This past weekend the 2014 Greater Binghamton Airshow was held at the Greater Binghamton Airport in (surprise!) Binghamton, New York. The last time Binghamton hosted an airshow was in 2009 when The Blue Angels performed, along with the Viper West Demonstration Team, the USMC Harrier Demonstration Team and numerous civilian demonstrations. This year’s show was a much smaller affair featuring all civilian performers and a modest display of stationary aircraft, including one of the only surviving aircraft from the Berlin Airlift, the C-54E R-5D named “Spirit Of Freedom”.
Performing at the show were the US Army Golden Knights, Bill Gordon in his Stearman Model 75, Manfred Radius in his sailplane, the Raiders Aerobatic Team, Andrew McKenna in his P-51D Mustang, Kevin Russo in his T-6 Texan, and last but not least, Team AeroDynamix in their 11-ship performance.
People were lining up at the gate two hours before they opened and I was pleasantly surprised at how crowded the show was, given the absence of any military or jet performers. I’m hoping the enthusiasm of the crowds makes the show organizers rethink letting five years lapse before they hold the next one.
As for photography, I only attended the Friday night show and the lighting made for some excellent shots but as it got darker the slowness of my 100-400mm lens became apparent and I didn’t even attempt to photography Team AeroDynamix. I’ve mentioned before that shooting propeller-driving aircraft has always been tough for me but I was pleasantly surprised when I got home and began going through my shots. All in all, I’d call the airshow a success and look forward to next year when, hopefully, the show once again becomes a yearly event.
The Tactical Air Network 