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Too cool.....Most everything flew today regardless of the mornings low ceilings. A few hours delay to the start of the show. Pie flies the F-18 like no ones business. Well worth coming tomorrow just to get a glimpse of her in action. awesome T-Bird show. Unfortunately rain appeared just prior to the end of their routine. Promise of better WX tomorrow. Cheers...Carol

did the c-17, f-15s, or a-10s show up??? if that schedule in the preview section is correct, it will be quite the show tomorrow. jim and chris, basically a couple low shows by civilan performers, but brunswick was socked in with fog and clouds all day. i did manage to get the best seat in the house to watch though!
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rich...ill be right there in line with you!

My plans have changed! See you all at the show tomorrow!!! I'm looking forward to getting some great video of all the performers tomorrow! Weather is looking great despite the possible high winds.


John "JB" Baharoff

Will you be posting any of that video?

Absolutely!


John "JB" Baharoff

At 7AM I see blue sky with some clouds over the base. I am planning on being there around 9 AM. A cool breeze is blowing. Looks like the weather is going to be great today. It is clearing up quicker than anyone had predicted.

HOT DAMN!

lots of blue skies, and a nice cool breeze. Nice difference from the past 2 days

Here's Flag and Menudo returning after their demo on Sat. Extra special thanks to them and their ground crews, and especially P.I.E. and LBJ for allowing me out there

Fantastic!! You guys have fun out there! It sucks to be stuck in Tennessee today. Thanks for all the great pictures so far, keep 'em coming!

I see blue skys lets hope for a blue sky day and a high show by the T-birds

The Shockwave jet tuck has crashed while performing a high speed run. Initial reports are driver is OK!

http://www.wwlp.com

Since it was a short story, I wanted to post here. If you click on the link providing they have video of Shockwave, but not of the accident. Reports say one of the parachutes did not deploy causing the truck to veer off the runway.

CHICOPEE, Mass (WWLP) - There were some scary moments for spectators at the Great New England Air Show Sunday morning at Westover Air Reserve Base.

A stunt went awry on the flight line and stopped the show for a short time.

The world's fastest truck, which has been performing all weekend, flipped over while hurdling down the runway.

The Shockwave's speed tops 300 miles per hour and is powered by three jet engines.

We're told the driver was not hurt and the vehicle did not spill any fuel or damage the runway.

The air show continued as normal after the accident scene was cleared up. The Great New England Air Show will culminate with a demonstration by the Thunderbirds, before gates close at 4:00pm.

Report by Anthony DiLorenzo, WWLP

Well, I'm going to have to count on you guys to provide some awesome photos and videos as a familiy comittment has kept us close to home today (Sunday) and unable to attend the show. (and it's SUCH an awesome day! Augh) We're all bummed, but can't wait to get the field reports!

Again, it was a real pleasure meeting up with everyone at the Friday practice! Hope everyone had a great and safe weekend and hope to see you at another show soon! For those going to Oceana - I'm jealous!

On a more recent post, glad to hear that the Shockwave accident was not serious, and the driver is okay. Thanks for the clarification Deb, as the WWLP report didn't really provide any info.

Hello everyone,

Just returned from Westover. Beautiful weather after some cool and cloudy conditions early on. First off - as reported, Shockwave departed the runway during its run. Announcer Larry Rutt did a wonderful job of keeping the folks informed without causing any alarm. He immediately was able to report that the driver was out of the truck and OK.

The show opened with an Air Force sailplane demo, followed by an Ed Hamil teaser, then the opening flag jump by the Golden Knights. After that, we were treated to demos by Rob Holland in the Third Strike Stearman, and the P-51 & P-47 before Shockwave's accident delayed the show for a bit. The C-17 put on an excellent demonstration, and the C-5 made a few passes. Three Mass Air Guard F-15's from Barnes made one pass.

The Iron Eagles were outstanding, the Harrier demo was great, and the F-18 Super Hornet demo was fantastic. PIE did a fantastic job throwing that airplane around the skies (very impressive demo). The Legacy Flight with Dan Dameo in the Corsair was excellent - some nice passes.

The Warbird lineup included the P-51 and P-47, B-17 Yankee Lady, a C-47, C-121, C-54, FG-1, Stearman, Bird Dog, an O-2, and a Mohawk. Unless they flew after I left (I hope not!), only the fighters flew.

Lots of big stuff on the static line including the B-52, 3 C-130s, a C-40 (737), KC-135 and two C-5s.

