ACC Announces Demo Team Cuts

[Jay Beckman]

And the hits just keep on coming...  

Airshow Buzz LINK

Cliff Notes: F-16 E/W, A-10 E/W, F-15E Demos cut.  TBirds and one F-22 team remain.

Guess the Heritage Conference at DM just got a lot smaller...

[BillOz]

Oh, this really sucks.  I go to the Airshows more for the demo teams than the T-Birds.

Only place to get some real flying, instead of just takeoffs and landings.

[Jay Beckman]

Can't confirm this yet but I did see a passing reference via someone's FB stream (a note from one of the Viper crew chiefs) that there will still be ACC support for Heritage Flights.

Don't know if this means one lone F-16 will be available or if there will be wider support.  Guess we'll find out if/when they have HFC at DM next year.

[Chris Janes]

Given the recent history of the F-22, I wouldn't get to excited about seeing that demo either...Unfortunate.

[Joe Copalman]

Yeah, the article states the T-Birds, F-22, and Heritage Flight are all being sustained.  

My hunch is this isn't strictly budget related.  Every branch is gearing up for a fight to justify their need for all the F-35s they have on order, and teams that showcase the effectiveness of legacy platforms work against that.  If the A-10, F-15E, and F-16 are such potent and effective war machines, why are we spending all this money we don't have on the F-35?  

Also, this isn't entirely a bad thing.  Look at the CSAR demo at D-M in 2010 or the scramble/dogfight demo at Nellis last month.  These are local assets showing locals what THEIR military is doing FOR THEM.  With no more single-ship demo teams in the mix, I'm hopeful we'll see an increase in this kind of stuff, and that it will give military air shows more diversity, instead of all of them being more or less carbon copies of one another, with maybe 1 or 2 acts changing from one to the other.  

[Chris Janes]

Here is a link for a petition to urge Congress to continue supporting the Demo teams. It's a long shot but if it's worth fighting for why not..

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/urge-congress-increase-funding-military-demonstration-teams/0bCC5WFt?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

[cpasley]

Im willing to try, if others are

[Jay Beckman]

Just saw an announcement through their Facebook page that the west coast C-17 demo team is also standing down...

[Jay Beckman]

Rumor Mill through folks in the vicinity of March ARB say C-17 demo is now back on.

[Joe Copalman]

Rumor Mill was wrong.  From the Demo team's facebook page today: "The rumors of WCDT's reincarnation are greatly exaggerated. Sorry, we're done. We had a great run."

[Jay Beckman]

*SIGH* Saw That...

Well, they're giving away their 2012 Patches at least.

[cpasley]

Now them saying "their done" im confused, I thought the demo teams were just standing down this season, with them 'possibly' being reactivated for 2013, or am I wrong and the long lived air force single ship demo's over for good

[Jay Beckman]

Guess we'll know after January 20th, 2013...

[Joe Copalman]

Now them saying "their done" im confused, I thought the demo teams were just standing down this season, with them 'possibly' being reactivated for 2013, or am I wrong and the long lived air force single ship demo's over for good

That was with the ACC demo teams.  C-17s are AMC.  (And am I on crazy-pills, or were previous C-17 demos flown by AETC birds out of Altus?).

[Daniel DeSart]

Now them saying "their done" im confused, I thought the demo teams were just standing down this season, with them 'possibly' being reactivated for 2013, or am I wrong and the long lived air force single ship demo's over for good

That was with the ACC demo teams.  C-17s are AMC.  (And am I on crazy-pills, or were previous C-17 demos flown by AETC birds out of Altus?).

They were.