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2018 Airshows

Spirit of St. Louis Airshow Warbird Photo Review
 Spirit of St. Louis Airport, Chesterfield, MO -  October 13-14. 2018 - Photos taken Saturday October 13, 2018.

The 2018 Spirit of St. Louis Airshow had been on my list of shows to visit ever since it was announced in late 2017.  To make sure I did not repeat my mistake of 2016 when I could not attend because I did not purchase an advance ticket online before they sold out, this year I purchased mine the first day they went on sale.  As the week of the show began, it was debatable whether I would be able to use my tickets purchased in May.  Cold and rain were forecast for the weekend, and I was not sure whether I would make the trip.  Finally, the weather forecast stabilized with light rain on Friday, cold but no rain on Saturday, and rain and cold on Sunday.  The St. Louis Airshow's online information pages indicated the main acts had arrived before Thursday evening.  With that, I left on Friday to do the Saturday show.

In spite of the cold weather on Saturday, there were already many vehicles in the parking lot when I arrived at the time of gates opening.  The parking lot was starting to fill up early.  Even better, in spite of the low ceiling and low visibility and constant mist on Friday, all but two of the scheduled warbirds had made it.  The show had planned a large display of F-15s and F-18s.  No doubt with the help of Boeing, the show sponsor, they were there. 

The show started with the first official act over head at 12:05 PM, and the show ended with the Heritage Flight Mustang landing at 2:48 PM.  In just over two and a half hours the spectators had all witnessed an excellent airshow.  There was no dead time, and when one act landed and cleared the runway, the next one took off.  The warbirds were the backbone of the show with lot of fly-bys for the crowd.  Acts in order the order they flew were B-2 fly-over, B-29 and B-25; Phillips 66 Aerostars; AD-5W, SB2C and TBM; SB2C and A-4; A-4 demo; F4U-7 and P-40; CF-18 Demo; Skip Stewart Aerobatics; F-16 Demo; Heritage Flight with F-16 and P-51.

There were five in my group of warbird enthusiasts located at the far east end of the crowd line.  This is the farthest point from the main entrance but for us it was worth the long walk.  It was right next to the taxiway where most of warbirds traveled from their static locations behind us to the main taxiway.  It also allowed for good shots back down the runway as the aircraft took off.

Author's Note:  The photos included below are dark because it was gray outside all day.  They will not win any photo contests.  This website is about the airshow, with photos being the supporting medium to show what happened.  I will use a few to show some of the high points of the show.  Many of the acts and warbirds will not be shown, as they are predominately dark silhouettes against a gray sky.  I have tried to get away from the gray background photos by including several low-level shots with the green trees in the background, to try and bring out and add color.

The only place one normally can normally view this many F-18s on display is at a military base. 

In all of the years I have been visiting airshows, I have no recollection of a B-29 being the first warbird to fly.  This bold and original move by the Spirit of St. Louis Airshow started the show off in a big way.  It set the pace for the whole show.

One person commented about the amount of bank in "Doc's" turn.  It looks like she was doing a 45-degree banking turn.

"Doc" gave us several low passes down the runway.  The she gave us this nice banana pass.

This photo and the one above are very instructive, as this is the only time you see the "Doc" from the top.  Note that the top of the wing has two different grades of aluminum than what is used in the fuselage.  Compare this photo to the one below of "Fifi" at World War Two Weekend in Reading, PA in 2016, and the "Enola Gay" at Udvar-Hazy.  If there is the same grade of aluminum used in the top of "Fifi" as "Doc," it shows as well due to the oxidation that has taken place.  It also appears to be configured differently.  The "Enola Gay" is different again.  Each B-29 was built in a different plant, which could be the reason for the differences.  They could also be different due to the way the persons that restored each of the aircraft decided to lay out the top panels.

B-29 "Fifi."


B-29 "Enola Gay."

A bonus before the show even started was the departure of the Demo F-16 and a T-38 from Langley AFB.  The two aircraft went out and did some formation work away from the airport. 

If there is a silver lining in a gray day at the airshow, it is that the afterburner trail shows up very well.  We were treated to lots of afterburner time with both the Canadian CF-18 and the F-16 Demo later in the day.

The first act of the show was the fly-by of the B-2 bomber from Whiteman AFB in western Missouri.  Both the regular Air Force and the Missouri National Guard fly the B-2.  It is unknown which unit did these fly-bys.  The best way to photograph the B-2 is from the top when it is turning around. 

After the B-2 left, the T-38 and F-16 recovered.  Here the T-38 is just about to touch down.

From my vantage point along east side of the show, I was able to photograph the Skyraider already on the taxiway with the SB2C right behind.  The TBM is still maneuvering on the static ramp.

Paul Wood taxied out right after the Navy bombers in his A-4 Skyhawk.

This unique formation of the Helldiver and Skyhawk was a first for me, and a very cool addition to the event.  Paul Wood did the same thing with a TBM at Thunder over Michigan several years ago.

The F4U-7 is a new restoration as of this year, and this is the third time I have been at an airshow when it was present.  However, I have not had a chance to get this close to it while taxiing as I did at the east end of the crowd line at St. Louis.

The low ceiling prevented both the CF-18 and F-16 Demos from doing their high shows.  Instead they both stayed low and gave the crowd lots of afterburner passes.  Low shows can be lots of fun!

The CF-18 teams always show the American flag at events in the U.S.   

The F-16 stayed low down the entire runway and turned out directly in front of us.  The pilot had a good time staying in burner a good percentage of the time.  He gave us lots of low high-speed passes.  He had a great time.  The crowd had a great time.

The show ended with the Heritage Flight with a P-51.  Normally after the Heritage Flight is complete, the aircraft give two passes down the runway.  Usually this is a low, high-speed pass and then an aileron roll.  Sometimes there will be a third pass.  These two pilots were having too much fun, and they each did at least five, and probably six passes.  It was a great way to end the show.

When my four companions and myself walked away after the show, we all agreed this was a good airshow.  It was well organized and executed.  We all had a great time in spite of being cold.  Sometimes I leave a show disappointed with no intention of returning in the future.  Not here.  I was very happy as I left. and I look forward to returning in the future.