Corsair Crazy
Prose: James Woodard
Photography: James Woodard, Ryan Kelly, Ryan Tykosh, Chris Rose, Christian Gross
This past August, the airspace around Ypsilanti, MI was taken over by one of the most feared warbirds of WWII. Ypsilanti is home to the Yankee Air Museum, who plays host to the annual Thunder Over Michigan Air Show. The theme for this year was “Corsair Crazy”, and they did not disappoint. Full Disc Aviation had the pleasure of talking to one of the shows co-founders, Mr. Kevin Walsh, prior to this year’s show. Airshows run in Kevin’s blood, his father being a mainstay in helping run the London Airshow in London, Ontario for a good chunk of Kevin’s childhood. After starting a career in sports medicine, Kevin still had an itch to be around airplanes and that is when he found Yankee Air Museum.
He walked in, paid his membership dues and began sweeping floors on the weekend, he just “wanted to be around airplanes.” Something I think we all understand. After the museum found out about his lineage in the airshow business, Mike Luther came to him to discuss the possibility of starting an event there. At first Kevin was hesitant, but after some convincing on Mikes part, Kevin agreed, “I’ll give you one year and I am not giving you anything more.” 20 years later, the rest is history.
The idea of having a Corsair themed year first came up prior to the 2018 show. With the major military jet demonstration teams having a two year schedule, the airshow organizers have some time to look ahead at what they want to do when there isn’t a major jet team available. This gives them time to reach out to warbird owners and operators to get their interest level, get quotes and contracts complete, and finalizing everything prior to the public announcement of the theme for the following year. For “Corsair Crazy”, every Corsair in North America was invited, however, some owners were not interested in attending for a number of reasons; a lot of them are individually owned and operated, so it ultimately was an individual choice for all. After several of the Corsairs that were scheduled to attend had maintenance issues, the final number ended at eleven.
Kevin and the team were really building this show up for the warbird enthusiast, as their documented history of the Thunder Over Michigan airshow will show that with any single-type aircraft warbird themes, the attendance numbers of the enthusiasts significantly increases. “It's a given, if we have kind of a once-in-a-lifetime gathering, all the enthusiasts come out....so we'll see the drop obviously in the general public attendant, but a lot of what we try to do over the years is we try to create a customer base, a database that appreciates more than the jet team.” When talking to Kevin, we were curious if he had a favorite past theme.
“Yeah, the first time we did B-17 in 2005 and it wasn't so much that yeah, there's eight B-17s on the ramp...it was the fact that seven other B-17s came to us when we had nothing. Our facility had burned down, we lost 35,000 artifacts, eight airplanes. The planes; the C-47, B-25 and B-17 had been pulled out of the burning building less than a year before the 2005 show. So, that was pretty special. It’s when you saw the warbird community, because our decision to carry on with Thunder was literally the next day after the fire and I always thought it was one of the craziest decisions that we ever made as an organization. We don't have any equipment. We don't have any of the databases for members, we had nothing. But it was just awesome, because most of those B-17s came just to help us create a world record and get us back on our feet. I can barely remember all the warbirds that came that year but they all came for free, that some of them picked up their own hotel rooms and cars and put gas in their own tanks, it was the outpouring of emotion that was unparalleled back then. We’re such a tight community, I mean when Lonestar had a hurricane come through, we didn't forget about them coming to us in 2005, once we got back on our feet, we wrote some checks to those guys to help them. You know, it's what you do. It's the right thing to do.” (more on the fire here https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10516942/blaze-devours-michigans-yankee-air-museum-relics)
That is something that you can just feel when you are at Thunder, they “get it” and everyone is treated the best possible way. Everyone is kind, photo opportunities are endless, and even though it is a large scale show, it maintains that small show feeling, where it isn’t just about the big corporate sponsor and the customer isn’t the afterthought.
“We've become pretty efficient and much to many years of trial and error, our advance ticket sales is really the lead in what covers most of all airshow expenses, and by Father's Day we're usually in the black through our advance ticket sales for the show. We start putting them on in November with buy-one-get-one deals. We have Christmas specials, we have a price hike at the end of December. We will do flash sales. We have another price hike at Father's Day, and that's where most of any pre-show expenses are covered by the pre-show revenues in the ticket sales. We are not a heavily sponsored show. We have very few sponsors. Our premium seating is one of the main revenue sources of both in-advance and on-site that keeps the reliance on corporate sponsorships to a minimum because if we get too dependent on those and we lose them we can lose the show and that is what happens so many times, again and again and again."
