The US Air Force air demonstration squadron, the Thunderbirds, debuted their new “wicked-high” show at the 2012 SUN ‘n FUN International Convention and Expo in Lakeland Florida on April 1, 2012.

Traditionally, the Thunderbirds have had two different shows: the high show when ceilings are unlimited, and the low show when weather doesn’t permit climbing to the top of the aerobatic box.

Audiences worldwide have become used to seeing either the low or the high show at airshows all around the world, and the Air Force thought it was time to show off the high-altitude capabilities of the F-16 Viper. The new wicked-high show was born.

While most aerobatic boxes go from the surface to 15,000 feet, the new wicked high show aerobatic box will started 15,000 feet and go all the way to the aircraft’s service ceiling of 55,000 feet.

The primary mission of the Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron is recruiting. The Air Force recognizes that, without the ability to actually see the jets in the flight, not much will be helped in the area of recruiting. Thus, the Air Force issued binoculars to the first 100,000 spectators to arrive at airshow site.

The F-16 Viper is capable of high-altitude air superiority, giving the United States a clear advantage over enemy air forces across the globe. With BVR capabilities, the Viper can shoot down enemy aircraft from beyond the visual range of the Mark 1 Eyeball, two of which are standard equipment on every Viper.

Audiences at this year’s SUN ‘n FUN event in Lakeland, Florida seemed happy with the new format of the airshow, giving the Air Force the confidence to continue with the new wicked-high show at future Air Force Thunderbird events.

For the third year in a row, I will be camping on the field at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport for the annual Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In. I camped in the same spot for the last two years, and it seems to have worked out well. So this year I am hoping that my friends, old and new, will decide to pitch their tents near me. Some of you have already said you would.

So where am I camping? Right here:

Sun 'n Fun 2011 New Media Camping

The spot is right on the edge of a retention pond on an elevated berm. My theory is higher is better, especially because rain is forecast during the week.

Here is the invitation: if you would like, please pitch your tent near mine. There will be some other friends pitching theirs here as well. I think it might be kind of awesome to have a “New Media Forward Strike Base” from which to start our Sun ‘n Fun festivities every day. And I would love to sit around and swap stories with everyone at the end of the day.

If you are so inclined, click the photo above for a larger picture, and feel free to look me up on Twitter (@DaveFlys) if you need directions. And if you already have plans to camp somewhere else, like under the wing of your plane, then at least stop in and see us.

Who is coming?

Rotating Beacon at Valkaria Airport (X59)

In my last post, I said that this “little airport that could” had been getting a bunch of upgrades recently. This new rotating beacon is one of them.

I can’t wait to see what they add next.

Pilot-Controlled AWOS at X59

While I believe Valkaria Airport (X59) will always be a small community airport, it’s great to see upgrades being added to increase usefulness and safety. Recently, the runways have been repainted, PAPI has been installed, a new windsock erected, and a rotating beacon has been placed into operation.

This pilot-controlled AWOS is also one of the new additions to the airport. It adds a level of safety and utility.

For this community, this is the little airport that could.

Stiff Windsock at Valkaria Airport X59

I dropped by Valkaria Airport (X59) a few days ago to make some plans for media coverage and gather some photo and video coverage for the upcoming Valkaria Air Fest. This photo speaks volumes. Any guesses as to why almost no one was flying on this day?

Air Tractor AT-802 on the north GA ramp at KMLB

Admittedly, I had a difficult time with this one. Aside from the obvious fact that this was a crop duster of some sort, I had no idea what make or model this airplane was. So I turned to my friends on Twitter. Within minutes of posting the question and a link to the photo, I was headed in the right direction. Thanks to @replies from @pilot2b, @bgwickham, and @Blackprojects, I was able to determine that this is an Air Tractor AT-802.

There were two of them on the north GA ramp at Melbourne on the day I took this picture. I bet THAT is a fun airplane to fly.

Citabria on the ramp at FIT Aviation - KMLB

FIT Aviation, an FBO on the field at KMLB and part of Florida Tech, has this American Champion Citabria available for training. I’m a little blue that it was tied down on the ramp here with a canopy cover on the windscreen as opposed to in the air pulling Gs, but I do believe it gets to fly quite a bit.

KMLB North Tee Hangars - Prepping For Flight

As expected, I am not able to keep up with posting a new photo every single day. Here’s the latest.

While driving past the north tee hangars at my home airport of Melbourne International Airport (KMLB), I spotted a Cherokee after it had been pulled out. It appeared like they were preflighting it. As I snapped the photo, I caught another Cherokee on the “go” for 27R.

Air Traffic Control Tower at KMLB

This is the air traffic control tower at Melbourne International Airport (KMLB). I’ve actually be inside this tower a number of times. It does not seem to be very tall, but it offer plenty of visibility over the entire field. As far as I know, the only place (besides the T-hangars) that it cannot see is on the east side of the passenger terminal.

The folks that operate this control tower are highly professional and they handle a wide variety of operations, including private and business general aviation flights, a large Part 141 flight school, scheduled airlines, and even a medical rescue helicopter.

Cherokee in FIT Transient Parking at KLMB

There was a pretty hefty weather system moving through the area today, so I didn’t get any new pictures. This picture of a Piper Cherokee was taken two days ago.

This is the FIT ramp at KMLB. In the background you can see a bunch of planes painted in the FIT livery, and beyond that the passenger terminal for scheduled airlines is visible. This particular Cherokee, presumably a transient, had just started his engine when I snapped the photo.

There was also another line of transient aircraft behind this one, and there were people milling about on the flight line. It’s good to see an active flight line, isn’t it?

UPDATE: I have been told that this particular Cherokee currently is a part of the FIT fleet. It is being leased to help accomodate the lasrge number of contract students.

Having to add more airplanes to the fleet to accomodate more students is a great problem to have, I say. Thanks to my friend Casey for providing this information. If you’re not following him on Twitter, you should be.