The WingNuts Flying Circus 2008 - Photos From the Air Show in Tarkio

By Duane Lester • Jul 14th, 2008

For a town of only around 2,000 people, Tarkio, Missouri knows how to put on an air show. Saturday was the second time I attended the show, and it was a great time. At first, I was wondering because we were looking at this sky:

But eventually, the clouds and the rain cleared off, and the weather became really rather pleasant.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the show:

The pilot of this Apache AH-64 helicopter is a native of Tarkio, Shaun Defenbaugh. He put on quite a show later, and I got some pictures below to prove it. But before Shaun flew, we had some F-15s fly by no higher than 50 feet off the runway:

I know that isn’t the greatest picture, but this thing was really moving and it shows how low these folks flew by. Here is a better shot of them together:

Those guys did three passes over the air field. Shortly after they departed, this big fella showed up for a couple of passes:

The B-2 Stealth Bomber. What an awesome and beautiful aircraft this is. It flew over last year, but I didn’t get any really decent shots of it. I’m so happy I did this year. What an addition to the show. It looks cool from below, but what is really impressive to me is its profile. It’s hard to believe how slim this aircraft is. Here’s a shot head on, as it was coming in for the fly by. You can see how small a target it makes, even for radar:

Here’s another shot, this time from the side. Can you imagine trying to hit this thing with some craptastic outdated weapon:

Do you remember when the Soviet Union shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 902? The Soviets say they thought the airliner was an RC-135, “an aircraft that shares common ancestry with the 707, like many other U.S. military airplanes.”

This is an RC-135:

For the record, this is a Boeing 707:

Stupid commies.

The Missouri National Guard also had a CH-47 Chinook there for show. They let people get inside and see what it was like. Then at the end, it took off and four special forces members jumped out. Now, if these had been Navy SEALs, they would have gone without parachutes, because even the ground would be afraid to try to hurt them. (Just kidding, please don’t show up at my house. God bless the military.)

Here’s a shot of the CH-47 Chinook taking off, with some really good looking kids watching:

And here is one of the jumpers landing:

The Chinook then did a fly-by, very low and very fast:

After that, it was time for the Apache. Shaun Defenbaugh, as I said above, really put on a display of the attack helicopter’s abilities:

I wasn’t a big fan of him pointing that 30 mm M230 Chain Gun at us, but when it was on the ground, I saw it wasn’t loaded.

The last military flyby of the day was a big ole C-130 Hercules. Unless my memory is wrong, this is the plane I used to take from Adak, Alaska to Anchorage. Sitting in the back of that plane during that trip, I would get so cold that after the first time, I learned to double, sometimes triple layer my clothes.

These were not the only aircraft at the show. There were some really beautiful planes that were privately owned, quite a few were of great historical significance. Here is a gorgeous P-51 Mustang:

Here is what was on the fuselage:

From another P-51:

Here are three in close formation for a flyby:

I really don’t know what this aircraft is, but I thought it was stunning. If anyone can identify it, please leave a comment and I will add it to the text.

Keith Brooks helped me out by identifying this aricraft in the comments section. He wrote:

The twin engine plane is a Cessna T-50 Bobcat of WWII era. Also known as a UC78. Was used for training and utility uise. Had a steel tube fuselage covered with fabrick. Wing was one piece with wood spar and used Jacobs radial engines. This is also the type plane used in he first Sky King saturday morning childrens TV program. DVD’s or this show are available from EAA. Neat airplane with very few of them still flying.

Thanks, Keith. This is a beautiful plane.

I think the aircraft below is a Douglas SBD Dauntless, but it might be an SNJ. (If you know for sure, e-mail me and let me know.)

This was out in the infield, so I never really got to touch it, but I did hear it start and watched it take off. It was really something to hear that engine and think of the sound of freedom from so many years ago. What a machine:

Probably the most historic aircraft at the show was the 1927 Ford Trimotor C-1077. It is “America’s oldest flying airliner” and “the oldest flying all metal airliner in the world.” Here it is taxiing for take off:

A little more info on the aircraft:

Here’s a look at how the first airline passengers flew:

Every year, this airshow gets a little better. Next year, they are hoping to get the F-22 Raptor to perform. If you are interested in coming to the show, all the information is right here. And for some professional shots of the airshow, MaxAir2Air was there, and I know his work is outstanding. Here’s his shots from 2007.

Here’s to the men and women who work hard all year long to make this happen, and here’s the the men and women in uniform who train to fly these aircraft. God bless.

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