Performers

The Air Combat Command F-22 Demonstration Team at Langley Air Force Base performs precision aerial maneuvers to demonstrate the unique capabilities of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The team also teams up with Air Force Heritage flight exhibiting the professional qualities the Air Force develops in the people who fly, maintain and support these aircraft.

A C-17 demo team is made up of a four-person team. Being a member of the demo team requires a high level of experience in the C-17, meeting training requirements and senior leadership approval. Veteran pilots who have been instructors, evaluators or aircraft commanders are selected. Training begins in a C-17 simulator and extends to flying the profiles and ground training, all to ensure safety and precision flying.

The CF-18 Demonstration team represents the aviators of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) who conduct and support operations at home and around the world every day. Showcasing the abilities of Canada’s multi-role fighter through an impressive aerobatic routine, the team attends air shows and conducts flypasts across Canada and the United States.

Every year, a new theme is chosen to highlight important milestones or ideas related to the military, Canada or aviation. This theme is then translated into an impressive paint scheme on the team’s CF-18 Demonstration jet and featured throughout the season, raising awareness and building interest amongst audiences in Canada’s Air Force.

The Golden Knights have conducted more than 16,000 shows in 50 states and 48 countries, reaching an average of 60,000 people per show. The team has earned the U.S. Army 2,148 gold, 1,117 silver, and 693 bronze medals in national and international competition. Team members have also broken 348 world records.

The Golden Knights are one of only three Department of Defense-sanctioned aerial demonstration teams, along with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. The team is composed of approximately 95 men and women, which includes four parachute units, an aviation unit and a headquarters. The demonstration teams, which use five dedicated aircraft, perform at more than 100 events per year. The tandem section is known for taking Soldiers, celebrities and heads of state on jumps, and the competition section focuses on winning national and international skydiving events.

There are approximately 35,000 active skydivers in North America, and only 15% are women! The Misty Blues team is 100% women. The ladies on the team come from all across the US to demonstrate their amazing skydiving skills. Since the early 1980’s The Misty Blues All Woman Skydiving Team has been thrilling audiences at air shows, corporate events, and other special occasions around the world. These exceptionally talented and brave ladies delight in displaying their parachuting talents that make them some of the most skilled skydivers in the world. They do things in the air that make people look up into the sky and feel excitement, patriotism or the thrill of a shocking visual treat.

The A-10 is the first U.S. Air Force aircraft designed specifically for close air support of ground forces. It is named for the famous P-47 Thunderbolt, a fighter often used in a close air support role during the latter part of World War II. The A-10 is very maneuverable at low speeds and low altitudes to ensure accurate weapons delivery, and it carries the systems and armor needed to survive in this environment. It is intended for use against all ground targets, but specifically tanks and other armored vehicles. 107th Fighter Squadron, the Red Devils will be demonstrate their flying skills during the 2022 air show.

The KC-135 Stratotanker provides the core aerial refueling capability for the United States Air Force and has excelled in this role for more than 60 years. This unique asset enhances the Air Force’s capability to accomplish its primary mission of global reach. It also provides aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied nation aircraft. The KC-135 is also capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical evacuations. The crew and aircraft you will see at the Open House are from the 171st Air Refueling Squadron and call Selfridge Air National Guard Base home.

Originally designed by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) as an assault transport able to operate from unpaved airstrips, the C-130 Hercules made its first flight in August 1954. Over the next half century, the US Air Force used various versions of this versatile aircraft for aeromedical evacuation, mid-air refueling of helicopters, mid-air space capsule recovery, search and rescue, reconnaissance, as a gunship, and for many other missions.

The CH-47F Chinook is the Army’s only heavy-lift cargo helicopter supporting combat and other critical operations. The crew and aircraft you will see at the Open House are from Detachment 1, Bravo Co. 3-328th Aviation Regiment, at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

Dubbed the Coast Guard’s “most ubiquitous aircraft,” the H-65 is a search and rescue helicopter used for Homeland Security patrols, cargo, drug interdiction, ice breaking and more. MH-65D Dolphin from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Detroit will demonstrate Search and Rescue procedures during the air show.

