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| NAF El Centro Air Show | |||
| Date: 16 March 2013 | |||
| Static: | |||
| ZJ217 | Apache AH1 | 4 Rgt | |
| 761578/AF-03 | F-5N | VFC-13 | |
| 162885/SH-222 | F/A-18B | VMFAT-101 | white c/s |
| 166437/NH-200 | F/A-18E | VFA-147 | |
| 157721/YT-01 | CH-46E | HMMT-164 | |
| 160475/475 | T-34C | SFWPAC | |
| 168011/YP-00 | MV-22B | VMM-163 | D0141 |
| N1140 | Beech E18S | Rick A Loomis | silver c/s |
| N12281 | T-34A | ex 53-4193 | yellow c/s |
| N125AZ | B-25J | ex 43-35972 “18” | |
| N151MW | P-51D | ex Bolivia FAB523 “511633” | |
| N191CL | CJ6A | ex China “101” | 4132016 |
| N2871G | P4Y-2G | ex Bu66302 | |
| N360PT | CJ6A | ex China “B-8” | 4232024 |
| N3680F | SNJ-5 | ex Bu84843 “HL-P” | |
| N372C | T-28B | ex 138203 “203” | |
| N39KR | L-39C | as 81 ol | 533219 |
| N45366 | C-53D | ex 42-68830 “R-M2” | |
| N641BP | PT-23A | ex 42-49319 “44” | |
| N7044L | T-28B | ex 138215 “AD-261” | |
| N7300C | SNJ-5 | ex Bu43763 “6-49” | |
| N89014 | SNJ-5 | ex Bu84865 “SB-290” | |
| N831H | R-44 | Imperial County Narcotic TF | |
| N9323Z | B-17G | ex 44-83514 “F” | |
| N950DH | DHC-1B-2-S3 | “UM-169”Michael L Bowman | |
| N96281 | Harvard II | ex RCAF 3832 | |
| Flightlines/flying: | |||
| ZJ184 | Apache AH1 | 4 Rgt | |
| 164763 | C-130T | Blue Angels | |
| 165760/7H-02 | MH-60S | NAS Fallon | SAR c/s |
| 167900/NE-610 | MH-60S | HSC-4 | spec c/s |
| 168241/YP-11 | MV-22B | VMM-163 | |
| 168242/YP-12 | MV-22B | VMM-163 | |
| N1078Z | F6F-3 | ex Bu70222 | |
| N134JC | T-34A | ex 55-0255 | |
| N181MH | C-45H | ex 51-11472 | |
| N55107 | L-39C | as “433136/1” | Playboy c/s |
| N7825C | F8F-2P | ex Bu122674 | |
| Blue Angels F/A-18C/D*: | |||
| 163498/1, 163435/2, 163768/3, 163464/4*,163765/5, 163754/6 | |||
| + one F/A-18D coded 7 | |||
| Hangar 5: | |||
| 163468/7 | F/A-18C | Blue Angels | |
| Preserved: | |||
| 159798/7 | TA-4J | gateguard | |
| 159901/AD-500 | A-6E | preserved | |
| 160996/514 | A-6E | instructional | |
| 154476/NJ-00 | A-7B | preserved | |
| 151979/3 | RF-4B | gateguard | |
| ...../5 | F-11A | gateguard | |
| 159620/NJ-101 | F-14A | preserved | |
| 162448/1 | F/A-18A | gateguard | |
| NAF El Centro has a name to uphold when it comes to aircraft deployments and photographic possibilities, however this did not apply to the air show. It was not that bad however, if you are into warbirds. Later during the day the limited flying could be photographed with the sun in the back. Unfortunately, static aircraft were placed under sunsheds, preventing decent pictures. Early in the morning, just after the opening of the airfield, it was possible to take a stroll down the flightline where good shots could me made. Unfortunately the organization of the air show did not think this was a good idea, so as soon as they found out that the many predominantly Dutch photographers were all aiming for the flightline, this was put to a stop. Access to the field was easy with no traffic jams. Parking was on base, close to the static. During the air show, the many sunsheds which are otherwise despised by photographers provided welcome protection against the blazing sun. After the air show was over, it paid off not to head to your car right away, as many of the participants in both the flying programme and the static displays departed the airfield. This resulted in some additional photo opportunities of aircraft that were previously impossible to get a decent photo of. | |||
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