The Tahoe Lake-In-The-Sky Air Show

A few weeks ago at the end of September, we had another "Lake In The Sky" airshow at the South Lake Tahoe airport. It was great fun.

Three biplanes flying over Cave Rock

For airshow snobs, it might not be much compared to the monster shows like the annual Oshkosh, Wisconsin airshow. But I've been to the Oshkosh show, and I can tell you that our Tahoe show is better in many ways. 

First, you don't have to park a mile away and fight monster crowds. Second, and even better, you get to see cool planes flying "Right There!" above your head or a only hundred feet away to your side. Compared to Oshkosh where you need binoculars to see the planes fly, Tahoe's show is amazing.

The variety of planes was impressive, and the flying was spectacular.

Here's the link to the Lake In The Sky airshow.

Below are a range of pictures. (Can you tell from them that the 12-year-old boy inside me is alive and well?!)

Here they come!

A Hellcat heading out onto the tarmac

A Japanese Zero following him. Will they have a dogfight?

Zero and Hellcat ballet at 300 miles per hour

In Front of Trimmer Peak

After the Hellcat and Zero show their moves, it's time to check out the other aircraft.

Classic warbird

Flying boat

Flying wing

Here's a Canard design, with the small wing forward and the main wing aft.

 Next, comes the biplane air show, beautiful planes, amazing maneuvers.

#1 of what I thought of as the Three Musketeers

#2 (This was flown by an 81-year-old pilot!)

#3 Sweet Paint job!

Up we go

Three's company

Pulling 6 Gs

Up and over

If you don't go all the way over, you do a tail slide until you flip around

Soon, come the choppers.

In comes the Sky Crane. This one is outfitted with a water tank.

The dangling pipe is for sucking up water when they hover over a lake.

Then they fly to the fire and drop their load.

This chopper arrived while we all watched, flown in by a woman pilot and set down so smoothly a glass of water on the dash wouldn't have spilled a drop. The announcer loved telling all the girls at the show about the woman pilot. "You want real Girl Power, learn to fly one of these!" he called out.

At the end of the show, the planes all flew off into the gathering clouds

It was a great event for all.