Taking the show on the road
Prose: Christian Gross
Photography: Christian Gross, Chris Rose
When I was reviewing the potential airshows for 2023, I saw Seymour Johnson’s Wings Over Wayne and immediately said, “Yes Please!” The lineup looked fantastic with the performances of Greg Colyer, Jerry Conley, Rob Holland, RT Dickson not to mention the acts of Tora, Tora, Tora, Third Strike Wing Walkers, the F-22 Raptor Demo Team and the US Navy Blue Angels. Oh, did I also mention that Seymour Johnson is home to the 4th fighter wing of the USAF and that they fly the F-15E Strike Eagle? While I’ve seen the F-15E in flybys (sometimes very close), I did not yet have the privilege of seeing an airshow demonstration of the Mudhen. For Wings Over Wayne, there would be a Combined Arms Combat Demo involving the F-15E’s from Seymour Johnson alongside the F-16’s from nearby Shaw Air Force base.
This show went off amazingly and Saturday provided one of the best weather days one could ask. Blue skies painted a stunning background for all the acts but there was one thing that elevated this show up to the next level - FLARES! I’ve been attending airshows in the US since I was a kid – yeah, it’s been a while. I, however, had never witnessed any performer dropping flares. Well, let’s just say this show made up for lost time. While a great demonstration to begin with, the F-15s and F-16s integrated flares into their Combined Arms demonstration to spectacular results! Then Captain Samuel “Razz” Larson, in the F-22, wanted to show that the Raptor could also be part of the act and did some amazing aerobatic maneuvers while dumping his flares. I can only hope that going forward the military starts adding this element to their demonstrations, it REALLY ups the “WOW” factor and received great responses from the crowds.
Overall, this was a fantastic, nonstop show with top-notch acts and demonstrations. I will definitely be looking to come back to Seymour Johnson the next time they host an event. Thanks to Chris Rose (@subrosa.photography) for coordinating what turned out to be an amazing weekend!
