I’ve participated in a few of these types of air shows, warbirds of all kinds, plus modern stuff. I just did a single ship C-141 demo, and no other aircraft  were part of my demo, but I was privy to all the briefs etc. 

Here’s the problem as I see it, 

#1. The inexperienced Airboss, making changes on the fly. Dumb. Remember there are 8 to 10 aircraft flying by at different altitudes and intervals, so for the viewers on the ground, it looks exciting and there’s zero need to jazz up the show by attempting to maneuver the fighters closer in. 

#2. I’m a Member of EAA Warbirds, and I would say most of the pilots are NOT ex-military, but they are very experienced. I can’t vouch for their formation skills and currency or training.

#3. The briefings I attended were professional, in-depth, detailed, and clear. There was no confusion. We all understood The Airboss was in charge, but the amount of chatter on the frequency was minimal. There was way too much talking and instruction “on the fly” by this Airboss than at any show I ever flew in.

For the record, I flew a C-141 demo flight at about 6 air shows from 1997-2001. The big Warbird show was at the “Wings of Eagles” Airshow in Elmira NY. There are Youtube videos.

 

2 hours ago, Vito said:

 I’ve participated in a few of these types of air shows, warbirds of all kinds, plus modern stuff. I just did a single ship C-141 demo, and no other aircraft  were part of my demo, but I was privy to all the briefs etc. 

Here’s the problem as I see it, 

#1. The inexperienced Airboss, making changes on the fly. Dumb. Remember there are 8 to 10 aircraft flying by at different altitudes and intervals, so for the viewers on the ground, it looks exciting and there’s zero need to jazz up the show by attempting to maneuver the fighters closer in. 
#2. I’m a Member of EAA Warbirds, and I would say most of the pilots are NOT ex-military, but they are very experienced. I can’t vouch for their formation skills and currency or training.

#3. The briefings I attended were professional, in-depth, detailed, and clear. There was no confusion. We all understood The Airboss was in charge, but the amount of chatter on the frequency was minimal. There was way too much talking and instruction “on the fly” by this Airboss than at any show I ever flew in.

For the record, I flew a C-141 demo flight at about 6 air shows from 1997-2001. The big Warbird show was at the “Wings of Eagles” Airshow in Elmira NY. There are Youtube videos.

 

Titty bundle!

On 1/22/2023 at 1:38 PM, Vito said:

 I’ve participated in a few of these types of air shows, warbirds of all kinds, plus modern stuff. I just did a single ship C-141 demo, and no other aircraft  were part of my demo, but I was privy to all the briefs etc. 

Here’s the problem as I see it, 

#1. The inexperienced Airboss, making changes on the fly. Dumb. Remember there are 8 to 10 aircraft flying by at different altitudes and intervals, so for the viewers on the ground, it looks exciting and there’s zero need to jazz up the show by attempting to maneuver the fighters closer in. 

#2. I’m a Member of EAA Warbirds, and I would say most of the pilots are NOT ex-military, but they are very experienced. I can’t vouch for their formation skills and currency or training.

#3. The briefings I attended were professional, in-depth, detailed, and clear. There was no confusion. We all understood The Airboss was in charge, but the amount of chatter on the frequency was minimal. There was way too much talking and instruction “on the fly” by this Airboss than at any show I ever flew in.

For the record, I flew a C-141 demo flight at about 6 air shows from 1997-2001. The big Warbird show was at the “Wings of Eagles” Airshow in Elmira NY. There are Youtube videos.

 

I was at Maple Flag when a 4-ship of 141's flew initial in fingertip and pitched out to land.  For guys that probably didn't do much close formation, they were as good as any fighter 4-ship.