Developed as a follow-on to the F-86 Sabre used in the Korean War, the F-100 was the world’s first production airplane capable of flying faster than the speed of sound in level flight (760 mph). The prototype — the YF-100A — made its first flight on May 25, 1953, at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Of the 2,294 F-100s built before production ended in 1959, 1,274 were Ds, more than all the other series combined.

The A-4 Skyhawk was a post Korean War U.S. attack aircraft intended to be operated from aircraft carriers. It was designed by Douglas Aircraft to satisfy the U.S. Navy’s need for a jet powered replacement for the A-1 Skyraider. The Skyhawk was successfully used by both the USN and USMC, with the first model entering service in October of 1956.

The L-39 Albatros, a high-performance jet trainer, was developed by Czechoslovakia during the 1960’s as a successor to the L-29 Delfin. Built by Aero-Vodochody, it entered full-scale production in late 1972. It was designed for basic, advanced, and operational pilot training and for light attack missions.

The two-place T-33 jet was designed for training pilots already qualified to fly propeller-driven aircraft. It was developed from the single-seat F-80 fighter by lengthening the fuselage about three feet to accommodate a second cockpit.

The Mustang was among the best and most well-known fighters used by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Possessing excellent range and maneuverability, the P-51 operated primarily as a long-range escort fighter and also as a ground attack fighter-bomber. The Mustang served in nearly every combat zone during WWII, and later fought in the Korean War.

The Douglas AD-1 (formerly AD) Skyraider was a U.S. single-seat attack bomber of the late 1940’s, 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. The aircraft entered service in December, 1946. The piston-engined, prop-driven Skyraider was a postwar follow-on to World War II dive bombers and torpedo bombers such as the Helldiver and Avenger.

The Flying Fortress is one of the most famous airplanes ever built. The B-17 prototype first flew on July 28, 1935. Although few B-17s were in service on Dec. 7, 1941, production quickly accelerated after the U.S. entry into World War II. The aircraft served in every combat zone, but it is best known for the daylight strategic bombing of German industrial targets. Production ended in May 1945 and totaled 12,726.

The L19/O-1 is another example of a civilian aircraft modified for military service. Originally designed and manufactured by Cessna Aircraft, the 305A was developed from the model 170 to Army specifications.

By 1941, the old Air Corps had been transformed into the Army Air Forces, and it selected a modified version of the DC-3 — the C-47 Skytrain — to become its standard transport aircraft. The C-47 could carry up to 6,000 pounds of cargo. It could also hold a fully assembled jeep or a 37 mm cannon. As a troop transport, it carried 28 soldiers in full combat gear. As a medical airlift plane, it could accommodate 14 stretcher patients and three nurses. Seven basic versions were built, and the aircraft was given at least 22 designations, including the AC-47D gunship, the EC-47 electronic reconnaissance aircraft, the EC-47Q antiaircraft systems evaluation aircraft and the C-53 Skytrooper.

B-25s saw duty in every combat area being flown by the Dutch, British, Chinese, Russians and Australians in addition to U.S. forces. Although the airplane was originally intended for level bombing from medium altitudes, it was used extensively in the Pacific Theater for bombing Japanese airfields and beach emplacements from treetop level, and for strafing and skip bombing enemy shipping.

The UH-1 evolved from a 1955 U.S. Army competition for a new utility helicopter. The Army employed it in various roles, including that of an armed escort or attack gunship in Vietnam. The initial Army designation was HU-1, which led to the common unofficial nickname of “Huey.” All U.S. armed services adopted the model as did several other countries, and it was redesignated in 1962 as the UH-1 under a triservice agreement. The USAF ordered the UH-1F Huey in the early 1960s for support duties at missile sites, and TH-1F variants for instrument and hoist training and medical evacuation.

The CAF Red Tail Squadron’s P-51C Mustang, named Tuskegee Airmen, is an authentic and fully restored operational fighter from the WWII era. This awe-inspiring aircraft sparks conversations to educate young and old alike about the often-overlooked history of the Tuskegee Airmen that flew this same model as their signature aircraft in WWII. It is quite simply a museum without walls… and an awe inspiring one at that!

We are volunteer professional parachutists, many of us prior or current service. Our vision is to keep alive the stories of our WWII Veterans to inspire a new generation.