Rich

Good to hear that Kent is okay!

Deb -

Thanks for the information on Kent. I am relieved that the cab protected him. I hope that he'll be able to read our posts that we're so happy that he's OK!

Rob

Very nice weather. Hardly a cloud in the sky. The Harrier Demo is great got a video of it on my camera. Not the greatest video quality there is but.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ7oEkkt3yg

There weren't a lot of statics but the ones that were there were big,


I visited the A-10 to try to get another 30MM shell casing for my collection but they didn't have any

The patch stands were all out of Harrier patched when I got to them

Oh and this depressed me




Now I'm going to deal with my sunburn


Also does anyone know who those CST guys were? I saw some of them riding around in carts and walking around. Saw this on the back of one of their hats and made me curious

First off I would like to say I am so glad that Kent is OK. I was at the far left end of runway just behind the tower. At the end of his run it looked like only one shoot opened. The truck veered right and did end arounds in the grass. I lost him int he dust but one Air Force Personel stated he rolled over. He did end up rught side up. I did not see that. He went out of my line of sights before that happened. Kent did exit the truck immediately and gave a thumbs up.

The show itself was great. Like others has stated about the performers. I was most impressed with the C-17. I am still amazed with how they sling that plane around like a fighter. The Thirdstike performance would great. I never have seen her performe before. She is absolutley NUTS in a good way. The harrier and Super Hornet was great. The C-5B was good but too short for me. The Three ship pass from the 104th was unexpected and too short also. I would have like another pass with burners......but I can't be greedy now can I? The T-Birds were great a usual.

I gave the airshow a B grade due to the lack of statics. I realize that were are still at war and we had some serious weather move though.

I would like to thank all the members of the 439th for putting on another AWESOME show. I was guest of the Air Force Health Professionals today and I want to speacially thank them for treating us like gold.

Is it 2010 YET!

heres my take on the shockwave incident:
from where i was, it was pretty much the same view as larry. everything was normal, kent made his run, slarted slowing down and the drag chutes came out. i didnt notice it but later larry mentioned one of the chutes not opening, which makes sense with more stopping force one one side than the other. as the chutes were deployed, the truck then started to veer sideways. it looked like the truck skidded off the runway a bit, still sideways.....i too lost him in the dust but he came out, then the truck rolled i thnk about 2 maybe 3 times, landed upright. the best possible outcome did happen, when immediately kent came out of the truck and i guess made a thumbs up gesture. crash rescue crews were immediately on the scene.
larry rutt did an outstanding job, keeping everyone calm and orderly as well as keeping everyone informed. not to mention keeping composure. all the rescue crews did an outstanding job on their response as well. bottom line is kent is ok and im sure shockwave will be fixed in no time!


as far as the show goes,...first of all the weather was outstanding! a tad on the warm side but better then what was anticipated a couple days ago. didnt have time to meet asb members, and i wasnt along the fence due to showing a friend around all the statics and telling about the performers. rob holland is the first person that sticks out....absolutely incredible demo. the way he threw the mx around made me sit there with a "what the.......how the....." look on my face. the harrier demo was really good and very different. im pretty sure he did his short takeoff directly in back of the tunderbirds, went behind the crowd, and did a banana pass to open up......sahhhweet! PIE did an outstanding job in the SH and imo stole the show. i wasnt a fan of the barnes f-15 3 ship pass.....it was kind of "oh, there they are...there they go....thats it?" i am glad they showed up. the a-10 didnt take part in the CSAR, allthough there was one on static. it was a really good show and imo and very big step up from the 04 one.

good to hear Kent is OK.

Seeing I was taking the family today, we left a bit later than normal (yes, I know). We left Enfield at 11 AM, and hit the first traffic stop at 11:20 on I-291 - 7 miles from Westover (I hit my tripometer once we came to a standstill). Long story short, it took 3.5 hours to go those last 7 miles, getting on base at around 2:50 (yes, I am addicted). I even bypassed Exit 6 and made a U-turn just past the entrance to the Mass Pike and came back the other way on 291 to get off at that exit. Had we stayed in the line to get off Exit 6, we probably would have never made it in.

Saw some of the Super Hornet demo and the Mass Eagles single pass from the road.

Saw the Tbirds, and got some better statics late with the nice lighting. We hung out until 6:30, and pretty much got right out.

Boy....you....guys...suck.

