I was in Las Vegas over the weekend and had some time on Saturday, so I went to Aviation Nation at Nellis AFB. Having been to a few airshows over the years, I was mainly interested in the static displays but the Red Bull aerobatic helicopter was pretty interesting. Chuck Aaron seems to be able to perform nearly any maneuver in his BO-105 that a fixed wing pilot could. It is pretty scarey to watch.

Sean Tucker in his Oracle Challenger is always a good demonstration of a wild man trying to tear apart an airplane. I really don't see how that thing can stay together.

Some of the notable static displays were the F-117A, the CV-22 Osprey (now that is a short field aircraft) and the new F-35 Lightning II. The new generation of fighter aircraft just don't seem real, even up close and look like they would be more at home on a movie set but I did see them fly. I hope the Raptor (F-22) pilots have good vision because we'll never see one of them coming...

Also, I talked to the boyz at the CAP booth and checked out their latest aircraft the Gippsland Aeronautics GA-8 Airvan. They say it fits between the 206 and the Caravan and looks to be an interesting aircraft with some decent STOL performance.




Pictures at http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=230

Mark