Salthill Air Show Teaser

[Frank]

Hi Guys,

For those of you heading for Salthill this weekend here's a little taste of what's to come......



And here are some videos for you to enjoy:

Dutch PC-7 Arrival (1,245Kb)

Dutch PC-7 Practicing (723Kb)

I took these pictures and videos today. Enjoy the show on Sunday.


Regards,

Frank. :D

[andy]

The Irish Independent
monday 07-July-2003

Brian McDonald
and Don Lavery

************************

US F-16 jets an unexpected surprise for air show fans

Two armed United States Air Force F-16 fighter jets taking part in the Salthill air show yesterday. Picture: Philip Cloherty

TWO armed United States Air Force F-16 fighter jets were surprise guests at the Salthill Air Show in Co Galway yesterday.

The F-16 Fighting Falcons screamed over the 100,000 crowd, unannounced by the organiser's website or programme.

They had flown into Shannon on Saturday from the air base at Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.

The F-16s, which played a key role in the recent Iraq war, were armed with wingtip Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and carried fuel drop tanks.

They were accompanied by a USAF A-10 Thunderbolt tank buster, which featured in news footage from the war when it strafed targets in downtown Baghdad. A second A-10 had to stay in Shannon because of a technical problem.

The unannounced participation of the USAF jets came after a series of attacks on United States aircraft in Shannon by peace protesters.

The show also featured one of the the world's top aerobatic teams, the RAF's Red Arrows, who thrilled the crowd that thronged all vantage points along the Galway coastline for the air Show.

The nine bright red Hawk jets performed intricate manoeuvres in the sky above Galway, trailing coloured smoke plumes in their wake. German Luftwaffe Tornado jets screamed across the sky and aircraft from the Irish Air Corps, including the new search and rescue S-61 helicopter, as well as planes from the Garda Air Support Unit and the Dutch air force also took part in the display.

The event, billed as the biggest free air show in Europe, went ahead despite protests from the Galway Alliance Against War and the Global Women's Network.

[Boomer]

Hmmm I dont remember seeing sidewinders

Must have a closer look at those pics of which I have one of the F-16s going transonic

Shane

[strummer]

The Global Women's Network...!!!!!!!!!
Now I'm sure they're a sight to behold!!!!

[sledger]

Two wingtip sidewinders on each aircraft.:flagwave:

[Thorpe]

I would have loved to have seen the air show but things were against me this year again:( :( :(