Lexington Park, MD – Patuxent Naval Air Station (NAS Pax River) has geared up for their 2016 Air Expo. The weather also appears to be on their side. This is going to be a great event, so come out and support your community Saturday, Oct. 29 and Sunday, Oct. 30. Gates open at 8 a.m. Air show officials have estimated that about 70,000 people will attend the weekend event. The local base’s last airshow was in 2011. They have a great lineup.
In a joint effort below are some of the features that will be included in the Air Expo.
The U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) will feature the Parachute Demonstration Team known as The Black Daggers. This team is comprised entirely of volunteers from the Army special operations community. The Black Daggers mission is to perform live aerial demonstrations. Normally the jumpers exit the aircraft from an altitude of 12,500 feet, then free fall for about two miles at approximately 120 miles per hour.
U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Aerial Demonstration Team will showcase the advanced maneuverability and power of the aircraft. This is what separates the F22 aircraft apart from all the other fighter aircraft. That is where the emphasis will be. Major Dan “Rock” Dickerson is the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Aerial Demonstration Team commander and pilot based out of Langley Air Force Base, VA. He will demonstrate how tight the aircraft can turn. He will slow the aircraft down to about the speed on any highway and then the next maneuver he will take the aircraft right up to the edge of the speed of sound.
A dedication maneuver will be done in memory of Bob Hoover, who passed away this past week. Hoover was a legend in the airshow community.
The top speed of a F-22 Raptor is about 1500mph or about 20 miles per minute. There will be two here at the airshow this weekend out of a total of 187.
Included in the demonstrations are also many other performers including:
P51 Mustang – The champion of World War II (WWII). Both the F-22 Raptor and the P51 Mustang will be flying in formation together. The crowd will get to see together what was flown in WWII and what is used today.
GEICO Skytpers – The planes that trained WWII Navy pilots return.
Plus, Nalls Aviation’s Harrier and the L-39C demonstration, The F18’s from Naval Air Station Oceana located in Virginia Beach, VA and US Navy Hornet Demo Team will also be performing
It is going to be a great event, hope to see you there!
