Last Year's Denton Airshow

The F-16 is said by some to be "an old airshow standby", and rightly so. Anyone who has been to an airshow in the last 30 years has most likely seen one fly. And while some may say "Seen one, seen 'em all.", I'd be willing to wager a case of Shiner that when an F-16 goes ripping passed at 600 knots, it will make even the most cynical person jump out of his skin.

As the first aircraft designed to make sustained 9g turns, and with a power to weight ratio greater than 1-1, the Fighting Falcon has been wowing not only it's pilots, but also aviation enthusiasts and the airshow going public alike, since it was introduced in August 1978. It's pilots call it the "Viper", and describe flying it as though they were "wearing" it.

With the recently completed 1000 ft. addition to the runway, bringing it's total length up to 7002 ft., the 2011 airshow was the first time ever for Denton to host F-16 Falcons. This was quite a treat for Denton residents, as finding an airshow that features airplanes that are fast, pointy, and have afterburners, usually means driving to Ft Worth or Dallas.

This year, Denton will be one of only 10 airshows to have a high performance jet make an aerial demonstration. One that not everyone has had the opportunity to see: An AV-8B Harrier II. Cool stuff!

Maybe I'll have a new camera by then. Maybe...