Today I wanted to share some of the video that I took at the 2022 Spirit of St. Louis Air Show in Chesterfield, Missouri. I’ll also show you just a bit of progress on my MiG-17 3D model.
The air show was fantastic! The last one hosted at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS) was in 2019, and this show was sold-out. A sea of people enjoying a weekend of aviation. There were lots of great static displays and flying performances. I’ve uploaded several videos and photos so you can see a few of the planes that were flying that day.
The 2022 Spirit of St. Louis Air Show
Everyone has a favorite plane, or a favorite era of flight that they enjoy. World War II aircraft were represented by a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the only flying Consolidated PB4Y Privateer, and the venerable Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress. As if that wasn’t enough, we were treated to a North American P-51D Mustang, a Supermarine Spitfire, two Hawker Hurricanes, and the only flying DeHaviland Mosquito! All four flew in formation during one part of the show, which was an amazing sight! A Vought F4U Corsair was also flown, and performed some beautiful aerobatic passes. We also got to see an EF-18 Growler demonstration team and a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. The Corsair, Growlers, and the Skyhawk also flew in formation for us.
The Bombers
“Doc” is one of two remaining Boeing B-29 Superfortresses that are still flown today. The B-29 was the predecessor to the B-47 Stratojet and the B-52 Stratofortress. “Doc” was the only large WWII bomber to fly in the 2019 air show. This year, we got to see three!
Flying examples of the Flying Fortress are also rare. This beautiful B-17G stunned everyone at the show. Seeing a B-17 and a B-29 making passes across the field was a wonderful sight. So was the opportunity to see the only flyable Consolidated PB4Y Privateer!
The PB4Y Privateer is generally the same as Consolidated’s B-24D Liberator. It was a maritime warplane, and it carried mines, bombs, and torpedoes. The waist gun positions were replaced with observation blisters (similar to the PBY Catalina). On this plane, the blisters were eliminated and replaced with Plexiglas that was installed flush with the surrounding fuselage skin. Three years ago the Collings Foundation flew its B-24, “Witchcraft,” to Spirit of St. Louis field, along with three other planes (a B-17G, a B-25, and a TF-51 Mustang). We weren’t able to see the B-24 that day, so being able to watch the Privateer flying was a real treat!
The F4U Corsair
Adding to an already exciting day was a Vought F4U Corsair being put through its paces. Here she is as she makes a beauty pass across the field.
Here’s another video of the Corsair performing some aerobatics.
Spitfires, Hurricanes, and a Mosquito
One of the day’s highlights was being able to take a really close look at the only airworthy DeHaviland Mosquito while it was on the static display ramp. It was an even bigger pleasure to see it fly!
If that wasn’t enough, a Spitfire and a Hurricane made several passes over the field then joined in a heritage formation with the Mosquito…
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was another one-of-a-kind plane that was flown during the show. I’ve never seen one flight outside of a movie or video. So, it was great fun seeing it scream over the flight line!
Boeing EF-18 Growlers
Boeing EF-18 Growlers took to the sky also. Here’s a clip of a pair of Growlers launching and making a pass over the field…
I wasn’t able to capture good video of it, but here’s a photo of the Corsair, Growlers, and the Skyhawk flying their own heritage formation…
Bell UH-1 Huey
The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation was at the air show with UH-1 Hueys and AH-1 Cobras. Yours truly spent four years riding in Hueys as an airborne fire team leader while I was in the USAF. Being able to see and hear the Huey in flight brought back many good memories. Here’s a clip of one of the AAHF’s Hueys launching.
Aero Spacelines Super Guppy
This had to be the oddest plane at the air show. The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy was built to transport components of the Saturn V rocket from the manufacturers to Cape Kennedy for assembly, in addition to other out-sized objects. These began as Boeing C-97 Stratocruisers (tanker/cargo/civilian airliner variants of the B-29) which, as you can tell, were pretty heavily modified. This one is still in use by NASA today.
That sort of gives you an idea of the amazing day we had at the airshow. It put a big, slobbering smile on my face watching all of the performances. It was also great to chat with so many nice folks who either participated in the show, or who were just there to have fun. Can’t wait for next year!
Safe skies!
~John