LINCOLN — There is nothing quite like the sound and feeling of six F/A-18 Super Hornets seemingly tearing a hole in the sky as the lift off the tarmac.
That was just one of the features of the 2023 Guardians of Freedom that came to Lincoln over Saturday, Aug. 26 and Sunday, Aug. 27.
The headliner of the show was the Blue Angels, a flight demonstration squadron with the U.S. Navy that flies the distinctively colored blue and yellow Super Hornets.
The team, composed of six Navy and one Marine Corps demonstration pilot. The flight is split into the diamond formation, Blue Angels One through Four and the Lead and Opposing Solos, Blue Angels Five and Six.
“Most of the show alternates between maneuvers performed by the Diamond Formation and those performed by the Solos. The Diamond, in tight formation and usually at lower speeds (400 mph), performs maneuvers such as formation loops, rolls, and transitions from one formation to another,” according to the Guardians of Freedom website.
“The Solos showcase the high-performance capabilities of their individual aircraft through the execution of high-speed passes, slow passes, fast rolls, slow rolls, and very tight turns. The highest speed flown during an air show is 700 mph (just under Mach 1),” per the website.
All team members, both officer and enlisted, pilots and staff officers, come from the ranks of regular Navy and United States Marine Corps units. The demonstration pilots and narrator are made up of Navy and USMC Naval Aviators.
The team that flew in Lincoln was Commander Alexander Armatas No. 1; Lieutenant Commander Christopher Kapuschansky, No. 2; Lieutenant Amanda Lee, No. 3; Lieutenant Scott Goossens, No 4; Lieutenant Commander Julius Bratton, No. 5 and Lieutenant Commander Griffin Stangel, No. 6.
Lt. Lee is the first woman to have served with the Blue Angels when she joined in July 2022.
The Blue Angels typically perform aerial displays in at least 60 shows annually at 30 locations throughout the United States.
An estimated 11 million spectators view the squadron during air shows from March through November each year.
The opener for the Blue Angels demonstration is a US Marine Corps C-130J Super Hercules that is affectionally nicknamed, “Fat Albert.”
Fat Albert’s primary mission is to transport 35,000 pounds of cargo and roughly 60 Blue Angels team members to every show site throughout the country.
The current pilot of Fat Albert is Captain Jackson Streiff, a native of Omaha.
“He graduated from Millard South High School in 2010, where he played varsity football. In 2014, he graduated from the University of Nebraska Lincoln with a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice. Upon graduation he earned a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps through the Platoon Leaders Course program,” per the Blue Angels website.
Fat Albert also performs a high-performance take off, parade pass, flat pas, head on pass and a short-field assault landing.
The show opened by a performance from the Horsemen Aerobatic team, represented at the show by two P-51 Mustangs, a World War II era fighter.
“The mission of The Horsemen is to “bring greater interest to the world of historic aviation and to remind future generations of how these powerful machines helped the Allies change the outcome of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War,” per the Guardians of Freedom website.
A Nebraska Air National Guard KC-135 also took part in the airshow. The aircraft provides in-flight refueling services for aircraft, helicopters and tilt-rotor platforms. During a pass of the crowd, the fuel boom operator showed off the devices range of movement.
There was three demonstrations by a US Navy EA-18G Growler team, fifth-generation US Navy F-35Cs and a U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper.
The aircraft were put through their paces, showing a variety of high and low speed passes, numerous high G turns and rapid climbs.
A Growler and F-35 also took part in the US Navy Legacy flight, joined by an F4U-Corsair, a World War II era fighter that was deployed primarily in the Pacific theater.
“The Navy Legacy Flight Foundation showcases the time-honored service and sacrifice of those who have flown in defense of our great nation,” according to their website.
Not to be outdone, the US Air Force Heritage Flight also took to the air, with the F-16 being joined by a P-51 Mustang.
“The Heritage Flights seek to honor the contributions of every man and woman who has served in the USAF while educating the general public on the importance of the U.S. Air Force and its mission,” per their website.
There were other performances that included a World War II era Mustang and an F6F Hellcat, another fighter that was primarily deployed on carriers in the Pacific.
Doug Roth also took to the air in his Staudacher, a single seat mono-wing aircraft with an engine that churns out 300 horsepower. The small aircraft can perform nearly unlimited aerobatics.
In addition to the performances in the air, there were static displays that included an Airbus A-319, UH-72, CH-47D Chinook, UH-60 Black Hawk, C-130 Hercules, E-4B Nightwatch, F-16, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, B-52 Stratofortress, RC-135, T-6 Texan, T-38 Talon, EA-18G Growlers and a C-17, that the crowd could tour and in some cases, even speak with the men and women who operate them every day.
The Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce estimated that approximately 250,000 people came out for the airshows over the weekend.
