Builder 2010
Staff Sergeant
While in most places in the western world, Christmas seems to be the holiday that sets the yearly calendar. Not so in Louisville, Kentucky. It's the Kentucky Derby which is the first Saturday in May. Everyone in town bases their conversations on "oh… it was before Derby… or After Derby". But there's more. The Derby is the culmination a two-week period of daily activities including food fairs, hot air balloon events, music, etc. And it all starts with Thunder Over Louisville which takes place two-weeks prior to the Derby (this coming Saturday). Thunder takes place on the Ohio River and includes two major parts, a five hour airshow, and the largest regularly scheduled fire works display in the United States with almost 60,000 fireworks being set off.
This year's Thunder has the following acts.
The Kentucky Derby Festival has named its 31 performers for the Thunder Over Louisville 2018 air show, which runs from 3-9 p.m. before the start of Saturday's massive annual fireworks display.
The event is the kick-off for two weeks of festivities leading up to the 2018 Kentucky Derby.
Many of the acts will practice from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday in the performance space above the Ohio River where they will fly Saturday.
Here is the full list of performers:
A-10 Demo: The A-10 fighter plane was nearly retired this year but it's back until at least 2021, and the Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II team will be doing full-on aerobatics.
A-10/P-51 USAF Heritage Flight: These Air Force buddies represent two generations of combat aircraft. The P-51 Mustang is the archetypal WWII fighter plane and the A-10 is its modern counterpart.
AH-1/UH-1 Helos: These workhorse helicopters used by the Marine Corps have played a role in every Vietnam war movie ever. The Bell UH-1 was used to evacuate wounded and the AH-1 is the attack version.
Billy Werth, Pitts S-2C: Werth pilots this 212-mph bi-plane through a variety of airplane gymnastics, including corkscrews, spins and tumbles.
B-52: The Boeing Stratofortress is a strategic bomber used by the Air Force that clocks in at 159-ft long with a 185-foot wingspan. It weighs 265,000 pounds when loaded for bear (aka bombs) and has a range of 8,800 miles.
Boeing C-17: Known as the Globemaster III, it is a large military transport aircraft used by the Air Force.
C-130: The Lockheed C-130 military transport will be used by the 123d Airlift Wing of the Kentucky Air National Guard and its Strategic Tactical Squadron for a precision parachute drop, which should be dope.
Canadian Harvards: This four-member team performs aerobatics in WWII-vintage planes built in 1941 and are very polite about it.
CF-18: The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is showcased with these frontline multi-role fighter aircraft that are fast, light and maneuverable.
CT-142: This guy from the RCAF has the perfect nickname for Thunder Over Louisville: "Gonzo," the writing style pioneered by our own Hunter S. Thompson. It's a versatile twin turboprop used for navigation, tactics, surveillance, and search and rescue.
CT-155: The Royal Canadian Air Force uses these British-designed single-engine two-seaters for advanced weapons training.
E-3: The Boeing E-3 Sentry is a spy with wings. It's used for all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications thanks to its futuristic rotating radar dome.
F-15: Two of these bad boys are expected, one from the Massachusetts Air National Guard and the other from North Carolina's 335th Fighter Squad. The F-15 is a twin-engine fighter that first flew combat missions in 1972.
F-16: This single-engine supersonic fighter jet is from the the Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing. It's one better than the F-15.
Golden Knights: Golden Knights in the nickname for the United States Army Parachute Team. You'll believe a man can fly.
Harvard Twilight: This is the Canadian Harvards team reappearing to perform their twilight show.
MH-60: The U.S. Navy is in charge of the "world's most advanced maritime helicopter," which is used in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare.
Jeff Gordon Carbon Cub: A light-weight carbon aircraft with 180 horsepower, which is slightly less than that of a 2016 Kia Optima Hybrid.
KC-135: Boeing's Stratotanker is a military aerial refueling aircraft and this one comes from Kokomo, Indiana's Grissom Air Reserve Base.
