By Jeff Sovelove
As Memorial Day approaches and our mood turns patriotic, let’s take a look back at the recent Joint Base MDL (McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst) Open House and Air Show.
The Power in the Pines air show is held every two years, with the next one scheduled for 2020.
This year featured the US Army’s Golden Knights parachute team to open the show. Soldiers jumped from 12,500 feet, passing a commemorative wooden baton in mid-air. The baton was then given to a deserving Joint Base MDL service member.
All five branches of the military were represented, as well as the Royal Canadian Air Force with its CF-18 demonstration team.
Slideshow photos by Jeff Sovelove:
Static displays that the public could walk through included the C-17 Globemaster III, the C-5M Galaxy and the KC-10 Extender refueling aircraft. The crowd loved Aftershock, the world’s only 1940 fire engine with twin jet engines that hits speeds of 300 mph.
Classic warbirds also thrilled the crowd, with the P-51D Mustang “Bald Eagle” and B-25 Mitchell “Miss Hap.” It’s the fourth one off the production line and the oldest B-25 still flying.
Other aerial demonstrations included a Short Tucano training aircraft, and an Aero Delfin L-39 cold war training plane, as well as Trojan Thunder, the only six-ship T-28 Trojan demonstration team in the world.
The modern planes performed breathtaking aerial displays, with the F-22 Raptor and CF-18 showcasing the latest in military aviation.
There also was a very special Heritage Flight to close the show, with the P-51 Mustang and F-22 Raptor making several low level passes in tight formation. Over 350,000 people traveled to the Pine Barrens for May 5-6 show.
