As residents of the Greater Dayton area, we all know that 1903 was a good year. But did you know that 1975 was another good year for our area? That’s when the first Dayton Air Show was held. Now, 37 years later, the Air Show is sharing a birthday with one of its featured performers.
A Star is Born
During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force was criticized for not taking close air support seriously. During the early 1970’s, bids went out to build a close air support aircraft entirely around a 30 mm Gatling gun; the heaviest rotary gun ever to be mounted on an aircraft. Fairchild-Republic won the contract and the first production A-10 took flight in October 1975. The menacing shark painted aircraft is a juggernaut for the U.S. Armed Forces.
The A-10 Thunderbolt is heavily armored and can continue flying even after taking on significant damage. Nicknamed, the “Warthog,” the A-10 went through a major upgrade in 2007. While working at Hill Air Force Base (Utah) in 2007, I noticed an extremely large number of A-10s stationed there. I witnessed a lot of them flying around the base and it seemed somehow out of the ordinary at the time. The crew chief for the Dayton Air Show A-10 presentation, Master Sargent Steve Glick, confirmed that is where the modifications took place.
Vectren Dayton Airshow
On July 23 and 24, amid temperatures in the 90s, the A-10 took to the skies once again and demonstrated its superiority in close air support. It performed perfect rolls and spectacular strafing runs to delight the overheated onlookers. Inside the cockpit, Major Dylan Thorpe was treated to air conditioning in the range of 60 to 65 degrees. MSgt Glick, originally from Cleveland, said that the most important asset of the A-10 was its rotary cannon. Other critical features include GPS guided smart bombs and its ability to take off and land in very short distances.
The aircraft is also designed for low heat emissions and is surprisingly less noisy than some of its counterparts. I noticed it was very quiet when taxiing on the tarmac as compared to the F-16 Thunderbirds.
Mid-life Crisis
You might say that the 2007 modification of the A-10 was a mid-life crisis. There were about 716 built, most between 1975 and 1984. The aircraft is set to be replaced in the far off year of 2028. The bulk of the fleet is stationed at Moody Air Force Base in southern Georgia.
Off we go…
An estimated 65,000 attended the show, down about 15% from last year due to the above average temperatures. On Sunday, the show was cut short due to thunderstorms. However, air show officials are already looking to next year. They have announced the featured act will be the Navy Blue Angels. Although not officially announced, I await confirmation that the A-10 will make its return to salute the birthplace of aviation and the 38th Vectren Dayton Air Show.