He continued, "Some shows got a $100,000 sponsor, but as soon as they pull out, their show's dead in the water, so you have to have a business model that is self-sustaining and then your sponsorships is your gravy on top, which is great. Now, the show itself of course is 100% Yankee Air Museums money, so the proceeds go back to the Yankee Air Museum expenses that are concurred. If there's ever a loss on the show, the Yankee Air Museum is going to eat it. It is a Yankee Air Museum production from start to finish and I think that's something a lot of people don’t understand, that it is 100% that the museum runs the show.”
The way the show is run is top notch, especially for the aviation photographer. Many other shows could learn a thing or two from YAM. The photographer’s pit, which is catered, has a large tent for shade, and even a raised platform to shoot from. It is unlike any other I have seen. Photo packages range from just arrival day taxiway, to single days on the weekend, a Saturday night engine run, or the whole weekend package, which is worth every penny. 2018 was the first year Kevin attempted the night run-up; it was a huge success. He followed up this year with another, and we hope it is a continued feature. The sight, sound, and feeling of having a warbird running while lit up at night is hard to match.
Knowing this year’s show was going to be special, several Full Disc Aviation members and other aviation photographer friends of ours had it on their calendars. We knew we were in for a good time with the growing list of friends that we were going to be with. When our official Thunder Over Michigan weekend started with arrival day, there were already a handful of Corsairs on site. Utilizing the photo pit and getting to photograph the remaining arrivals of warbirds and military aircraft is always a treat.
In attendance for the show was also the Air Combat Command F-16 Viper Demo Team, which had a full practice display on Friday. After a long day under the sun, it was time to get some rest and prepare for an even longer day. But first, we had time to try to catch the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation who sets up just outside of the airfield. We became friends with some of the crew last year at Thunder and were hoping to meet some of them again. As we got their location, things were wrapping up for them as well, however we were still able to set in motion things to come later in the week, and we were treated to pretty fantastic departures from both their Huey and Cobra.
As we were driving into the show on Saturday, we looked out of the window, and across the airport you could see it. The folded wings of all the Corsairs. It was beautiful, you couldn't help but think of that sight as something one would see from a naval air station in the 40’s. We knew the weekend was going to be great. Arriving early to the show, we each had our time to shoot whatever drew our attention. Obviously, the thing that grabbed everyone’s attention was having eleven Corsairs all parked in a row; something many of us will never see again. Bent Wings in the folded position all lined up begging to be photographed.
There are a couple of pin up models that are a staple to Thunder and they were available for photos as they posed with numerous Corsairs while the golden light started to filter across the sky. As I walked the static display, it was great to sit back and watch all of the other photographers at work, each getting in position to get that unique angle that only their eye saw. Yes, they get in the way sometimes, but those can also make for great images that tell the story of an aviation photographer.
After meeting back up with the crew, it was time to head to the photo pit and wait for the action to start. The show was broken into two acts with the Corsair flight as the headliner and last action. Highlights from Act I were the Class of ’45, Mike Goulian, a flight of seven Mustangs, and a fly-by from a couple F-15 Strike Eagles from Mountain Home Air Force Base. The flight of seven Mustangs was insane, I don’t think I have ever worked so hard at an airshow. They all took turns just running circuits over the airfield, with the photo pit to the far left, the sight of the warbirds and sound of the merlins as they dove in for their passes was something that I will never forget. And we still had eleven Corsairs to experience.
Act II was highlighted by the bomber flights in conjunction with the ground battle reenactment, Viper Demo Team and USAF Heritage Flight and of course the main attraction: Corsair Crazy. You can't have a Thunder Over Michigan without having some bombers; this airport was a bomber manufacturing facility during the war. Yankee Air Museum put up their B-17 Yankee Lady and B-25 Yankee Warrior, both of which are stunning to watch in flight.
Working with Steph Stricklen, I was granted the opportunity to shoot along the runway for the entirety of the Viper Demo and Heritage Flight. This was an amazing experience and I can’t thank her and the Viper Team enough for the opportunity. Having “Toro” pull up and pass that close to me was almost an out of body experience. The only thing left for the day was the flight of ELEVEN Corsiars.