Well I'll have you know sick as a dog or not, I got to see 3 F-15s myself from the confines of my porch today, more than likely the same you guys saw (did they fly about 1130 to 1230? Patriots opening day fly by went full burner turning over my house headed to Foxboro northbound.

HA!

But seriously did i see a RC-135 in somebodys photo background?

Any video or aftermath pictures of the Shockwave? I havent talked to my friend who is on the Fire Protection Flight at Westover yet. Glad to hear Kent is o.k. Hell of ride either way. Wasnt there a Limo Jet Truck wrecked at Otis a few years back?

Yes there was a RC-135 on static.

There will most likely be no aftermath pics due to the fact they left the truck out past runway 23 where he ended up.

Before I forget, that lad with the had that reads "WMD" is part of a regional team that is at major populated events incase of a CRBNE event. I was told by a co-worker who went to Anniston Alabama (if you know, you know) that the three logos indicate (from left to right) Disability Pension, Wife Gets Pension, Pension Vaporized.

Well for a change the traffic for me wasn't that bad. Got there around 8:30 and only had to wait a half hour in traffic and only 10 minutes of traffic going home after the T-Birds started there landing run. The show was much better then the 04 show but in my opinion still not as good as the RI or Westfield Barns shows. My favorite demos where the C-17, F-18, AV8B and T-Birds. I ended up taking 510 pictures today.

I am so thankful Kent is ok scarey moment there ...I must say todays show was great the F-18 was awesome and the Thunderbirds put on a fantastic show....the Harrier was loud and powerful great demo and the C-17 was great... I liked the f-15 flyby was nice glad they made a pass ... I was glad to run into on Saturday with Dave and Ken and sorry I forgot the other man that was with thems name ?? .... I am already looking forward to next year airshow season...Great job Westover even with yestardays weather you still put acts up in the air..I hope you guys have another show in 2010...Maybe next show u can land the F-22....

Thanks for posting the video

Pete, here's the RC-135 - I think a "V". And yes, a jet truck rolled at Otis in 2001

I came in from the north around 10:15 and hit a decent sized traffic snarl, was stuck for about 45 minutes. Had to watch the C-17 from the road. Missed anything that happened before that. The Super Hornet was AWESOME. Absolutely incredible pitch control, has to be seen to be believed. Harrier was great of course. The three F-15s making just one slow pass seemed pointless, no burners? Rob Holland is great, Iron Eagles are always good, Corsair was nice. Thunderbirds rocked as always. Did they always have a solo do a high alpha pass? I thought only the Blues did those. Some nice statics but almost no fighters. Always cool to see a B-52, and I don't think I've ever seen an RC-135 before. Overall not the best airshow ever but still a great time, hats off to all involved in making it happen.

So very glad to hear Kent is okay...

Very Glad to see that Kent was okay. Hopefully he can get Shockwave back up and running for the 2009 season.

Hey Petey,

Hope you're feeling a bit better. I was thinking of you today and here's a couple for you.

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Here's the crew reponding to Kent's mishap.


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Not NyQuil but awesome , the BDL boys are still trying to roll that old reserve truck over huh?

Crash Trucks make me smile!

Pics of the accident have shown up now.
http://www.wwlp.com/global/story.asp?s=896...srvc=developing

I'm very glad to hear that Kent Shockley is OK, especially after just seeing photos of the accident.
Here's a link to the NYCaviation.com forum where you can view the photos from today also:

http://www.nycaviation.com/forum/viewtopic...=11&t=13414

I am looking for the truck as it spun, not sure if I got it.

I'm just getting in from the show now... (Granted, I have a 1:30 drive from Chicopee, but still...)

As many have chimed in on, I too am very VERY glad to hear that Kent is just fine. His run was normal, he popped his chute(s), and he disappeared behind the GK's C-31. Out the other side was a very ominous cloud of smoke barreling down the runway - to be quite honest, it reminded me of the Challenger explosion. It was certainly NOT normal, but mere seconds later it blew past the Shockwave, and you could see Kent get out. Most of the people in my area didn't even know something was amiss - but if you have seen his run before, you knew...

Even taking into account the accident, the show didn't seem to have a great pace. I think I am Quonset spoiled. All the performers did their jobs well, and the only major gripe I have was with the organizers.

We arrived at my car at 5:00 PM, and sat at the car, engines off, waaaaiting to see ANYONE move from the parking lot for two hours. It was probably the worst bit of traffic management I've seen at an airshow in quite some time. Simply ponderous... and we took our sweet time getting back to the vehicle.

