among several aerial performers.
A United States Coast Guard Dauphin helicopter performs a rescue mission demonstration.
A red-nosed P-51D Mustang takes part in the air show. The plane was used extensively during World War II and the Korean War.
Air show spectators keep their eyes to the sky.
Female pilot Jacquie Warda flies upside down.
The Spirit of California, a B-2 stealth bomber, creates a cutting-edge profile in the sky above Dover. The bomber is part of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
Aimed with long lenses, photographers capture the excitement of the air show.
Lines are long to take tours of the large cargo planes.
Members of the U.S. Army Black Daggers Parachute Team do a combat drop with their equipment attached to their feet. They released the equipment on a line just before landing.
F-14 and F-18 jets seem to be shadowing one another as they fly in unison.
Jets separate after flying side by side.
The Viper takes off sideways not far above the runway.
The Viper thrills the crowd flying upside down.
With the Thunderbirds in the foreground, a C-130 jet prepares to land.
The restored World War II B-25 bomber, Panchito, does a fly by during the air show. The historic plane’s home base is in Georgetown.
A Royal Navy Harrier Jet hovers before making a landing.
Thunderbirds
Air show visitors aim their cameras and phones skyward as the Thunderbirds perform.
The Thunderbirds fly straight up in the sky.
Thunderbirds are lined and ready for three aerial performances.
Precision is the hallmark of a Thunderbirds performance, including the ground preparation.
A Thunderbirds crew member is not far from the exhaust of the jets.
Flying upside down is all in a day’s work for Thunderbirds pilots.
The Commemorative Air Force Capital Wing’s “Doris Mae” is always a popular plane at air shows. It carries the World War II markings of a Marine Corps squadron assigned to the USS Gilbert Islands.
The Boeing B-1B Lancer “Bone” has a crew of four and is designed for high-altitude flight.
Bombs are stored in the under belly of the Boeing B-1B Lancer.
Members of the U.S. Air Force Academy Sabre Team practice before taking part in opening ceremonies.
Large crowds attend the two days of Thunder Over Dover.
Amish from the Dover area have a front-row seat to watch events unfold before them.
Dwarfed by a large 190-ton, C-17 jet, Grant Edwards prepares to make an attempt to pull it. Edwards, who works at the Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C., is a commander in the Australian Federal Police and the former strongest man in the country.
Australian Federal Police Commander Grant Edwards pulls a rope to move a C-17 on the DAFB runway. He is attempting to set a world record.
Visitors say the long wait is worth it to go inside an Air Force C-130.
One of the Thunderbirds is towed to its display area as the crowd gets a close look.
