Photo Shoot with VFA-106 - Dover AFB, Delaware
On Sunday October 8, 2006, Andrew DeMartini (FlyAwayPhotos.com), Chris Williams (SemperApollo.com), their respective parties, and myself were invited to the hot ramp following the conclusion of the flying events at the 2006 Dover AFB Open House & Airshow. We spent approximately twenty minutes chatting with the Super Hornet Demonstration Team pilots while photographing the demonstration jets, AD-216 and AD-217. What you see below is the result of the photo shoot.
I want to extend a huge thank you to Lieutenants Gary "Ringo" Buxton, Jeff "Chewie" Immel, Blaine "Rock" Tompkins, and Lenny "Crack" Wise for taking time out to chat with us and to be able to photograph the jets. I would also like to extend a thank you to Crack for taking time out to check out the jets at NAS/JRB Willow Grove in June 2006.
Click on each picture to see a larger version.
AD-217 sits in the October sunlight...
AD-216 was the main jet but had canopy damage, so 217 did the job for the remainder of the season.
From left to right: Crack, Ringo, and Chewie pose with AD-217.
L-R: Crack, Ringo, Chewie, and Rock. Not pictured is Lt. Matt "Sicko" Bernhard.
The crew chiefs join the demo pilots.
Both jets departed from Runway 1 at Dover AFB, but had to wait for two C-5 Galaxies to land before departing.
VFA-106, the Gladiators, trains new pilots coming off T-6As and T-45s how to fly and employ the F/A-18A/B/C/D Hornet and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in the tactical arena. They are also the fleet replacement squadron, which means they have more jets than the fleet squadrons. A typical fleet squadron has 10-12 jets. VFA-106 has at least thirty Hornets and at least thirty Super Hornets. The Gladiators are also responsible for flying the single-ship tactical demonstrations of the Hornet and the Super Hornet at airshows primarily east of the Mississippi River. Demonstration pilots usually conduct their instructor pilot and demonstration pilot duties simultaneously and are demo pilots for only one year. The Gladiators are based at NAS Oceana in beautiful Virginia Beach, Virginia and use the callsign Roman when they fly.
© 2007 Steven Holzinger