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| Heritage Flight -- 2- P-51 Mustangs and the F-16 Viper |
The Experimental Aircraft Association Oshkosh Air Venture
2018 was a roaring success. And the F-16 Viper certainly turned up the noise on
the flight line.
USAF Major John “Rain” Waters is the commander and F-16
pilot for the USAF F-16 Viper Demo Team, which seeks to inspire young pilots
and plane maintainers. His precision and skill makes the demonstration both
exciting and powerful. The expert level of flying and the sheer volume that
comes with the demo entertained the crowd.
According to his biography, Waters is a fighter pilot with
over 960 combat hours in the MC-12W and F-16.
The Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge for the Viper Demo
Team is Tech. Sgt. Kam Glowacki who hails from a neighboring town of ours:
Streamwood, Illinois. Among various responsibilities, he supervises the
maintenance of the four aircraft, organizes travel arrangements, and overseas
individual training.
The team also includes Superintendent Master Sgt. Chris
Schneider, Avionics Specialist Tech. Sgt. Stephen Mullins, Dedicated Crew Chief
Tech Sgt. Dominic Dizes, Dedicated Crew Chief Staff Sgt. Luis Lopez, Dedicated
Crew Chief Staff Sgt. Adam Armstrong, Public Affairs Senior Airman Destinee
Sweeney, and Public Affairs Senior Airman Sean Sweeney.
According to the Viper Demo Team mission statement, the Shaw
Air Force Base Air Combat Command F-16 Viper Demonstration Team both
demonstrates combat capabilities and works with the Air Force Heritage Flight
Foundation uniting the past and present.
It was thrilling to watch the Viper Demo Team this year –
the announcer was great, the music was lively, and the maneuvers demonstrated a
captivating show of force. With its cockpit and bubble canopy, the pilot of the
F-16 has clear forward and upward vision. The F-16 can pull up to nine G’s and reach
a speed of 1,500 mph -- Mach 2. The Lockheed Martin jet has been a major part
of the war on terror, flying thousands of missions in operations Noble Eagle,
Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
The Heritage Flight is a carefully coordinated flight
connecting the past and present through aircraft set to a beautiful song: We
Remember by Dwayne O’Brien. The piece evokes strong emotion and powerful remembrances
of years past and all that Army Air Corps and United States Air Force veterans
have given in service.
We attended Sunday Mass on the EAA grounds, and as the Viper
was taking off, the priest, who was giving his homily, paused … and then
pointed outward and, after the jet had left the airspace, said, “That is the
sound of freedom.” If you haven’t read my earlier blog about Oshkosh, I
mentioned how powerful that phrase was for me.
Fr. Bill Hower was right; the F-16 certainly is the sound of
freedom.
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F-16 Viper, Vietnam-era AE-1 Skyraider and WWII-era
P-51 Mustang, flying together over Oshkosh.
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| The F-16 Viper, piloted by Major John "Rain" Waters |
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| The 2018 Heritage Flight |
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| Heritage Flight from the opposite end of the flight line |
F-16 making some noise.
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| P-51s peeling away from The Viper at the end of the Heritage Flight. |
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| The Viper from directly underneath. |