While we did not get to witness the start up from where we were located, we did hear it. All eleven starting up simultaneously and unfolding their wings in unison, taking turns taxiing by and getting ready for history. In no time, the sky around Ypsilanti was filled with the sound of the radials making music with the wind as all eleven did circuits around the show. You could look in any direction and see several Bent Wings lined up ready for the dive into show center. It was one of those sights that you have to just put the camera down and take in, just watching, listening, smiling, and appreciating. One would think that would cap off our day.
Having purchased the full weekend photographer package, it included the after-show dinner on Saturday as well as the night engine run Saturday night. We had some time to kill before the dinner, so we headed to the sounds of the Huey and Cobra as the Army Aviation Heritage was still set up. We met up with some of our friends again and talked about our desire to do a group flight first thing Sunday morning and possibly capture some unique images. Things sounded promising, so we headed into the hangar for dinner.
It was a great time to look at some of the images of the day, make some new friends and talk to old ones. Lou Feldvary, whom we flew an air to air with last year in our T-6 feature, tracked us down to talk a bit. As we looked out the hangar door we saw the light getting better and better and decided to go out and enjoy it and see what we could shoot...like eleven Corsairs sitting is amazingly beautiful light. Well, not so fast. They were gone.
We did not recall hearing them leave, had they parked them somewhere else for the night? As we all stood there talking and staring off into the distance, we heard them. Then we saw them. All eleven of them, in formation in a sky painted to perfection. They each took their turn breaking from formation and preparing for landing. Kevin invited the photographers to get closer to the action and capture them as they taxied back to the ramp.
Our Chris Rose was able to speak to John Fuentes, the man piloting the Corsair belonging to the Military Aviation Museum based out of Virginia Beach, VA.
”Flying with 10 other Corsairs made for a very memorable weekend of being around the airplane we all love. The biggest challenge was flying with 10 other pilots that most I had never flown in formation with before. NATA formation standardization pays off! Taxiing that many Corsairs also is a challenge. The sunset photo formation flight at 9,500 feet above the clouds South-West of Ypsilanti was the most memorable part of the weekend!”
One after another they taxied by, getting to their spots and folding the wings. Once again, a sight that we will likely never experience again. We still had time before our night shoot so, what else to do besides hang around a collection of Corsairs? After enjoying the comradery of both the pilots that were there and the photographers in attendance, it was time to make the trek over to the other side of the ramp where the night activities were to take place.
If you have not experienced a night engine run with a warbird, I cannot recommend you do so strongly enough. It is like nothing else. We had heard that the subjects were to be a P-51, Corsair, and Yankee Air Museums B-25 “Yankee Lady”. We just weren’t sure what Mustang and Corsair it was, we quickly realized it was going to be “Swamp Fox” for the Mustang, and “Annie-Mo” for the Corsair. Both were great selections.
As the sky got darker it was time for the Mustang to get things going, followed by the Corsair then finishing with the bomber. We were given several minutes with each aircraft before the engine started, then several minutes with the engines running. It was a great way to cap off one heck of a long day, your body only realizing how tired you were until you had to start making the walk back to your vehicle.
The final day, we knew we had to leave mid show to begin the long drive home, but our main goal was to meet up with the Army Aviation crew and experience a Huey ride together. Goal achieved. For the flight, we had Ryan Kelly, Ryan Tykosh, Chris Rose, Larry Griffiths, and myself. Our pilot for the flight was Bill “Mudd” Macintire, the same from last years Huey flight. As we all sat there, checking our belts to make sure we were safe (ok, maybe that was just me), we were excited to experience the Huey as a group.
Mudd powered up and took us west of the airport, dipping, ducking, dodging, diving as if he was avoiding dodgeballs. The sound of the blades directly overhead rattles your insides, but in a good way. As we returned to the airport, we had time to fly directly in front of the flight line and around the static ramp getting some great aerial photos of the show setup including the Corsairs all lined up. We can’t thank the crew at Army Aviation enough for helping us out that morning.
The decision was made to leave after ACT I, which would culminate with the fly over by the Strike Eagles. We had on good authority that today’s flyover would include some burner passes and we couldn’t miss that opportunity, and they did not disappoint.
When I sat down to write this, I fully expected to focus on the “Corsair Crazy” theme. But the more I thought about the whole experience, I realized I couldn't just focus on that. Thunder Over Michigan is a total experience that can’t be pegged down to one aspect. Kevin Walsh and his team do a tremendous job in putting on one of the best airshows in the country, hands down. Although it will be hard to top 2019, we look forward to returning next year to see what Kevin has planned.
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