KC Flight: This formation flight team from Kansas City, Missouri, will bring six Van's RV Experimental aircraft, which can perform a variety of aerobatics with a max speed of more than 200 knots.
Lee Leet Super Tucano: Louisville's Lee Leet owns and flies this plane formerly used to train jet fighters in the Royal Air Force. It has a max speed of 345 mph.
MH-53: The Air Force's fabled "Jolly Green Giant" of search and rescue helicopters. It is also Decepticon Blackout so watch your back.
Matt Younkin Twin Beech: Built in 1943 by the Beechcraft Corporation and designated an AT-7C, this was first used by the Army Air Corps.
Nick Coleman Taylorcraft: Lt. Col. Nick Coleman of the Kentucky Air National Guard flies his T-Craft World War II aircraft carriers.
T-44: These Beechcraft turboprops are used for training Navy pilots and first appeared in the 1960s
T-6: This single-engine turboprop from the U.S. Air Force debuted in 2001 and is used for training and/or reconnaissance.
T-38: The world's first supersonic training jet, the T-38 Talon is used by several international air forces and NASA but the Air Force is its primary home. It's a two-seater.
UPS 747-8: This Boeing is big. It's the latest generation of the 747 and is the largest plane built in the United States, so you can imagine how many boxes of gluten-free penne pasta UPS fits on one of these.
US Navy Tac Demo: The Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet Demo Teams are on limited duty this year and this will be only one of four chances to see what a supersonic fighter can do in tight formations.
USN Legacy Flight: This Navy production pairs vintage war craft with their modern counterparts. In this case we have the A-1 Skyraider (1940s-1980s) and the F/A-18 Hornet, which is still in production.
Red Star: The Red Star formation team performs aerobatics displays with Yakovlev or Yak-52s, which were designed in the USSR and manufactured in Romania and used as a primary trainer by both.
Of special note is the B-52 flyby and the A-1 Skyraider. Unfortunately, there won't be an F-22, F-35 or B-2 bomber as there have been in past shows, but all the same it's a heck of a day.
Crowds of over 700,000 people can be expected if the weather is decent and it's expected to be in the 60s on Saturday with no rain. Crowds line both sides of the river on the Louisville, KY and Jeffersonville, IN sides.
This year's Thunder has the following acts.
The Kentucky Derby Festival has named its 31 performers for the Thunder Over Louisville 2018 air show, which runs from 3-9 p.m. before the start of Saturday's massive annual fireworks display.
The event is the kick-off for two weeks of festivities leading up to the 2018 Kentucky Derby.
Many of the acts will practice from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday in the performance space above the Ohio River where they will fly Saturday.
Here is the full list of performers:
A-10 Demo: The A-10 fighter plane was nearly retired this year but it's back until at least 2021, and the Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II team will be doing full-on aerobatics.
A-10/P-51 USAF Heritage Flight: These Air Force buddies represent two generations of combat aircraft. The P-51 Mustang is the archetypal WWII fighter plane and the A-10 is its modern counterpart.
AH-1/UH-1 Helos: These workhorse helicopters used by the Marine Corps have played a role in every Vietnam war movie ever. The Bell UH-1 was used to evacuate wounded and the AH-1 is the attack version.
Billy Werth, Pitts S-2C: Werth pilots this 212-mph bi-plane through a variety of airplane gymnastics, including corkscrews, spins and tumbles.
B-52: The Boeing Stratofortress is a strategic bomber used by the Air Force that clocks in at 159-ft long with a 185-foot wingspan. It weighs 265,000 pounds when loaded for bear (aka bombs) and has a range of 8,800 miles.
Boeing C-17: Known as the Globemaster III, it is a large military transport aircraft used by the Air Force.
C-130: The Lockheed C-130 military transport will be used by the 123d Airlift Wing of the Kentucky Air National Guard and its Strategic Tactical Squadron for a precision parachute drop, which should be dope.
