Posted on 04/25/2018 10:46:09 AM PDT by huldah1776
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- While all members of Davis-Monthan AFB have maintained our mission of sustaining attack airpower, a select group of Airmen have been preparing for an additional mission; demonstrating the capabilities of the A-10C Thunderbolt II.
The A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team will perform demos for the first time in seven years for the 2018 air show season. The A-10 will be one of three single-ship aerial demonstration teams in Air Combat Command.
Its humbling to be selected as the team to bring back the A-10 demo, said Master Sgt. Derek Allen, A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team superintendent. We are all excited to get back out there to not only showcase the capabilities of the A-10, but also the professionalism of all the men and women of Air Combat Command.
The team consists of one pilot, one superintendent, a noncommissioned officer-in-charge, three crew chiefs, an avionics systems specialist, aerospace propulsion systems specialist, electrical and environmental systems specialist, and a public affairs specialist.
The teams pilot for the season is Capt. Cody Wilton. Wilton is a prior-enlisted officer with more than 1,300 hours flying the A-10 and has 17 years of active duty service.
To be selected to represent the finest attack pilots and maintainers in the Air Force is a unique opportunity and a privilege we dont take lightly, Wilton said.
Wilton has been going through extensive training to be certified as the A-10 Demo Team pilot. This training includes 17 syllabus sorties, with four required certification flights, and three off-station training flights.
The demonstration pilot upgrade syllabus is one of the more challenging upgrades Ive taken part in, Wilton said. The maneuvers are not the typical maneuvers flown on a normal training mission, and to do them consistently at such a low altitude takes a lot of practice and film review.
He will receive his final certification from Gen. Mike Holmes, ACC commander, during the Heritage Flight Training Course at Davis-Monthan AFB, Feb. 28-March 4. Upon completion of the course, Wilton will be certified to fly with World War II and Korean War-era aircraft.
The A-10 Demo Team originally consisted of two east and west counterparts before both were deactivated in 2011. The A-10 flew in heritage flight formations in 2012 and 2017 before reactivating as a single-ship demonstration for 2018.
The A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team is scheduled to fly at 20 airshows throughout the U.S., Canada and Korea, with the first show of the season at Luke AFB, Arizona, March 17-18.
As members of the 354th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, we will showcase the Bulldog attack mission to everyone who comes out to our shows, Allen said. You can expect to see and meet the best single-ship demonstration team the Air Force has to offer. Pride, professionalism, and excellence is what we bring with us wherever we go.
The A-10 Demo Team will highlight the aircrafts unique capabilities such as rapid roll rates, low and high speed maneuverability, and short takeoffs and landings, which all make the A-10 a premier close air support asset.
For more information on the A-10 Demo Team and to view the teams full schedule, please visit http://www.acc.af.mil/Home/Aerial-Events/A-10-Heritage-Team/.
Here goes (enjoy):
https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/A10DemoTeam
schedule:
http://www.acc.af.mil/Home/Aerial-Events/A-10-Demonstration-Team/A-10-HF-Schedule/
FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/A10DemoTeam/
cockpit view video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY5BBUx8WX4
LiveLeak video:
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=076_1520004780
You could sit in your Trench and hold up a match and you could light it on it’s belly
I honestly believe the A-10 is so macho it could fly with no engines and no wings.
That was my thought ,, to truly demo the A-10 they should have one sitting on the runway and have a crew come out with sawzalls and cut off half a wing , half the tail and throw rocks into one engine... and then do a full attack program.
Been a long time since I heard that lol
Warthogs!
Ping.
“I honestly believe the A-10 is so macho it could fly with no engines and no wings.”
Didn’t Obama and his ass kissing military sycophants try and do away with this magnificent aircraft?
The A-10 puts on a great show. It almost always does the show tight over the runway unlike the fast movers. It can turn in a radius that appears to pivot on a wing.
Republic Aircraft P-47 "Thunderbolt"
Built in greater quantities than any other US fighter, the P-47 was the heaviest single-engine WWII fighter to go into production and the first piston-powered fighter to exceed 500 mph. The Thunderbolt performed 546,000 combat sorties between March of 1943 and August 1945 and is considered the real forerunner of today's multirole fighters.
[Well regarded for its ground attack ability and protection of its pilot, especially in the ETO.]
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (aka "Warthog")
Note the nose stinger, the noisy but effective 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannon, when the need is to reach out and touch the bad guys! Does a GREAT job of pilot protection as well and still flies with lots of damage!
i flew countless missions with the A10 Tank Killer when i was a young man in my 20s... i loved that video game.
The P-47 was nicknamed “The Jug”.
Sadly yex. Unsurprising given his hate for gha US and the miki6.
I would love to see that. They used to fly over low and slow when I was hanging out the wash before Desert Storm. Willow Grove closed though.
The P-47 had a reputation for being one tough fighter aircraft. There’s a story out of World War II where a pilot had done a ground strafing run but he was little too low and before he knew it he was headed straight for a brick wall. The fighter crashed through the brick wall and kept on flying. Matter of fact, he made it all the way back to base with no problem. Like I said, the P-47 was one tough aircraft.
If you don't get to hear the "gun song", it ain't an A-10 demo, IMO...
Only "game" I've ever allowed to run on my machines. Wore out several joysticks on it.
I have the User Manual here beside me as I type this... '-)
BTW, do you know of a similar (or improved, by now) A-10 flight simulator that will run on modern 32/64 bit machines?
I flew A10 Tank killer... been looking for a retro simulator for a while to no avail... will look for A10 Attack too.
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