Westover organizers - make some key exits one-way and use both lanes. Don't siphon cars from one lot into another. And for heavens sake - if you are going to have multiple parking lots dumping cars onto one road, make darn sure you have sufficient lanes!!

Rant complete - time to transfer pictures and take the post-airshow degreasing shower.

-Greg

First one is the show pass down the ramp
2nd is the actual run just moments before he cut the power and popped the chute and then I lost him in the smoke and dust.
3rd is what I could see after the smoke and dust cleared

And then the show went on.....

Last one for tonight
Didn't fly but did see a brief taxi as it relocated

Partly because I'm so psyched for Oceana, I wasn't really excited heading to Westover. I was on base at 7:40 and was surprised by the lack of parking directors. Went by three seperate lots that said "You are parked in the red lot." By the time our gate opened it was 8:20 when we got to our spot on the fence. The place was empty. Guess people were waiting to see what the weather did.

Although the statics were a bit sparse, it didn't take long for my excitement level to go up. Rob Holland was fantastic, the March boys didn't disappoint with the C-17 demo (Chris it was great to meet you.) The Harrier group gave us plenty of noise with a loooonnnnng hover, great stuff! The 15's came and went.

I would have to agree that the Rhino stole the show. PIE flew one helluva demo, Sierra Hotel! And what a great legacy flight with the Corsair.

Shockwave..we walked by Shockwave when we entered the ramp area, I commented to my buddy that the chutes looked kinda singed. Kent was right in front of us when he shut down and popped the chutes. I saw him yaw right before I lost him behind the T-birds but knew it wasn't good. So I'll say the highlight for today was that Kent's ok.

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Some of the C- 17 crew in deep thought

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A little vapor
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I really want one of these!

I hope Kent can get that truck back up an running for next year or build a new one. I always love his act but I'm more relived he is ok. I remember the jet truck (the hot rod Lincoln) crash at Otis back in 01, I don't remember if the driver survived that one or not but it was the same issue only one drag deployed.

Yeah, I got the Shockwave crash on video although the problem with it is you cant really see it due to the demo aircrafts in the way, all you will pretty much see is large clouds of smoke forming up behind the aircrafts and barely see the truck coming to a stop. But despite that i'll be posting all my videos of all the performers in order of appearance soon when I get the time. Basically i'll be uploading one performer on google video once a day until i'm done then post them right here on this thread, so stand by. . .


John "JB" Baharoff

Hey everyone,

Thanks for keeping my father in your prayers. I talked to him earlier today and he was a little sore in his back, but was happy to say that he didn't have a scratch on him.

As far as the truck, I have only seen the pictures posted here, and do not know what will happen in the future... only time will tell.

I will most definately let my dad know that all of you have him in your prayers.

Again thanks,

Chris Shockley

Just found a video of the crash. Glad to hear he's alright.
Video Here

Un-Be-Lieve-able!

A great testament to the "Shock Troops" ability to built a great and safe piece of machinery. Hats off to them!

Here's hoping they return in 2009.

hey guys, i do have a photo of the aftermath but have been reluctant to post, being a crash and all. since many of you are wondering about the condition of the truck ill post it, but is anyone finds this offensive, please remove immediately.
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before the run, i was actually debating wether to take video or not, but since i allready did on friday, i chose to watch.
again i just hope for the the best in the future for kent, his family, and the truck. very happy that he is ok!

scup-
awesome photo of the GN jumpship next to some air traffic......i noticed that several times yesterday and was thinking gee thats kinda cool i hope someone snaps some photos.
by the way...did anyone else notice during the superhornet demo yesterday, as pie was going away from show center after a maneuver, the 3 ship f-15s over to show right? it looked like she was heading right for them!

Thank you everyone for your posts, calls and prayers for Kent. I too have heard from him, he is amazed that he doesn't have any injuries just very sore. God was truly watching over him. Lena has been great on calling and letting all of us know that he is OK, she is a real trooper! Thank you for keeping Kent and his family in your thoughts. God Bless you all.

Lisa Shockley

greg- sorry about the traffic situation. does anybody know how many were in attendance on sunday? the crowd seemed huge. we watched the t-birds from the parking lot and high tailed it outa there after the bomb burst. best part was solo #5 screaming over our heads in full burner on takeoff, and all the car alarms going off.