Canadian Harvards: This four-member team performs aerobatics in WWII-vintage planes built in 1941 and are very polite about it.
CF-18: The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is showcased with these frontline multi-role fighter aircraft that are fast, light and maneuverable.
CT-142: This guy from the RCAF has the perfect nickname for Thunder Over Louisville: "Gonzo," the writing style pioneered by our own Hunter S. Thompson. It's a versatile twin turboprop used for navigation, tactics, surveillance, and search and rescue.
CT-155: The Royal Canadian Air Force uses these British-designed single-engine two-seaters for advanced weapons training.
E-3: The Boeing E-3 Sentry is a spy with wings. It's used for all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications thanks to its futuristic rotating radar dome.
F-15: Two of these bad boys are expected, one from the Massachusetts Air National Guard and the other from North Carolina's 335th Fighter Squad. The F-15 is a twin-engine fighter that first flew combat missions in 1972.
F-16: This single-engine supersonic fighter jet is from the the Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing. It's one better than the F-15.
Golden Knights: Golden Knights in the nickname for the United States Army Parachute Team. You'll believe a man can fly.
Harvard Twilight: This is the Canadian Harvards team reappearing to perform their twilight show.
MH-60: The U.S. Navy is in charge of the "world's most advanced maritime helicopter," which is used in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare.
Jeff Gordon Carbon Cub: A light-weight carbon aircraft with 180 horsepower, which is slightly less than that of a 2016 Kia Optima Hybrid.
KC-135: Boeing's Stratotanker is a military aerial refueling aircraft and this one comes from Kokomo, Indiana's Grissom Air Reserve Base.
KC Flight: This formation flight team from Kansas City, Missouri, will bring six Van's RV Experimental aircraft, which can perform a variety of aerobatics with a max speed of more than 200 knots.
Lee Leet Super Tucano: Louisville's Lee Leet owns and flies this plane formerly used to train jet fighters in the Royal Air Force. It has a max speed of 345 mph.
MH-53: The Air Force's fabled "Jolly Green Giant" of search and rescue helicopters. It is also Decepticon Blackout so watch your back.
Matt Younkin Twin Beech: Built in 1943 by the Beechcraft Corporation and designated an AT-7C, this was first used by the Army Air Corps.
Nick Coleman Taylorcraft: Lt. Col. Nick Coleman of the Kentucky Air National Guard flies his T-Craft World War II aircraft carriers.
T-44: These Beechcraft turboprops are used for training Navy pilots and first appeared in the 1960s
T-6: This single-engine turboprop from the U.S. Air Force debuted in 2001 and is used for training and/or reconnaissance.
T-38: The world's first supersonic training jet, the T-38 Talon is used by several international air forces and NASA but the Air Force is its primary home. It's a two-seater.
UPS 747-8: This Boeing is big. It's the latest generation of the 747 and is the largest plane built in the United States, so you can imagine how many boxes of gluten-free penne pasta UPS fits on one of these.
US Navy Tac Demo: The Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet Demo Teams are on limited duty this year and this will be only one of four chances to see what a supersonic fighter can do in tight formations.
USN Legacy Flight: This Navy production pairs vintage war craft with their modern counterparts. In this case we have the A-1 Skyraider (1940s-1980s) and the F/A-18 Hornet, which is still in production.
Red Star: The Red Star formation team performs aerobatics displays with Yakovlev or Yak-52s, which were designed in the USSR and manufactured in Romania and used as a primary trainer by both.
Of special note is the B-52 flyby and the A-1 Skyraider. Unfortunately, there won't be an F-22, F-35 or B-2 bomber as there have been in past shows, but all the same it's a heck of a day.
Crowds of over 700,000 people can be expected if the weather is decent and it's expected to be in the 60s on Saturday with no rain. Crowds line both sides of the river on the Louisville, KY and Jeffersonville, IN sides.
