If you weren’t in St. Louis on June 11th and 12th you missed one of the summer’s most exciting midwest airshows. Pilots descended on the Spirit of St. Louis Airport to deliver an action-packed display of skill and precision. There were planes and jets representing every era of modern aircraft. With tickets sold out and thousands in attendance, the crowd sat awestruck throughout the day.
The Aircraft Everyone Came to See
The Blue Angels and their F/A-18F Super Hornet were the most anticipated performers of the weekend. The United States Navy’s best of the best provided a mix of precision choreography and air superiority with a side of “holy cow!”
The show also featured Lockheed Martin’s F-35A Lightning II. Piloted by USAF Major Kristin “Beo” Wolfe, she opened the throttle to show the crowd what happens when one of the most technologically advanced aircraft is put through its paces. The speed and the ear deafening noise were awesome.
The Warbird Heritage Foundation brought three historic and unique aircraft. Each aircraft had an important role in the United State’s pre and post WWII military success.
- The Moonbeam McSwine P-51D
- The A-4B Skyhawk
- The FG-1D Corsair
Additionally, the Boeing EA-18G Growler, a variant of the combat-proven F/A-18F Super Hornet, took flight. This aircraft provides tactical jamming and electronic protection to the U.S. Military and allies around the world.
Performers Left the Crowd Asking for More
Fans were thrilled to watch Skip Stewart show off his daring aerobatic moves. Flying his modified Pitts biplane, named “Prometheus,” he kept mouths open and heads spinning.
At the St. Louis Spirit Airshow, Matt Younkin flew a Beech 18, which was originally built in 1943 for the U.S. Army Air Corps as a navigation trainer. It was transferred to the Civil Aeronautics Administration in 1945. Matt has been flying aerobatics with it for the past 15 years. He, nor the plane, show no signs of stopping.
Then, there was the Phillips 66 Team. They have been performing together, side by side at around 250 mph, for more than a decade. These aerostars travel to shows around the country to perform coordinated aerobatic moves as a team. Yes, 250 mph. That is not a typo. Wow, they were cool.
Other Aircraft that Everyone Enjoyed
Boeing B-17G “Yankee Lady” was there as well. Dating back to the 1930s, the B-17G dropped more bombs than any other American aircraft during WWII.
The crowd loved the B-29 Superfortress named Doc. It’s actually named after the oldest dwarf in Snow White. Doc was saved from being sent to the scrapyard back in 1987. Now fully restored, it is only one of two flying B-29 Superfortresses left in the world.
Other planes that took flight and that you were able to see up close included:
- Dakota Territory Air Museum Hawker Hurricane
- PB4Y-2 Privateer
- Military Aviation Museum Spitfire
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXe
- De Havilland DH-98 Mosquito
- Sikorsky MH-60 Blackhawk helicopter
Interesting Aircraft That Were on Display
In addition to everything that was in the air, there was plenty to see on the ground. Aircraft that were on display at Spirit of St. Louis Airport included the following:
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX “Half Stork”
- C-130W Stinger II
- Lockheed Martin F-16C+ Falcon
- Tetron T-6B Texan II
- Aeronca L-3 “Lil Show Me”
- Beech D-18S
- TBM Avenger
- B-25 Show Me
- Boeing T-45C Goshawk
- T-2 Buckeye
- Northrop F-5N Freedom Fighter
- Boeing CH-47 Chinook
- Bell/Boeing CMV-22B Osprey
Taking a Tour
Visitors had the opportunity to tour and explore a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and NASA Aero Spacelines “Super Guppy.”
The STEM Expo
The airshow also included a STEM expo where kids of all ages were able to interact with science, technology, engineering and math. STEM makes learning fun!
Aero Charter
The Spirit of St. Louis Airport offered a great place to watch the show, but it would not have been the same without Aero Charter. Situated right in the middle of all of the action, the Aero Charter team opened the hangar doors and served the area’s best barbeque, letting friends and family watch the show in style.
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Aero Charter operates a diverse fleet of private planes and jets. Contact us today with any questions.
